Third Party Inspection Expediting
Review this article about third party inspection expediting for process and application. Typically, expediting of procurement is out of the scope of third party inspection agencies, but expediting of the inspection and testing is necessary unless the inspection agency being assigned solely for expediting and not an inspection or one inspector assigned for inspection and another one for expediting.
Take, for example, that you as a purchaser have ordered several steam turbines from a vendor, and you agreed with your vendor about the inspection and test plan.
This inspection and test plan identifies the third party inspection scope of work, third party inspection program and all details of your requirement for third party inspection.
Say you specified your third party inspector to witness the following items:
- Witnessing raw materials inspection against material certificates
- Monitoring welding Process of casing and steam chest
- Dimensional Monitoring
- Witnessing Casing and Steam Chest hydro-static testing
- Witnessing Rotor Dynamic Balance and Overspeed test
- Witnessing Mechanical Running Test
As stated in the above example, you have several steam turbines and each one in different construction progress, so coordination for these inspections and tests, issuing inspection visit reports, issuing inspection release notes and issuing inspection certificates all are part of third party inspection expediting.
Vendors usually send the inspection notification (invitation letter for third party inspection) to third party inspection agency several days in advance, to witness the required inspections and tests. Still, some of these inspections cannot be done on the specific date and well-established third party inspection expediting is necessary.
The example can be “monitoring of the welding process for casing and steam chest.” In the above case, this welding process will take several months, and the monitoring process for each steam turbine needs several days, so coordination for these inspections all are part of expediting.
Third Party Inspection Expediting Scope Clarification
Some purchasers are confused about third party inspection expediting and think the third party inspection must take care of their project and report to them by progress report, problem-solving, etc.
But the third party inspection agency cannot be involved in such activities. If involved, its impartiality and independence will be under question. The third party inspection agency need only expedite an inspection and test activities.
This happens when the purchaser is in one country, and the vendor is in another country. The purchaser expects its third party inspection agency also takes care of its procurement expediting. As stated above, the competent third party inspection agency never accepts to provide such services unless the order is for expediting and not inspection. Alternatively, one inspector assigned for inspection and another assigned for expediting.
Sometimes is necessary for the third party inspection progress report to be issued by the third party inspection agency to inform the customer of the inspection activities' progress.
This reports is normally accompanied by a table. Each row is for specific equipment, and each column is for a specific inspection or test activity. By ticking, the progress would be identified for any equipment.
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