Resident and Seconded QA/QC Inspectors for Projects and Shutdowns

On a live project, quality control cannot be an occasional visit. itmad supplies resident and seconded QA/QC inspectors who stay with the work, following the client's inspection and test plan through welding, fabrication, construction and vendor surveillance, and who cover shutdowns and shift operations around the clock. itmad operates across the Middle East, Asia and Europe, supplying inspectors through local inspectors and a travelling team, and itmad acts for the client with no interest in the contractor, the supplier or the result. Last reviewed: October 2026.

How QA/QC differs from other inspection

Three services are easy to confuse. Third-party inspection turns up for a defined hold point. Factory inspection follows a single manufacturing order. QA/QC inspection stays with the project, on the client's site and against the client's plan, until the work is finished.

Cover that does not stop at five o'clock

Fabrication and construction run through nights, weekends and shutdowns, so the witnessing has to as well. itmad provides inspectors for every shift. When a hold point is reached at 2am, an inspector is there at 2am, which avoids the two bad outcomes: a crew waiting idle until morning, or work carrying on past the hold point with nobody watching.

Disciplines covered

• Welding and fabricationChecks on weld procedures and procedure qualification records, welder qualifications and their continuity, fit-up and root gap, preheat and interpass temperatures, the parameters actually in use, control and storage of consumables, post-weld heat treatment records, and visual inspection of welds to the governing code.
• Construction and civil worksMaterial checks on delivery, reinforcement position and cover, formwork and pre-pour inspections, concrete sampling and witnessing of tests, erection and bolting of structural steel, and comparison of the work with approved drawings and method statements.
• Vendor and supplier surveillanceMonitoring across a whole programme of supply instead of one order, so that repeated non-conformities are spotted and corrective actions are checked to see that they hold.
• Resident and seconded inspectorsInspectors who sit on the client's site or inside the project team and report against the client's own procedures and ITP, giving continuous coverage without the cost and delay of recruiting permanent staff.

The inspection and test plan

The ITP states what is checked, at which stage, by whom, and which evidence is kept. Where the client has one, itmad inspectors follow it, and where the client wants it reviewed, itmad checks it for gaps. Two gaps turn up often: hold points set at stages that cannot be inspected once they are covered over, and witness points given to parties who will not be present.

A hold point is treated as a hold point. Work stays stopped until it has been inspected and released. If schedule pressure leads to a request for retrospective release, the reply is put on record, not bargained over.

Handling non-conformities

Each non-conformity is raised where it is found, backed by objective evidence and photographs, and graded by severity so that what stops work is separated from what is simply tracked. Every item is followed to closure, and corrective action is verified as effective, not just completed. Where the same non-conformity keeps recurring, trend reports point to a process cause behind it. The punch list is managed through to handover.

Who the inspectors are

Inspectors are matched to the discipline: welding inspectors hold CSWIP or AWS CWI, NDT personnel hold ISO 9712 or ASNT SNT-TC-1A, and civil and structural inspectors bring the relevant experience and certification. When a client specification calls for particular qualifications or approvals, itmad assigns people to match and provides their credentials for checking before they mobilise.

Typical settings

QA/QC inspection is used in fabrication yards and workshops; on construction and infrastructure projects; in refineries, process plants and terminals during shutdowns and turnarounds; at power generation and utility facilities; on offshore installations and marine facilities; and at supplier premises where vendor surveillance runs on an ongoing basis.

Frequently asked questions

How is QA/QC inspection different from third-party and factory inspection?

QA/QC inspection is continuous: inspectors stay with the project on the client's site, working to the client's ITP, for as long as the work runs. Third-party inspection attends for a defined hold point, and factory inspection covers one manufacturing order.

Can inspectors cover night shifts and shutdowns?

Yes. itmad provides cover around the clock, including night shifts, weekends and continuous shutdown work. A hold point reached at 2am is attended at 2am.

What happens at a hold point?

Work does not pass a hold point until it has been inspected and released. A request to release retrospectively under schedule pressure is answered on the record and is not negotiated.

Which qualifications do the inspectors hold?

Welding inspectors hold CSWIP or AWS CWI, and NDT personnel hold ISO 9712 or ASNT SNT-TC-1A. Civil and structural inspectors bring relevant experience and certification, and credentials are provided for verification before mobilisation.

How are non-conformities followed up?

Each is raised where it is found with evidence and photographs, graded by severity and tracked to closure. itmad checks that corrective action worked and reports trends where a problem keeps recurring.

Does itmad have an interest in the contractor or supplier?

No. itmad acts for the client and holds no interest in the contractor, the supplier or the outcome of the inspection.