What is an ITP in Construction? (Inspection and Test Plan)

If you are new to construction works, then you are probably wondering about the ITP meaning in the quality control field, and about the importance of this document, which is why you landed on this page.

No worries, I’m here to help you understand what this document is all about and why is it so important for your project’s success.

And I will tell you at the end how you can save some time and effort while preparing these important documents.

What does ITP Stand for in Construction?

ITP in construction stands for Inspection and Test Plan, which is a document that summarizes all the inspection points and measures related to a certain construction activity, which are necessary to insure the quality of the works and the compliance to the project’s specifications and standards.

For example, the construction works in a construction project can be divided into specific categories, such as: electric, mechanical, Instrumentation, and civil works.

And each category of these works includes multiple activities such as: installation of electrical cables and installation of power transformers in electrical works, asphalt laying and concrete slab construction in civil works, AC ducting installations in mechanical works, and so on.

And each one of these activities needs its own ITP document that lists all the inspection and testing activities and acceptance criteria that insure its compliance to the related standards and the project’s requirements.

Why do We Need an ITP?

The purpose of the Inspection and Test Plan is help QC personnel to systematically inspect all the elements of the facility being constructed, and to ensure that all the inspection and testing results and findings are recorded properly, so that all the non-compliant results are referred back to and fixed.

The ITP acts as a clear reference for the quality control engineers in order to help them cover all the necessary inspection and testing activities, determine the correctness of the construction works, and keep a register of all the findings.

Without an ITP, how can a quality control inspector or engineer know which inspection activities and tests to perform, what the acceptance criteria are, and where the noncompliance were found?

Depending on memory is not possible and cannot be the means to insuring quality of the works.

What should an Inspection and Test Plan Include?

The Inspection and Test Plan for a certain activity, such as the ITP for the installation of power transformers as in the example below, consists mainly of a detailed table that shows the following elements:

• Each inspection activity and test to be applied for the component or system being inspected.
• The reference documents that demand that inspection activity or test to be applied, and decides the acceptance criteria.
• The responsible party or personnel that is supposed to lead or perform the inspection or the test.
• The acceptance criteria that helps in deciding whether the result of the inspection or test is accepted or not.
• The verifying document or checklist where the result is recorded.
• The parties involved in the I&T activity (owner/consultant, contractor, third party), and the role of each one (perform, witness, inspect, …etc.).

Note that the header of the ITP table should include the necessary details about the project (project’s name, owner, contractor, …etc.), and the name of the ITP document based on the construction works it is dedicated for.

What is the difference between ITP and ITC (Inspection and Test Checklists)?

The ITP is the table that details all the necessary activities to perform a quality inspection and test plan for a certain item or system of the facility under construction, along with the acceptance criteria and the corresponding documents.

The ITC, or Inspection and Test Checklist is a document that is used to register the results of the performed inspection and testing activities of a certain ITP.

The checklist might include more specific and detailed inspection points that are related to one activity in the ITP.

For example, one item in the ITP for Power Transformers might be related to inspecting the transformer upon receiving and unpacking, and the acceptance criteria might be expressed as the datasheet.

However, the relevant checklist would mention the specific components of the transformer such as: the wiring, the cooling fans, the insulators, the bushings, the thermometer, …etc.

Each ITP should include one or more checklists in order to register all the I&T findings. You can’t use one without the other.

What is the Difference between ITP and QCP in Construction?

The ITP is the document that details all the inspection and testing activities for a certain component or system, while the QCP (Quality Control Procedure) is the document that explains the order of doing these activities, and the detailed method of performing a certain test, step-by-step.

For example, for the Insulation Resistance Measurement test for power cables, you may find one item in the ITP table as “Perform the IR test for power cables”, and it would mention the accepted measurement criteria.

However, the QCP would mention the steps of performing such a test in details in order to insure the safety of the personnel and the items being tested, and to ensure that the test is being performed properly in order to get the right results.

How to Prepare an ITP?

In order to prepare and Inspection and Test Plan for construction works, you need to:

1. Start with a template that includes all the major inspection activities and tests for the component or the system.
2. Refer to the vendor’s requirements and recommendations that might require certain testing activities or procedures to be followed.
3. Review the project’s related specifications and requirements in order to check if there are other I&T activities to be added to the ITP.
4. Update the acceptance criteria as per the project’s specific requirements, which might slightly differ from the ITP template used.
5. Make reference to the relevant documents that should accompany the ITP for each I&T activity, such as drawings, tables, datasheets, …etc.
6. Determine the role of each party for each I&T activity. For example, a certain test might require the presence of the owner, while another might require the presence of a third party such as the vendor that supplied the item subject to the test.
7. Attach the relevant QC checklists where the results will be recorded, necessary tables, drawings, vendor’s datasheet, …etc.
8. Submit the ITP to the owner or consultant for approval, and in case of any comments, review & update the ITP when necessary, and re-submit the ITP again.

Need Help?

At InspectionAndTestPlan.com, we provide high quality ITP templates for certain activities, electrical, mechanical, civil and instrumentation works, which can help you as a starting point.

Each ITP includes editable MS Word & Excel documents that consists of: the ITP of a certain activity (e.g. Transformer Installation, Power Cable Installation, Electric Motor Installation, …etc.), the QCP of the same activity, and the checklists and other necessary attachments.

You can modify on these documents and customize them according to your project’s specifications and requirements.

The cost of each one of these ITP templates is low and cannot be compared to the time and cost it will save you compared to starting from the scratch or compiling different parts of the ITP from the internet and trying to fit everything together.

Check our available ITP templates for construction works here if you consider getting any of them.

If you have other questions or if you need help, please, do not hesitate to contact me through the comments’ section below.