Some situations require a standard to be based on another standard. This scenario is usually true when one agency dictates a standard for another agency or consultant. Generally, the standard will contain most of the information required for a project. However, operating procedures, internal standards, and workflow can force the external agency or consultant to require more than what is supplied by the original agency. Specifically, additional components such as title block information, logos, and proprietary details may not be provided in the original standard but might be required by the consultant or external agency.

NetSPEX supports a feature called standards dependency that solves this problem. The original agency can create and maintain its "parent" standard and also create a dependent standard that is based on the original. The dependent standard can then be amended to include any missing information required by the third party. If the parent standard is updated, the dependent standard is immediately updated as well. Any additional information in the dependent standard is left alone. This ensures that consultants and third parties can remain compliant with the original agency standard while maintaining their own internal project standards.