(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has finalized agreements with the Alliance for Performance Excellence and the Baldrige Foundation to transfer most operational responsibilities of the Baldrige Program to the two private-sector organizations.

The partnership will ensure the continued success of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program, which helps U.S. organizations achieve and sustain high-quality performance excellence and long-term success.

“The Baldrige Program has helped thousands of organizations improve their operations and outcomes, bringing better products and services to millions of Americans,” says NIST Baldrige Performance Excellence Program director Bob Fangmeyer. “This new phase of our public-private partnership will allow us to access more resources, scale more quickly, and provide an even stronger platform to encourage performance excellence and organizational resilience.”

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