Unfortunately, a number of the sample sets shipped on Monday, 7 June, 2021, have not yet been delivered to the participants. We have contacted our logistics provider about the issue and have been informed, that they are dealing with an increased number of shipments. Additionally, they experienced issues with their software, but expressed that they were hopeful, that the delay caused by this should not exceed 24 hours. All participants in the proficiency test STRD0521 who have not yet received their sample set can however be assured that any influences on the analytical results arising from possible instabilities of the solutions will be accounted for in the performance assessment. For general information on the proficiency test, please refer to the following page: STRD0521.

Update 14.06.2021

Today, we have once more requested delivery services company to track the whereabouts of the parcels and will inform you of any news right away. Internally, we have discussed to wait until the end of this week and then try to re-ship the samples using a different logistics provider, if possible.

Some of the participants have also expressed concerns about the sample stability. We have conducted a short-term stability study and luckily the majority of the analytes does not show any significant instability, even when stored at room temperature for 28 days. Taking into account last week’s weather, we will also try to accommodate for any additional analyte loss due to the elevated temperatures. As the performance assessment will be conducted using consensus values, participant scores will not be influenced by a loss of analyte due to instability. We have also decided to prolong the deadline for the proficiency test due to the problems with the sample shipment. We have not determined a new date, yet but we will let you know right away.

Thank you for your understanding.