LGC Limited
LGC Limited, headquartered in the UK, is recognized as the definitive global market leader in proficiency testing (PT), commanding the largest share of the worldwide PT market, responsible for approximately 19% of total participation volume globally. The company operates its comprehensive programs under the flagship brand AXIO Proficiency Testing, offering an expansive portfolio of PT schemes that cater to critical sectors including clinical, food, environmental, pharmaceutical, and other key scientific domains. LGC’s vast reach extends to over 13,000 laboratories situated in more than 160 countries, coordinating roughly 2,000 PT rounds annually. A core part of LGC’s strategy is continuous innovation, which has included the rapid introduction of new programs, such as a dedicated COVID-19 PT scheme, and the integration of advanced technologies like AI-driven software, which has been reported to speed up the analysis of proficiency results by 85%. This scale, technological edge, and broad disciplinary coverage solidify LGC’s position at the forefront of the laboratory proficiency testing industry.
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College of American Pathologists (CAP)
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) is a prominent, not-for-profit professional organization in the United States and is celebrated as a pioneer and leading authority in clinical laboratory proficiency testing. As the largest PT provider within the clinical laboratory community, CAP operates its extensive Surveys and External Quality Assessment programs, which date back to the 1940s, assisting laboratories in maintaining the accuracy of their medical testing. The CAP is internationally accredited to ISO/IEC 17043 and its programs see broad adoption, with over 25,000 laboratories worldwide participating in 2020. CAP offers an extensive catalog of more than 700 PT/EQA programs spanning 16 diverse disciplines of laboratory medicine, including clinical chemistry, hematology, microbiology, cytopathology, and genetics. CAP is committed to scientific rigor and continuously adapts its offerings to address emerging public health needs, exemplified by the launch of a new PT program for the monkeypox (mpox) virus in 2023. CAP’s dedication to quality standards makes it essential for clinical labs seeking accreditation, such as under CLIA.
American Proficiency Institute (API)
The American Proficiency Institute (API) is a leading provider of laboratory proficiency testing, distinguished by its commitment to comprehensive coverage, advanced features, and high customer service standards. Working with over 20,000 laboratories, API covers all areas of laboratory medicine and has built its reputation on providing prompt, personal service supported by technical expertise. API’s service delivery is centered on its innovative platform, which offers a robust set of features for its participants. These include online portal management for streamlined operations, detailed result submission reports, and direct support for troubleshooting samples. A key innovation is the API Data Direct system, which allows laboratories to upload their results directly from their Laboratory Information System (LIS), effectively helping to eliminate one of the primary causes of proficiency testing failures. By focusing on both technological efficiency and strong support, API ensures labs have the reliable results and resources needed to meet all their proficiency testing requirements.
AOAC INTERNATIONAL
AOAC INTERNATIONAL operates an accredited Proficiency Testing (PT) program that sets the quality standard for analytical laboratories across the globe. Its program, which is ISO 17043 accredited, is specifically designed to enable laboratories to compete in the global marketplace by demonstrably meeting the highest international standards for compliance, reliability, and data accuracy. AOAC provides an independent assessment of a lab’s data, which is crucial for quality assurance. The program features comprehensive testing schemes that encompass a wide array of matrices and analytes. To ensure the integrity of the testing process, AOAC supplies high-quality, stable, and homogenous testing samples that are ready to analyze and mimic routine samples. Furthermore, AOAC supports its participants with a secure, confidential website for data entry and access to historical reports, state-of-the-art automated reporting, and responsive technical support from international quality experts. The organization also offers Quality Assurance and Educational Samples (QAES) separate from PT for educational, training, and method validation purposes.
National Association for Proficiency Testing (NAPT)
The National Association for Proficiency Testing (NAPT) is the preeminent global provider of proficiency testing services and software tailored specifically for the metrology community, focusing on calibration and testing laboratories. NAPT distinguishes itself as the only non-profit provider in the field, a status that ensures truly impartial evaluations free from potential conflicts of interest, making it the most trusted name for independent testing solutions in metrology. Backed by a full-time team with extensive industry experience, NAPT’s core mission is to support laboratories in demonstrating technical competence and achieving compliance with the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. NAPT’s offerings include reliable Proficiency Kits for testing, the Intra Manager software for labs to design and manage their own internal proficiency tests, and QMS Navigator to simplify and streamline the quality requirements for accreditation. NAPT provides an integrated solution encompassing administration, development, software tools, and expert support.
Collaborative Testing Services, Inc. (CTS)
Collaborative Testing Services, Inc. (CTS) specializes in interlaboratory testing programs designed to support testing labs in achieving their quality assurance objectives and meeting accreditation requirements. CTS is recognized for offering the largest variety of tests, covering a broad spectrum of industries that are often underserviced by clinical PT, including agriculture, color, containerboard, fasteners & metals, forensics, paper, plastics, rubber, and wine. The company leverages a proven knowledge of interlaboratory testing and cutting-edge tools to help labs easily and quickly monitor their performance. CTS provides actionable data in reports that are concise and tailored specifically for each laboratory. By consulting with industry experts, CTS ensures its tests remain relevant and fulfill the evolving needs of the laboratories it serves. Serving thousands of organizations across more than 80 countries, CTS enables laboratories to compare their performance with peers worldwide, reinforcing the reliability of their data internationally.
NSI Lab Solutions
NSI Lab Solutions is a dedicated provider of Proficiency Testing (PT) samples, particularly emphasizing the integrity and quality of its materials given the critical role PT plays in laboratory accreditation. The company brings over two decades of extensive experience in the manufacturing and certification of multidisciplinary reference materials to its PT process. NSI Lab Solutions adheres to stringent quality control, setting analytical validation specifications that are more rigorous than current NELAC standards. A key aspect of their quality assurance is the certification of the purity of analyte source materials and subsequent correction of the sample’s assigned values based on this certified purity, a methodology that significantly increases the certainty of the assigned value. Demonstrating a focus on value and practicality, NSI Lab Solutions provides their NPW and WS chemistry PT samples in duplicate, a practice that offers greater utility to laboratories while maintaining a price point comparable to other industry providers’ single-sample pricing.
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