UNBS Inter-Laboratory Comparison

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UNBS 4^th  ROUND OF INTER-LABORATORY COMPARISION PROGRAMME 2025

1. What is Inter-Laboratory Comparison (ILC)?

According to ISO/IEC 17043:2023 Conformity assessment — General requirements for competence and impartiality of proficiency testing (PT), an Inter Laboratory Comparison is the organization, performance and evaluation of measurements or tests on the same or similar items by two or more laboratories in accordance with predetermined conditions.

2. Why is the ILC important?

ILC is one of the methods used to demonstrate competency and validate a laboratory’s measurement process for a particular measurement discipline. ILC participation therefore provides a quality assurance tool to laboratories for comparing performance and taking necessary remedial action to facilitate improvement, with an aim of producing accurate and reliable test/calibration results.

3. Benefits of participating in an ILC.

To the business Community;

1. Business opportunity to invest in product testing.
2. Builds confidence and trust in supplier’s certificates thereby reducing technical barriers to trade especially where goods have to go through another sampling and testing at the destination.
3. Creates a level playing ground for all laboratories in the same testing capacity.
4. Demonstrates good performance and competence of the laboratories, which puts the laboratory at an advantage to acquire and maintain recognition.
5. Reduces technical barriers to trade especially where goods have to go through another sampling and testing at the destination. Quality assurance of goods and services.
6. Quality control of manufactured goods during the manufacturing process and along the supply chain.
7. Risk assessment and management.
8. Aids in failure investigation and resolution of complaints and disputes

To Consumers;

Consumers will have access to better, safe and quality products and services since the results are from credible laboratories. Consumers have particular interests in the safety and performance of products.

To UNBS;

1. Builds confidence and trust in the laboratory test results thus allowing UNBS to use credible laboratories in fulfilling its mandate.
2. Reduces turnaround time in acquiring credible test results by having a number of laboratories that can perform similar tests with similar test results.
3. Demonstrates good performance and competence of the laboratories, which puts the laboratory at an advantage to acquire and maintain recognition nationally, regionally and internationally.
4. Detecting method related issues and taking mitigation measures.
5. Allows for comparing the various analytical methods and selecting the most accurate methods
6. Enables generation of reference materials for methods monitoring

4. Who qualifies for the ILC?

This round of ILC exercise is highly recommended for all public/private commercial testing and calibration laboratories and manufacturing facilities with in house laboratories that fall under the scope of the ILC irrespective of size.

5. How to participate?

Acquire the ILC registration form, click  below to download the form 

UNBS ILC Registration form 4TH ROUND 2025  [163 KB]

Fill in the application form and submit to the ILC Coordination desk using email:  ilc@unbs.go.ug before 31st November 2025. Upon receipt of your filled in application forms, a payment notification will be issued to you against which payment will be made through the URA online payment platform for the matrices of your choice.

6. Parameters to be tested?

The scope of ILC this year will focus on 15 matrices under testing laboratories; Non-Carbonated Soft Drinks, Cosmetics, Potable Water, Roasted Coffee, Green Coffee, Maize flour, UHT Milk, Milk Powder, Paint, Animal feeds, Steel bars, Cement, Aggregates, Soil and Concrete as detailed in table below.

 Key points to note;

When testing and calibration is done by other laboratories aside from UNBS labs, whose results are to be used by UNBS in fulfillment of its mandate, then there is need to ensure that the laboratories consistently demonstrate competence by ensuring that the laboratories participate in Proficiency testing (PTs) schemes and Inter Laboratory Comparison (ILC) programs recognized and or organized by UNBS. In addition, participation in PTs and ILC s is one of the requirements of the UNBS Laboratory recognition scheme and accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 (General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories).

Currently, most laboratories have challenges finding affordable and available PTs/ILCs in and around Uganda, and UNBS is coming out to try and reduce the gap in provision of reliable and affordable Inter Laboratory Comparison Schemes. ILC is one of the methods used to demonstrate competency and validate a laboratory’s measurement process for a particular measurement discipline. ILC participation therefore provides a quality assurance tool to laboratories for comparing performance and taking necessary remedial action to facilitate improvement, with an aim of producing accurate and reliable results.

SECTION B: MATRICES OF CHOICE TO PARTICIPATE IN
ILC Matrice Group		Parameters of test	Participation fee in UGX per matrice	Matrice of your choice (please tick (√) as appropriate)
CHEMISTRY AND MICROBIOLOGY TESTING LAB				Chemistry		Microbial
	Non-carbonated soft drink	Brix, Cadmium, Lead	240,000
		Total plate count, Total coliform, Yeast & mould
2	Cosmetics	Hydroquinone, pH, mercury, lead, Total fat (TFM)	240,000
		Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans
	Potable Water	PH, Conductivity, Chlorides, Calcium, Nitrites, Nitrates, Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic	240,000
		Total plate count, Total coliform count, Intestinal Enterococci, Salmonella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
4	Roasted Coffee	Acid Insoluble Ash, Ash content, Moisture content, Ochratoxin A	240,000		NA
5	Green Coffee	Acid Insoluble Ash, Ash content, Moisture content, Ochratoxin A	240,000		NA
6	Maize Flour	Moisture content, Ash content, Acid Insoluble Ash, Fat acidity, Total aflatoxin, Aflatoxin B	240,000
		Total Plate count, Salmonella, Yeasts and Moulds
7	UHT Milk	pH Variation, Variation of Titrate able Acidity, Fat, Density and Total Solids	240,000		NA
8	Milk Powder	Total plate count, Total coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella	240,000	NA
9	Paint	PH and Total Soluble Solids	240,000		NA
10	Animal feeds- Poultry feed	Fat, Total ash, Acid insoluble ash, Moisture, Calcium, Phosphorous, Zinc	240,000		NA
Note: Participate in 5 matrices and above get a UGX 100,000 deducted from the total amount.
ENGINEERING TESTING LABORATORY
1	Steel (12mm 16mm)	Tensile strength, Yield strength Weight per meter, Bending, Elongation, Chemical composition	360,000
2	Cement- CEM I and CEM II	Standard Consistency, Compressive strength, Setting time, soundness test, fineness test	360,000
3	Aggregates	Gradation, Water absorption, Bulk density, Specific gravity, Oven dry particle density, Apparent particle density, Saturated particle density, Aggregate crushing value, Aggregate Impact Value	360,000
4	Soil	Gradation (particle size distribution), Moisture content, compaction test, specific gravity, liquid limit, plastic limit, plasticity index, linear shrinkage, California Bearing Ratio (CBR), Shear Strength, Consolidation	360,000
5	Concrete	Slump test, Compressive test at 14 days	360,000