The PT is compliant with ISO17043. It is designed to support IAEA MSs laboratories to improve the quality of their analytical results, to maintain their accreditation and to provide a regular forum for discussion and technology transfer in this area. Its main features are
- Full anonymity of laboratories is granted: Laboratory code is only known too each laboratory and to the PT coordinator
- Quantitative: The results of a quantitative measurement are numerical and are reported on an interval or a ratio scale
- Simultaneous: randomly selected sub-samples from a source of material being distributed simultaneously to participants for concurrent testing
- Continuous: Organized at least once per year
- Evaluation of performance based on assessment of trueness and precision
