Inspection process
Receiving inspection
Also called: receiving, material receiving inspection, delivery inspection
Receiving inspection is the gate at the point of delivery: before material is accepted, stored or installed, someone confirms it is the right product, the right quantity, and undamaged, and that it matches the approved submittal. It is the cheapest place to catch a wrong or damaged product, because the item is still on the truck and can be rejected before it disappears into the work. The check pairs the delivery against the packing list, the submittal and any required mill certificate or batch ticket.
Why it matters
The wrong product caught at the dock is a refused delivery; the same product caught after it is installed is a nonconformance and often a tear-out. Receiving inspection is where a substitution nobody approved, a damaged shipment, or a model number that does not match the submittal gets stopped — before it becomes concealed work.
It is also where the paper that closeout will need starts flowing. The mill certificates, batch tickets and product data that a turnover package eventually has to show are captured at receiving, tied to the lot that actually arrived, rather than reconstructed months later.
How it shows up on site
A delivery checked against the packing list and the approved submittal, damage and quantity noted, the batch ticket or mill certificate collected, and anything that does not match set aside and tagged rather than released to the crews.
Checklists that put receiving inspection to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- SubmittalThe product data, shop drawings or samples a contractor sends for review to confirm what will be installed matches the spec before it's ordered.
- First article inspectionA full inspection of the first produced or installed item against every requirement before the rest of the run is allowed to proceed.
- Mill certificateThe manufacturer's certified record of a metal product's chemistry and mechanical properties, tying a delivered lot to a tested heat.
- Batch ticket (delivery ticket)The ticket that comes with each concrete truck, recording the mix, quantity, water and time so the delivered load can be verified and traced.
- Hold pointA stop in the inspection and test plan where work cannot continue until a required party inspects and signs off the release.
- Witness pointA step where a party is invited to observe the work, but the crew may proceed if that party doesn't attend within the agreed notice.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.