Third-party witness inspection for the equipment you are buying

A witness inspector attends the tests and inspections listed in the Inspection and Test Plan (ITP) at the vendor's shop on behalf of the buyer. The inspector verifies that each test is run per the approved procedure and acceptance criteria, reviews certificates and records, raises non-conformances, and issues an inspection report and release note.

Owners, operators, EPC contractors and third-party inspection agencies that need a qualified inspector at a vendor shop. We never work for the vendor whose equipment is being inspected.

Yes. SQR stands for Supplier Quality Representative, sometimes Source Quality Representative: the person who attends the vendor's shop on the buyer's behalf to witness tests, release hold points and check quality. We act as the SQR for owners and EPC contractors directly, or on behalf of an inspection agency. When the vendor or coordinator asks for the SQR who will be on site, we provide the name, company, phone and email, attendance dates and arrival time, and any passport or ID copy, visitor or safety induction forms the shop needs for gate access, so badges are ready and the named SQR can sign off the hold points.

The Notification of Inspection (NOI) or test dates, the ITP with hold and witness points, the purchase order and datasheets, applicable test procedures and the shop address and contact. If some of these are missing we can still attend and will note the gaps in the report.

A flash report is sent the same day for each attended hold or witness point. The full inspection report with photos, test data and any non-conformance reports follows within 24 hours of the last activity.

The final inspection, also called pre-shipment inspection, is the last hold point at the vendor's shop after all manufacturing and testing are complete and before packing. We check completeness against the PO and packing list, nameplates, tag and serial numbers, visual condition, dimensions and nozzle orientation against the GA drawing, coating, cleanliness and preservation, marking and export packing, and confirm that all earlier ITP points are signed, test reports are complete and NCRs are closed. When it is accepted we issue the Inspection Release Note (IRN), which the client uses to approve shipment and payment.

A flash report is the short preliminary report sent to the client or agency right after an inspection visit, before the formal report. It lists the job, PO, vendor, date and hours on site, the ITP items inspected or witnessed with a one-line result for each (accepted, rejected or on hold), any non-conformances or concerns, the next planned visit and key photos. We send it the same day, so the client knows at once whether a hold point was released; the full inspection report follows within 24 hours.

We verify the shaft material certificate and heat number traceability, the dimensional report for impeller fit, seal and bearing journals, runout and straightness against API 610 or vendor limits, surface finish and hardness at seal and bearing areas, NDT reports, the rotor balance report, and assembly checks such as axial float and coupling fit. During performance and mechanical running tests the shaft condition also shows up in the vibration readings we record.

The seal housing holds the mechanical seals around the shaft and is part of the pressure boundary. We review its material certificate and NDT reports, witness the hydrotest, check the seal cavity dimensions and seating faces, and verify the seal installation. Each seal connection is lettered on the general arrangement drawing (Port A, Port B and so on) with a legend giving size, thread and function, such as flush, barrier, vent or drain; we check every port against that legend for size, orientation, cleanliness, connection to the API 682 seal plan, plugging and tagging, and watch for leaks at hydrotest and during the performance test.

FTP usually means Factory Test Procedure, sometimes Functional or Final Test Procedure: the vendor's written procedure for a shop test, with scope, references, test setup and instruments, step-by-step method, acceptance criteria and data sheets. It is approved by the client before the FAT and is the document the witness inspector judges the test against. We check that the approved revision is used, that the setup, instruments and every test step follow it, compare the results with its acceptance criteria, record any deviations and make sure the data sheets are completed and signed at the test.

A hydrocarbon or sour process gas cannot be run safely in a shop test loop, so the performance test is run as an ASME PTC 10 Type 2 test on a substitute gas and converted to the specified conditions. Nitrogen is inert and often matches a real start-up or minimum-speed case; CO2 is heavier and reproduces the head and volume ratio of a heavier process gas at an achievable speed, so multi-stage compressors are often tested on both. We check the test gas analysis, the similitude calculation, each test case and the instrument calibrations, and compare the converted head, flow and power with the API 617 and purchase specification tolerances.

An in-process inspection is a visit during manufacturing, between the pre-inspection or kick-off meeting and the final inspection. We check material identification and heat numbers, fit-up and welding, NDT and PMI as performed, intermediate dimensions, heat treatment records, assembly clearances, balance and seal installation, and coating preparation, so that problems are found while they can still be fixed cheaply, before they are hidden by machining, assembly or paint.

The Material Requisition is the EPC contractor's or owner's technical purchasing document for an item. It defines what is being bought: datasheets, specifications and standards, scope of supply, inspection requirements and the documents the vendor must deliver. The purchase order references the MR number and revision, so when a PO says the item is supplied per MR, the specification, grade and test requirements we inspect against are found in the MR. It is different from the MRB, the Manufacturer's Record Book or final dossier.

The hydrostatic or pressure test is the proof that pressure equipment is strong and leak-tight, and it is a mandatory hold point in almost every ITP. Once the equipment is coated, assembled or installed, defects are hard and expensive to find. An independent inspector confirms the approved procedure, test pressure and hold time, checks gauge calibration and test water quality, looks for leaks and pressure drop, and signs the test certificate that goes into the dossier for owner and jurisdiction acceptance.

Test pressure is the required value from the code, datasheet or approved procedure, for example 1.3 times MAWP under ASME VIII Div. 1 or 1.5 times the rating for an API 598 valve shell test. Actual pressure is what the calibrated gauges and recorder show during the hold. We confirm that the actual pressure stays at or above the required value for the whole hold time without exceeding the allowed over-pressure, that it is measured at the right point and in the right units (psig or psia), that gauges are calibrated and correctly ranged, and that both values are recorded on the signed report. On a performance test, a difference between test-stand and datasheet pressure must stay within the procedure or PTC 10 similarity limits.

RTP is the Release to Proceed: the go-ahead for the vendor to continue past a hold point or to ship. RTP on hold means that release is withheld until something is resolved, typically an open non-conformance or defect, a client review of test results, missing documents such as calibration certificates or the approved procedure, or a pending NOI revision. While the RTP is on hold we do not sign the step as accepted or issue a release note; we record in the flash and inspection report that the RTP is on hold, the reason, who placed the hold and what is needed to lift it, and we continue to witness and report any activities the client allows. The release is given by the client or agency once the open issue is closed.

Yes. Every test we witness, starting with the hydrostatic test, is signed off on the spot by vendor QC and by us, with the actual values recorded: gauge serial numbers and calibration dates, test pressure, hold time and result for a hydrotest, and the same for PMI, NDT, dimensional, performance and functional tests. Reports and pressure charts are not left blank to be filled in later, and an unsigned or incomplete report is not accepted into the dossier. Signed reports are what the owner, the EPC contractor and the authority having jurisdiction rely on to accept the equipment.

Positive Material Identification (PMI) checks the actual chemistry of each part with a handheld XRF or OES analyser. Material certificates cover a heat, not the individual piece, and a wrong alloy looks identical and still passes hydrotest. A witnessed PMI confirms that every specified pressure part, weld and fastener is the right grade, matches the MTR, and is recorded in a signed PMI report before shipment.

In an RT (radiographic testing) review we check the vendor's radiographs and RT reports instead of attending the exposures: that every joint required by the ITP was shot at the required coverage, that film or image quality and IQI sensitivity meet the code, that the technique follows the approved procedure, that indications were dispositioned by a certified Level II or III interpreter, and that rejected welds were repaired and re-shot. Film density and IQI sensitivity are checked separately for each exposure, since a film can meet one and fail the other, and reports from a subcontracted NDT laboratory are checked for technician certification, procedure reference and the vendor's own QC acceptance. Gaps are raised as punch items or non-conformances.

A density issue is one of two unrelated things. Next to an RT review it means radiographic film density: how dark the film is, which ASME Section V keeps between about 1.8 and 4.0 for X-ray and 2.0 and 4.0 for gamma. A film outside that range is invalid even if it shows no defect, so we ask for the re-shot films or a documented disposition and do not accept the RT package until it is closed. In a pump or compressor performance test it means the density of the test fluid, usually water, air or nitrogen, versus the specified service fluid. Head is independent of density but differential pressure, absorbed power, flow readings and NPSH or surge margins are not, so we check that the data sheet and test procedure densities agree, that the measured power is corrected for specific gravity, that test fluid temperature was logged and applied, and that the flow meter was calibrated for the test medium. Occasionally a vendor also uses the word for low density in a casting, meaning porosity or shrinkage on the radiograph, which is a material defect to repair or reject.

The work order, also called a traveler, router or job card, is the shop's own record for building a specific item: it identifies the unit by PO, tag, serial number and drawing revision, lists every manufacturing step with sign-offs, and records the heat numbers issued to the job, hold points and any deviations or rework. We use it to confirm we are looking at the right unit, that each step was done in the right order with nothing skipped, that no hold point was passed without notice, and to start the traceability chain back to the material certificates.

Yes. On request we handle all Material Test Report (MTR / MTC) work for an order: matching heat numbers on the hardware to the certificates, checking specification, grade, chemistry, mechanical properties and heat treatment against the PO and material specs, confirming EN 10204 3.1 or 3.2 certification, witnessing mill tests for 3.2 certificates, and building the material traceability matrix for the dossier. Missing or mismatched certificates are raised as non-conformances and followed to closure. This can be part of a shop inspection or a stand-alone document review.

Endorsing an MTR means the inspector stamps, signs and dates the material test report to certify that it was reviewed and accepted: grade and specification match the drawing and PO, chemistry and mechanical values are within limits, the heat number traces to the marked part, and the certificate level and supplementary tests meet the order. Endorsed MTRs go into the final data book. Because endorsement carries responsibility for document acceptance, it is agreed in the scope; a certificate with a deviation is not endorsed but raised as a non-conformance, and on a witness-without-endorsement assignment we observe and report without stamping documents.

Yes. ASNT NDT Level II (SNT-TC-1A) in Liquid Penetrant, Magnetic Particle and Ultrasonic Testing, which allows us to witness, interpret and review NDT and to perform PT, MT and UT checks where the contract permits.

Yes. Short-notice attendance at Colorado shops is often possible the next working day. Call or send the NOI and we will confirm availability the same day.