Closeout Documentation Information for Welding and Fabrication Jobs (Welding Dep
Closeout Documentation Information for Welding and Fabrication Jobs (Welding Dept.)
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At the end of a fabrication project, a client may need a variety of documents to certify that the job was built, inspected or tested and that it actually works. Most often it will be the responsibility of a project manager to put together all of these documents, but in a smaller company the work might be shared by foremen or company owners.
Clients need documentation for a few reasons. If the project is a new or remodeled building, they need welding inspection reports, among other things, before they can get a certification of occupancy.
A general contractor is highly motivated to get that certificate because some of their pay is being held back until they get it. Many of the products built by a fabricator are being resold by the client to someone else. The client must be able to show their customer that the product was actually tested and inspected. Again, they cannot get their money until they have the paperwork.
Some types of documentation are:
- Mill test reports. If a job needs to be made of a certain type of material, the fabricator needs to get these reports from the steel mill. MTR’s give the chemical analysis of a batch of steel that is identified by a heat number. The steel distributor needs to put the fabricator’s purchase order number on the MTR so all the paperwork is tied together. Some projects require the use of domestic steel only; the MTR will show that the material was made in the US.
- Lab test reports. On a repair job, it might be necessary to identify the type of material that was used to build the product being repaired. A sample of metal can be sent to a lab for analysis and identification. A copy of the report should go in the closeout package. The client can compare the report to the MTR’s and see that the repair job was done with the correct material.
- Manuals. A fabrication project may have many parts on it that were not made by the fabricator. These “buy outs” will come with operators manuals and parts lists that the client will need to run and repair the product.
- Warranties. Buy outs will have warranties that need to be passed on to the end user. If this is a large project, a long period of time may pass between when the part was bought and when it is put in service. If this is the case, the final user may be the one to start the warranty to get the maximum warranty coverage. The fabricator may be required to provide some kind of warranty for the product. If the work is part of a construction job, a one-year warranty is typically implied.
- Testing documents. Many types of tests may be required depending on the type of product. Some of the tests are: Static or Dynamic Load; Hydro; Static Leak; Air or Gas Pressure; Vacuum; and a wide variety of tests for reliability, safety and proper function. Testing may be done by the fabricator or a third party. Results can be recorded in writing, video or photographic evidence.
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