Vendor Inspection 

 The article explains the process of the vendor inspection.The article supplies you with information about the second party and third party inspection process in the manufacturing shop. This content also provides lots of other articles for shop inspection practices for each equipment type.

Vendor Inspection Process

Assume a chemical company order for the manufacturing of several compressors to a compressor vendor. So there will be a proforma invoice (PI) and a purchase order (PO). The PI is issued by the compressor vendor with a detailed compressor specification and prices, and at the same time, a PO, will be issued by the chemical company which states their agreement with the specifications, and prices and ordering for the manufacturing of compressors.

The vendor inspection and testing requirements is addressed in I4I Academy API SIFE Online Training Course. 

PO is an important commercial documents.

Before the start of the manufacturing process, the chemical company will discuss and agree with the compressor manufacturer for inspection details. Normally, this process will be done through the inspection and test plan.

For more details, review the Inspection and Test Plan article.

In this important document, the inspection's “hold” and “witness” points will be determined and the compressor vendor will notify the oil company inspector for such inspections in advance.

Vendor Inspection

Assume that the “inspection and test plan” determines 5 inspection points in the manufacturing process, such as material certificate review and identification, casing hydro-static testing, rotor balancing, performance test and run-out test.

So when the vendor reaches these points, it must notify the vendor inspector company (in advance) to attend the inspection and testing. Finally, if the result of the inspection visits were satisfactory, then the inspector will issue the inspection release note.

This chemical company has several options to designate an inspector as follows:

  • Or dispatching its own competent inspector to the vendor shop, which is called, second party inspection.

It might be that there is not a direct contract between the chemical company and the vendor, and the contract is between the oil company and the engineering company.

Thid Party Vendor Inspection

So the engineering company can make a contract with the compressor vendor, and then the engineering company is responsible for inspection. If the engineering company uses its own inspector, it will be similar to the second party inspector, and if they hire the inspection agency, it will be a third party inspector.

Please note that most of the clients such as this chemical company mandate the engineering companies to hire a third party inspection agency.

Using the “inspector” wording for the engineering company's personnel is not correct. They must be called a quality control engineer or technician, and similarly, their department is the quality control department, not the inspection department.

Inspector wording can be used only for someone who is the purchaser's employee or the purchaser's designated person working in the inspection agency. When the inspection is carried out in the vendor shop, it is called a vendor inspection.

Vendor Inspection Services

For more supplementary information on this subject, you may review the Vendor Inspection Services article.