In 2003, in the midst of setting up its domestic certification programme, OAM was offered a public-private collaboration opportunity by the DoA at the onset of the establishment of SOM, to operate a fee based inspection service for medium to large producers for SOM. However, with a change of DoA staff, the offer was later withdrawn, leaving OAM with a financial deficit from start up expenses as well as having to face competition with a free government certification service. Having to re-think its position, OAM held back rolling out its domestic certification programme.

Whilst it was taken as a setback at the time, four years later, conditions to launch a private quality assurance programme have actually turned more favorable than before. The free but slow government certification service and limited scope of SOM has effected a change of attitude amongst operators who had earlier pressed for a free government service as opposed to fee based private certification.

The OAM board also gained a number of invaluable insights over the period in waiting. First and foremost, operating an accredited ISO-type, third party independent certification system will demand development and overhead costs that are unlikely to be sustained by the size of the organic industry in Malaysia despite its growth in the medium term. Furthermore, operators have greater need of, and are more likely to pay for, assistance with developing their internal quality control systems than for inspection and certification, especially as certification is unlikely to increase domestic market margins. Also, other than creating confusion, differences between the standards of the many organic certification systems represented in Malaysia are of no significant interest to the Malaysian market.

The above reasons, coupled with no foreseeable access to development funding, led OAM to design simpler and more inexpensive solutions than it had planned earlier.

Initially designed as a third party certification programme, the OAM Domestic Organic Assurance Programme has now been revised so that it is based on self assessment, supported by training and an oversight surveillance regime. Interested operators will sign a compliance agreement to the OAM organic norms, which is based on the IFOAM Basic Standards and operating conditions in Malaysia. They will also register details of their operation and attend compulsory training sessions. Additional on-site training can be provided on request. Operators have to file an annual self-assessment compliance report. A sample number of operators will be audited annually based on assessment reports as well as feedback and complaints received. An Oversight Committee, consisting of peers and public interest groups, e.g. consumer associations, will decide on sanctions where required.