Equipment that fails on site fails expensively. A skid that does not do what the specification said it would, a control panel wired to a superseded drawing, a missing certificate that stalls handover: all of it is cheap to find in the supplier’s works and dear to find in your plant, where the installation team is already booked and the tie-in window will not move.

Factory acceptance testing is the last point at which those problems are still the supplier’s to fix. We plan, witness and manage FATs for process manufacturers across the UK, acting for the client rather than for the vendor. Where you do not have the technical resource to send someone, or where you want an independent view of whether equipment is genuinely ready to ship, we go instead.

What the work involves

A FAT is a formal test carried out at the supplier’s premises to confirm that new equipment, a system or a control panel performs against the specified design and operational requirements before it is dispatched. In practice that means visual inspection of build quality and configuration, functional testing or dry-run operation, verification of the mechanical, electrical and control elements, a review of certificates, manuals and drawings, and a documented record of results, observations and corrective actions.

Our involvement usually starts well before the test date. We work with the supplier to agree a FAT procedure, schedule and set of acceptance criteria that actually reflect the equipment specification and the contract, rather than a generic checklist the vendor uses for everything. We review the inspection and test plan, data sheets, drawings and certificates for completeness first, because a test run against incomplete documentation proves less than it appears to.

On the day we attend as your representative, witness the testing, and raise technical observations. Afterwards we track every failure, observation and open point through to resolution, confirm the acceptance criteria have been met, and coordinate with the supplier and your site team so that shipping arrangements reflect what the test actually found rather than the date in the programme.

Where it sits against site acceptance testing

A FAT is not a substitute for a site acceptance test. It proves the equipment works in the supplier’s works, under the supplier’s utilities and simulated inputs. A SAT proves it works installed, tied in and running on your services. The two do different jobs and most capital projects need both.

What a properly run FAT does is make the SAT shorter and less eventful. Every defect closed out in a factory is one that is not being diagnosed on a live plant with a commissioning team standing around it. We manage both stages, so the punch list from the FAT is the same document that follows the equipment onto site rather than a separate exercise nobody reconciles.

What you get

  • An agreed FAT procedure, schedule and acceptance criteria written against your specification
  • Review of the inspection and test plan, data sheets, drawings and certification before testing begins
  • Attendance and witnessing at the supplier’s premises by an engineer acting for you
  • A recorded set of test results, observations and non-conformances
  • A tracked punch list carried through to close-out rather than handed over open
  • Confirmation that the acceptance criteria have been met, and formal sign-off
  • A complete FAT documentation pack for the project handover file
  • Coordination between supplier, logistics and site so that dispatch follows readiness

When clients typically call us

  • A bespoke skid, vessel or control panel is due for testing and nobody in-house can be released to attend
  • The equipment is safety-critical and an independent witness is wanted rather than the vendor’s own sign-off
  • A previous delivery arrived with defects that a FAT should have caught
  • Several packages from different suppliers need testing to a consistent standard
  • The installation window is fixed and there is no room in the programme for rework on site
  • A supplier has offered a FAT procedure and you want it reviewed before agreeing to it

Frequently asked questions

Is a FAT worth it for standard, off-the-shelf equipment?

Often not, and we will say so. The case for a witnessed FAT is strongest where the equipment is bespoke, safety-critical, or where a failure on site would stop production. For a catalogue item with a good certificate, a documentation review is usually the proportionate answer.

Can you attend on our behalf if we cannot send anyone?

Yes, and that is the most common reason clients ask. We attend as your representative, test against your acceptance criteria rather than the supplier’s, and report back with photographs and a clear position on whether the equipment should ship.

What happens if the equipment fails the test?

It gets recorded, categorised and tracked. Not every observation should stop a dispatch, and treating them all as equal wastes time. We distinguish what must be corrected before shipping from what can be closed out on site, and we give you a recommendation rather than just a list.

Do you handle the site acceptance test as well?

Yes. Running both means the punch list is continuous, so nothing raised in the works quietly disappears between the factory and your plant.

Related: Part of our project management and execution services. See also commissioning support and site acceptance testing and URS and equipment qualification.

If you have equipment due for testing and no one to send, or a supplier’s FAT procedure you would like looked over before you sign it, we can take it on. Talk to us about your project. Request a call