From:   Charles N. Dyer

Date:   June 1, 2000 

 Re:      NELAC Extension to January 1, 2001
            Quick Turnaround Studies

As most of you know by now, the NELAC Board of Directors has extended the date for the approval of the first group of laboratories from July 1, 2000 to January 1, 2001, which will include secondary accreditation.  The main reason for this is that there has been a problem with obtaining proficiency test (PT) samples for some analyses.  For some analyses, the samples did not become available until the April 2000.  Laboratories would have difficulty in meeting the requirement of two successful analyses by July 1, 2000.  Since it is not possible to change the PT requirement until the annual meeting at the end of the month, there was no choice but to extend the dead line.

As a result of the extension of the approval for the first group of laboratories, the date by which laboratories must be NELAC accredited in order to renew their New Hampshire certificate has also changed.  Unless there is another change in the NELAC timeline, all laboratories will need to be NELAC accredited in order to renew their New Hampshire certificate on and after January 1, 2001.  

Recently it was brought to my attention that the quick turnaround PT  samples do not meet the NELAC standards for PT studies, even though they are provided by the NIST approved PT vendors.  I have contacted all of the NIST approved vendors and they confirm this.  NH ELAP will accept the results of studies already received by or shipped to your laboratory before June 15, 2000 for meeting your New Hampshire certification PT requirements.   Be sure to save documentation that will prove when the samples were shipped and/or received by your laboratory.   The NELAC standards do not allow NH ELAP to use the result of these studies for meeting your NELAC PT requirements.   If you need to participate in a make-up study you will need to participate in a formal study provided by one of the NIST approved providers.  Hopefully there will be a vendor with a formal study that will meet your needs for timing as well as analytes and methods.