Online peer review of the National Metrology Institute of Lithuania

Project Description

According to the rules of the CIPM MRA and EURAMET, participants of the CIPM MRA should organise assessment of the Quality Management System (QMS) by the experts from other NMIs.
The rules of the CIPM MRA require that the NMIs implement and operate a Quality Management System complying with the requirements of the ISO/IEC 17025 standard to support their calibration and measurement activities.

This project will arrange an online peer review by the experts covering both CMCs in the fields of temperature, electricity, time & frequency, metrology in chemistry, ionizing radiation, mass and length and the QMS system according to the new version of the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard.
Peer review should cover QMS in general, as well as calibration and measurement capabilities in 7 laboratories of the Metrology Department of FTMC.
This peer review will be implemented in collaboration with three partners: Główny Urząd Miar, GUM (Poland), Český Metrologický Institut, ČMI (Czech Republic) and Suomen Ympäristökeskus, SYKE (Finland).
Technical experts from GUM will carry out peer review of FTMC in the areas of electricity, time & frequency, temperature, length, and mass in accordance with the requirements of the CIPM 2007-25 document and EURAMET “Guide for on-site visits by peers in the frame work of CIPM MRA“ (G-TCQ-PRC-006).
Technical experts from ČMI will carry out the peer review of the Ionizing Radiation Metrology Laboratory of FTMC.
And, a technical expert from SYKE will carry out the peer review in the field of metrology in chemistry.

The project was planned to start in January 2021, however, due to the difficult situation of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, the project was postponed. Peer review is scheduled to start as soon as possible in March of 2021. The conclusions of the peer review and the QMS will be presented to EURAMET TC-Q during the annual meeting 2021.

All the costs of the peer review will be covered by FTMC (Lithuania).

Progress Report 2023-09-23

Operation of the QMS of FTMC has been assessed. The fields covered include: QMS in general as well as technical activities in the fields of temperature, electricity and magnetism, time & frequency, ionizing radiation, mass, and length. Although planned initially, the activities in the field of metrology in chemistry have not been assessed due to the relocation of our Laboratory for Metrology in Chemistry and some issues, the decision on which shall be taken by the top-level management of FTMC. We expect that the situation should become clear in upcoming months, and we will be able to complete the project by the end of 2023.

Operation of the QMS has been found to be adequate. As for the fields assessed, the assessors have issued some recommendations. No non-compliances have been found.