UNBS 3RD ROUND OF INTER-LABORATORY COMPARISION PROGRAMME 2023
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;
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;
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 from the UNBS website www.unbs.go.ug, click Apply for registration in the inter laboratory comparison round 3 2023, fill in the application form and submit to the ILC Coordination desk using email: ilc@unbs.go.ug before 10th August 2023. 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 10 matrices under testing laboratories; Maize flour, UHT Milk, Potable Water, Non-carbonated soft drinks, Cosmetics, Roasted Coffee, Paint, Animal feeds, Cement and Steel bars 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.
Download UNBS ILC Registration form 3RD ROUND 2023 [36 KB] |
SCOPE OF THE 3RD ROUND OF INTER LABORATORY COMPARISON FY 2022/2023 |
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PT Matrix Group |
Parameters of test |
Participation fee (UGX) |
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CHEMISTRY AND MICROBIOLOGY TESTING |
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|
Non-carbonated soft drink |
Brix, Cadmium, Lead, Total plate count, Total coliform count, E.coli, Yeast & mould count |
240,000 |
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2 |
Cosmetics |
Hydroquinone, pH, mercury, lead, Total fat (TFM) |
240,000 |
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|
Water |
PH, Conductivity, Chlorides, Calcium, Nitrites, Nitrates, Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, Total plate count, Total coliform count, E.coli, Intestinal Enterococci |
240,000 |
||
4 |
Coffee |
Acid Insoluble Ash, Ash content, Moisture content, Ochratoxin A |
240,000 |
||
5 |
Maize Flour |
Moisture content, Ash content, Acid Insoluble Ash, Fat acidity, Total aflatoxin, Aflatoxin B1 |
240,000 |
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6 |
UHT Milk |
pH Variation, Variation of Titrate able Acidity, Fat, Density and Total Solids, Total plate count, Total coliforms |
240,000 |
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7 |
Paint |
PH and Total Soluble Solids |
240,000 |
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8 |
Animal feeds- Poultry feed |
Fat, Total ash, Acid insoluble ash, Moisture, Calcium, Phosphorous, Zinc |
240,000 |
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Note: Participate in 5 matrices and above get a 100,000UGX deducted from the total amount. |
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ENGINEERING TESTING |
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1 |
Steel bars (10mm, 12mm 16mm, 20mm, 25mm) |
Tensile strength, Yield strength and weight per meter |
360,000 |
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2 |
Cement |
Compressive strength, Setting time |
360,000 |
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UNBS ILC Registration form 3RD ROUND 2023 [ 36 KB ] |