Accepted answer
A reference standard is a material of known identity and established purity against which you compare everything else, and it is the foundation of quantitation.
The response factor changes if the method changes — a different gradient time, a different temperature, a different column — so the standard must be run under the exact method conditions as the sample.
The relevant detail is that system suitability for a standard includes that replicate measurements of the same standard give consistent results, and if they do not, something in the method or the instrument is wrong.
Certified reference materials are available from national metrology institutes and carry full documentation of their purity and traceability.
The caveat is that a standard certificate is only as good as the issuing laboratory is reliable, and not all certificates are equally credible.
The practical summary: use a standard of declared purity and verified traceability, and check that the certificate is current.