On a case-by-case basis, it may be beneficial to accept the use of technical standards of the vendor State or of a State having oversight experience with a reactor of the type selected. It is also useful to learn from the earlier independent analysis and safety assessments of this technology performed in other States. Furthermore, other regulatory bodies can give insights into the levels of quality achieved by key manufacturers and other suppliers, and this allows for better focusing of the auditing and evaluation of these orga­nizations. In adapting safety standards or regulations of other States, the regulatory body should make its regulations compatible with its own national legal and regulatory framework, include appropriate requirements specific to national conditions such as special site characteristics and electri­cal grid conditions, promptly evaluate amendments made to the reference regulations or standards, and issue amendments to its own regulations as appropriate.

Once the vendor has been chosen through the bid evaluation process, the regulatory body should consider cooperation with the regulatory bodies of those States in which the same vendor has supplied similar plants, and especially of the State of the vendor, if possible. The possible benefits of information based on the experience of other States are clear and this could influence the tentatively planned regulatory approach.

A common option chosen in the past for regulation by States into which a first nuclear power plant was being imported was to use the regulations and standards of the supplier State. This had the advantage that the supplier knew in detail which requirements it had to meet, and it was easier for the regulatory body because it knew that such a plant was licensed in the sup­plier State. However, this approach has a significant disadvantage. The regu­latory system of the importing State should be properly considered in the approach of the regulations adopted. If the State subsequently purchases a plant from a supplier with a different regulatory approach or a different licensing system, or if a major back-fitting programme is implemented, the two systems would have to be reconciled. The regulatory body should have a clear understanding of the basis for the regulations so that subsequent regulatory actions or changes can be fully and knowledgeably evaluated (IAEA, 2011a).