Inspection and Test Plan (ITP) in construction

The responsibilities are usually simplified with a codified system as following:

H= Hold Point (the party has to perform this check and it needs to be successful in order to proceed to the next stage of the construction)

W= Witness Point (the party e.g. Client has to be informed that a test is being performed but its presence and signature is not obligatory to move on to the next stage)

R= Review Point (the party has only to review the record/document that the check has been done and it passed).

It is extremely important that the Inspection and Test Plans for an activity or even for the whole Project have been agreed with the Client because the compliance (or not) of the works can easily lead to claims and compensation events costing millions at the end of the project.

A classic example of inspection in construction projects is Concrete pouring where all parties basically need to witness it and inspect it.

In many cases, an Inspection and Test Plan is also attached to a Method Statement (RAMS) or more often it is submitted for approval along with the relevant Method Statement to avoid situations where it’s forgotten to be submitted.

I have personally found this to be extremely effective till everyone gets into the habit of issuing the ITPs on time on any project.

The ITP (Inspection & Test Plan) is the main document that clarifies the responsibilities for quality control inspections in a construction project and it’s also required by many construction contracts and Clients around the world.

Without an ITP there is no defined quality control plan on and off site and there is usually confusion in regards to what the standards and the requirements are in terms of compliance.

Moreover, the ITP is the document that specifies what records will need to be kept up for the handover of the project to the Client.

The ITPs are usually prepared by the teams who are responsible to deliver the activity or in other words the construction teams on site.

As a rule of thumb, the Inspection & Test Plans are prepared by the same people or teams who are usually preparing the Method Statements (or RAMS).

The ITP usually needs to be reviewed by the Quality team on a project and sometimes by the Designer and the Client as well.

A well structured ITP will help the activities on site, it will give clear instructions to the Quality Control professionals and inspectors and finally become a great tool for the completion of the handover as-built packages at the end of the project.

The ITP in construction industry is a very valuable tool that tidies up all quality control activities and has become ubiquitous the last years in any large construction project where compliance with the standards and the design is required by the Client and the contract itself.