Gazette

Ministry of Health
Maldives

To find a competent Proficiency Testing provider/ program

Request for Proposal

To find a competent Proficiency Testing provider / program

The National Health Laboratory of the Maldives Food and Drug Authority is interested in participating in a Proficiency Testing Scheme accredited to ISO 17043 and would like to find a competent Proficiency Testing provider / program. All the information regarding this is included in the Terms of Reference given below.

Interested parties are to submit their proposals before 14:00 hours of 20 ^th March 2016, Sunday as mentioned in the terms of reference. For further clarifications please contact 3014346.

Terms of Reference

PARTICIPATION of NATIONAL HEALTH LABORATORY IN A PROFICIENCY TESTING SCHEME ACCREDITED TO ISO/IEC 17043

10^thMarch 2016

1. Introduction

National Health Laboratory (NHL) is a division of Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) with the main mandate of safety, quality control and hygiene verification of food and pharmaceuticals. NHL is divided into two main sections namely, Chemistry and Microbiology laboratories. The matrices tested include water, food and swabs and brought from food establishments, factories and resorts etc. and pharmaceuticals.

NHL has been accredited to the international standard ISO/IEC 17025 since December 2008. For the maintenance of its accreditation status it is compulsory to assure quality of tests. To fulfill this obligation of ISO/IEC 17025;2005, NHL intends to participate in a Proficiency Testing (PT) scheme.

Thus this “Terms of Reference” (TOR) has been developed to find a suitable PT provider/ program.

2. Scope and Objectives

The objective of this TOR is to find a competent PT provider/program accredited to the international standard ISO/IEC 17043 for NHL to participate for the assurance of the quality of tests.

The chosen party should provide PT services including but not limited to the following:

Send PT samples to NHL
Evaluate the test results by comparing the test results with assigned or nominal value or harmonized value obtained with all participating laboratories in the program
Provide a report for the score of NHL’s test result

The details of the parameters for which PT are required are included in the list 1 attached. Testing of the PT samples will be carried out at NHL.

3. Requirements / Qualifications

3.1. The PT providers intending to offer PT services to NHL shall have the following qualifications and requirements.

a) The PT provider offering the PT services must be accredited to the standard ISO/IEC 17043.

b) The program shall cover all the tests in the list 1 attached and in the given ranges.

c) The PT provider must have at least 3 years’ experience of providing to PT and must be currently engaged in the service.

d) The PT program must have at least 5 laboratories participating in its program.

e) Submission of test results should be available via electronic method or electronic correspondence.

f) Time for the submission of results should allow sufficient time for transport of the sample/ material, processing and testing. The time taken for processing and testing for different parameters are included in the list 1.

g) A schedule of the PT program for a year should be available prior to the start of the year’s program.

h) Provision of transport/courier services for the sample materials to NHL.

i) Reports of evaluation of the test results shall be available via electronic media.

j) Statistical method used for the evaluation of each test result must be sent along with each report.

k) Full charges for one year program/cycle should be stated.

3.2. Documents to prove conformance to the points numbered 3.1 a), b), c) and d) of above criteria should be submitted along with proposals and proof to show conformance to the rest of the criteria should be submitted either by submitting relevant documents or statements in the proposals. Submissions without these documents and statements will be cancelled. Proposals submitted by parties not conforming to the above criteria will be cancelled.

4. Submission of applications

4.1. Interested qualified parties should submit a quotation for charges of PT services inclusive of :

Prices of the PT pack for the tests in US Dollars
Charges for courier/delivering the PT materials (for each test or pack of test ) for each round of the test parameter to the following address:

National Health Laboratory,

Maldives Food and Drug Authority

Ministry of Health

Roashanee Building, Sosun Magu,

Male’ 20184

Republic of Maldives

Time allowed for postage and testing.

Quotations /proposals not stating the above will be cancelled. Any other charges that would incur must be included.

4.2. In addition to the quotation interested parties should submit:

a) A copy of the accreditation certificate to ISO 17043.

b) Schedule of the PT program

c) Criteria used to evaluate and decide acceptable test results

d) Brief profile

e) List of clients/ laboratories which had participated in the past 3 years.

f) Details of ways to submit test results and sending reports of evaluation of test results

g) Payment conditions

h) Any other terms and conditions subject to the process

i) Contact details including full address, email address and phone numbers with country codes

Proposals/ quotations not accompanying the above documents/information except for 4.2.(h) will be cancelled.

Selection: An appropriate party shall be chosen by evaluating the quotations/proposals using the following grading system.

Price: 80 (Eighty) points; the highest point will be given to the least quoted party and the rest will be graded by ratio.

Experience: 20 (Twenty) points; External documents stating the duration of proficiency testing scheme. The longest duration gets the highest point and the rest will be graded by ratio.

6. Duration: All required test rounds to be covered within a year of start date.

7. Contact: Thooma Adam/ Maldives Food and Drug Authority

8. Deadline for submission:

Interested parties are to submit signed quotations and other required documents on or before the official time of 20^thMarch 2016 to

Maldives Food and Drug Authority, Ministry of Health,

Roashanee Building,

Sosun Magu,

Male’ 20184

Republic of Maldives.

Electronic versions of the quotations and documents can be emailed to [email protected] before the above due date. Late submissions cannot be considered under any circumstances.

List 1- Details of parameters for which PT is required.

#	Parameter	Matrix	Number of rounds (at least)	Time taken for processing and testing
FOOD CHEMISTRY
	Moisture	Food	Once in a year	3 days
	Ash content	Food	Once in a year	3 days
	Total nitrogen	Food	Once in a year	3 days
	Sodium	Food	Once in a year	3 days
	Chloride	Food	Once in a year	3 days
	Arsenic	Fish	Once in a year	8 days
	Cadmium	Fish	Once in a year	8 days
	Mercury	Fish	Once in a year	8 days
	Protein	Food	Once in a year	3 days
	Fibre	Food	Once in a year	3 days
	Peroxide Value	Oil	Once in a year	3 days
	Iodine value	Oil	Once in a year	3 days
	Total Volatile Nitrogenous Base (TVB-N)	Fish	Once in a year	3 days
	Total sugars	Food	Once in a year	3 days
	Acidity / acid value	Food	Once in a year	3 days
	Histamine	Fish	Twice in a year	2 days per round
	Lead	Food	Once in a year	8 days
	Mercury	Food	Once in a year	8 days
	Cadmium	Food	Once in a year	8 days
WATER CHEMISTRY
	Sodium	Water	Twice in a year	4 days per round
	Potassium	Water	Twice in a year	4 days per round
	pH	Water	Twice in a year	1 day per round
	Electrical Conductivity	Water	Twice in a year	1 day per round
	Sodium	Sea Water	Once in a year	4 days per round
	Potassium	Sea Water	Once in a year	4 days per round
	pH	Sea Water	Once in a year	1 day per round
	Electrical Conductivity	Sea Water	Once in a year	1 day per round
	Chloride	Water	Once in a year	1 day
	Calcium	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Magnesium	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Alkalinity	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Total Hardness	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Phosphorus	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Fluoride	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Sulphate	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Nitrite	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Nitrate	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Ammonium	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Total Organic Carbon	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Colour	Water	Once in a year	1 day
	Turbidity	Water	Once in a year	1 day
	Cadmium	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Lead	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Iron	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Manganese	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Aluminum	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Zinc	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Copper	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Nickel	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Chromium	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Mercury	Water	Once in a year	3 days
	Chromium	Sea Water	Once in a year	3 days
	Mercury	Sea Water	Once in a year	3 days
	Barium	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Boron	Water	Once in a year	3 days
	Arsenic	Water	Once in a year	3 days
	Selenium	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Silver	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Lithium	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Cobalt	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Tin	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Cyanide	Water	Once in a year	2 days
	Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)	Water	Once in a year	7 days
	Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)	Water	Once in a year	3 days
	Suspended solids	Water	Once in a year	1 day
	Total Dissolved Solids	Water	Once in a year	1 day
	Oil and grease	Water	Once in a year	3 days
	Taste and Odour	Water	Once in a year	3 days
FOOD MICROBIOLOGY
	Enumeration – Coagulase positive staphylococcus	Food	Twice in a year	3 days
	Enumeration – Escherichia coli	Food	Twice in a year	3 days
	Enumeration – Coliforms	Food	Once in a year	2 days
	Enumeration- Aerobic Plate Count	Food	Once in a year	3 days
	Detection test - Listeria monocytogenes	Food	Once in a year	5 days
	Detection test - Salmonella spp.	Food	Once in a year	5 days
	Detection test - Staphylococcus aureus	Food	Once in a year	5 days
	Detection test - Vibrio parahaemolyticus	Food	Once in a year	3 days
	Enumeration- Clostridium perfringens	Food	Once in a year	2 days
	Enumeration- sum of yeast and mould	Food	Once in a year	6 days
	Enumeration- Bacillus cereus	Food	Once in a year	3 days
	Enumeration- Aerobic plate count	Swab	Once in a year	3 days
	Enumeration - Enterobacteriaceae	Food	Once in a year	3 days
	Enumeration- Aerobic plate count	Milk	Once in a year	3 days
	Enumeration – Escherichia coli	Milk	Once in a year	3 days
	Enumeration – Coagulase positive staphylococcus	Milk	Twice in a year	3 days
WATER MICROBIOLOGY
	Total Coliforms	Water	Twice in a year	2 days
	Escherichia coli	Water	Twice in a year	2 days
	Enterococci	Water	Twice in a year	3 days
	Clostridium perfringens	Water	Twice in a year	2 days
	Colony counts (22^oC/ 3days and 37^oC / 2days)	Water	Twice in a year	4 days
	Pseudomonas aerogenosa	Water	Once a year	5 days

09 March 2016

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