Outsourcing Calibration - NIST, OEM, and Calibration Laboratory

[Tyranna]

If a company sends out a piece of equipment to an accredited lab and specifies in the purchase order "that all calibration must be done by an ISO 17025 accredited lab traceable to NIST standards", would the lab performing the calibration know to perform such calibration to the OEM specs (including tolerances) and would that calibration be able to be traced back to NIST?

Also another question: Is it imperative that the PO contain exact instructions as to what calibration is required such as " calibrate to OEM specifications"?

I am under the impression that NIST develops standards independent of any OEM and that the measurement is what is traceable, not the OEM's specs.

Is that correct? Thank you for your help!

 

[Jim Wynne]

Re: Question regarding NIST, OEM, and Cal Lab

If a company sends out a piece of equipment to an accredited lab and specifies in the purchase order "that all calibration must be done by an ISO 17025 accredited lab traceable to NIST standards", would the lab performing the calibration know to perform such calibration to the OEM specs (including tolerances) and would that calibration be able to be traced back to NIST?

If you know that you're sending your device to an accredited lab, you shouldn't have to specify that in the PO. What you should specify, if it's what you want, is that calibrations must be performed in accordance with ISO 17025 requirements, even if the lab is accredited. Some labs play games with pricing based on whether or not the calibration (and the calibration certificate) is done under the accreditation umbrella.

As for OEM specifications, I suppose it would depend on the device(s) in question.

Also another question: Is it imperative that the PO contain exact instructions as to what calibration is required such as " calibrate to OEM specifications"?

There should be a quote from the calibration lab that tells what it is you're paying for and how much it costs. This is done in advance of the purchase order. Once you've told the lab what you want and the lab documents that in its quotation, you can just refer to the quotation in your PO--"Calibrate device x in accordance with quotation #12345."

I am under the impression that NIST develops standards independent of any OEM and that the measurement is what is traceable, not the OEM's specs.

Is that correct? Thank you for your help!

Traceability applies to calibration standards--the thing that is used for comparison, such as gage blocks or a signal generator--not to specifications for calibration or measurements themselves.

 

[Tyranna]

Thank you for your explanation!