BOBS was established by an Act of Parliament No 16 of 1995. It is a parastatal organization governed by a Standards Council with representatives from industry, Government, research institutions and consumer groups.

The objectives of BOBS include:
- establishing and implementing national standards;
- providing consultancy to organizations;
- operating product and management system certification schemes;
- making arrangements or providing metrology services and testing facilities for testing of both locally manufactured and imported commodities;
- making arrangements for company and personnel certification and also laboratory accreditation;
- providing information services related to standards and quality.