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The National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) is administered by the Department of Commerce to accredit testing laboratories upon request. Accreditation is currently available for laboratories that test carpet, thermal insulation materials, and freshly mixed field concrete. Decisions to accredit laboratories are based on evaluations conducted by the National Bureau of Standards which include questionnaires, on-site examination, and proficiency testing. It was recognized early that while questionnaires and site visits could provide valuable insight into a laboratory’s ability, a true measure of its capability could only be determined through proficiency testing. This paper discusses the design and operation of the proficiency testing portion of the evaluation of laboratories that test thermal insulation materials and carpets.

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