Accreditation of reference material producers

The use of reference materials is the most pragmatic means by which the ana lyst can achieve comparability of data. Reference material producers theref ore need to have adequate quality systems in place for ensuring the reliabi lity of their materials. In order to provide guidance to both producers and assessors, ISO Guide 34 has recently been produced detailing the duality s ystem requirements for the production of reference materials. CITAC, REMCO and ILAC are now collaborating in the revision of this guide to produce a f ree-standing document detailing the general requirements for the competence of reference material producers. This paper discusses some of the more imp ortant issues described in these documents. The possible formation of an in ternational register containing details of a reference material producer's quality system status is also discussed.