The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word STANDARDISES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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Buddy explains!
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
Crossword Answer definitions
STANDARDISES verb- To establish a standard consisting of regulations for how something is to be done across an organization.
- To make to conform to a standard.
- To check for conformance with a standard.