What are the aims of TEPS ?
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a) to enable participating laboratories engaged in textile testing to monitor and improve the quality of their measurements;
b) to provide additional confidence to the laboratory's clients;
c) to enable participating laboratories to verify their test results and procedures to other interested bodies (e.g. approval bodies, retailer approval schemes) and to monitor laboratories performance against other similar organisations;
d) to identify interlaboratory differences;
e) to provide information on the understanding and effectiveness of particular test methods;
f) to organise interlaboratory trials and statistical analysis of new test methods.
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Who recognises / acknowledges TEPS?
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TEPS participation is required by the LACE approval scheme. The LACE scheme is recognised by several retailers as evidence of a laboratory's competence. These are: Adams Childrenswear, Boden, Ethel Austin, Homebase, Matalan and Tesco. Certain other retailers who do not use the LACE approval scheme have however confirmed that they endorse TEPS as a means for demonstrating an acceptable level of competency.
As far as national approval bodies (such as UKAS) are concerned, they are unable to insist on one particular scheme, but would reasonably expect a laboratory to participate in some form of proficiency testing, especially in a field such as textiles. It is worth noting that the TEPS scheme was developed with the full support of UKAS, who had significant input into the statistical design of the scheme. The UK Ministry of Defence was also consulted during the development stages as they have similar experience in running such a scheme (PACTS).
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Is TEPS run to a standard?
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Yes. TEPS is run in accordance with ISO/IEC Guide 43-1:1997 - Proficiency testing by interlaboratory comparisons - Part 1: Development and operation of proficiency testing schemes. It is the intention of X-reference Ltd to obtain UKAS approval for TEPS in the near future.
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Is there a scheme protocol available?
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Yes. Click here view the Protocol document (PDF format).
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How much does participation cost?
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Click here to see the price list.
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What tests are covered by the TEPS scheme?
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The tests covered are listed on the price list.
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What if I only want to participate in limited tests?
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There is no problem with this. The pricing structure is designed to allow this to be done in a cost-effective manner.
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How are the results analysed?
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The specific details of the analysis will depend on the test method involved. The general procedure for non-subjective tests is to generate a number of summary statistics characterising the whole data set, but also assess the performance of each participant individually by means of z-scores. The statistics used are robust in nature. This means they are not excessively influenced by extreme results. This method of analysis is in line with recognised practise worldwide.
Where a test produces subjective results (e.g. colour fastness), the analysis is slightly different. Usually, the mode result (i.e. the most common result) is taken as the "correct" result and all results are assessed on this basis.
Full details of the statistics used are found in the protocol.
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How can I be sure that results I submit will be kept confidential?
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For each round of tests, participants are issued with a Laboratory Identification Number (LIN). The report sent out to participants identifies participants by their LIN only. This ensures that only you can identify your results.
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Where do you get your samples from?
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Samples are obtained from a variety of sources. Before use in any trial, they will undergo an extensive testing and characterisation exercise to assess their suitability and homogeneity. This work is subcontracted to a UKAS-accredited laboratory.
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Is there any way I can influence the way TEPS is run?
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Feedback from participants is encouraged. In particular, any participant is eligible to apply for membership of the TEPS Advisory Group, consisting of representatives from all interested parties. This group, chaired by the scheme co-ordinator, meets at regular intervals to direct the scheme and discuss any needed improvements.
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