QA/QC Inspector – Mechanical Completion

Project: Livorno Bioraffineria
Function: Mechanical Completion / Finalization Team
Role: Client Representative

Job Purpose

To support the Client during the finalization and mechanical completion phase of the Livorno Bioraffineria Project, ensuring that systems and subsystems completed by the EPC Contractor are fully verified, documented and ready for handover from Construction to Pre-Commissioning/Commissioning.

The QA/QC Inspector – Mechanical Completion will act as a Client-side representative, independently verifying the physical completion of works, coordinating multidisciplinary completion walkdowns, managing and validating punch-list close-out, and reviewing mechanical completion dossiers submitted by the EPC Contractor.

The role is primarily focused on final verification and acceptance of completed works on behalf of the Client, rather than conventional discipline-specific QA/QC inspection.

Main Responsibilities

Act as the Client's field representative for Mechanical Completion and finalization activities.
Monitor and verify the EPC Contractor's mechanical completion process across assigned systems and subsystems.
Perform and coordinate multidisciplinary Mechanical Completion walkdowns.
Verify that construction works are complete and compliant with approved engineering documentation, project specifications and applicable requirements.
Identify incomplete, defective or non-conforming works and ensure they are correctly captured in the project punch-list system.
Review, validate and monitor punch-list items through to final closure.
Physically verify corrective actions completed by the EPC Contractor before accepting punch-item closure.
Review Mechanical Completion Certificates and associated completion dossiers.
Verify that required inspections, tests and construction documentation are complete before system/subsystem handover.
Confirm system readiness for transfer from Construction to Pre-Commissioning/Commissioning.
Coordinate with Client disciplines and the EPC Contractor to resolve outstanding completion issues.
Support the Client in the formal acceptance of systems and subsystems.

Key Activities – Mechanical Completion

Perform field walkdowns of assigned systems and subsystems together with the EPC Contractor and relevant Client disciplines.
Verify actual field completion against approved P&IDs, drawings, specifications, system boundaries and applicable engineering documentation.
Confirm that equipment, piping, E&I and associated installations within the assigned system boundaries are physically complete.
Verify that required construction inspections and tests have been completed and appropriately documented.
Check completeness of Mechanical Completion packages before submission for Client acceptance.
Verify system/subsystem boundaries and ensure all components within the defined scope have been correctly included in the completion process.
Identify outstanding construction activities and generate or validate punch-list items.
Ensure punch items are correctly categorized according to project procedures and their impact on safety, mechanical completion and commissioning readiness.
Follow up outstanding punch items with the EPC Contractor.
Perform field verification of completed corrective actions and approve/recommend punch closure on behalf of the Client.
Ensure that critical outstanding items are resolved before Mechanical Completion certification.
Verify reinstatement and removal of temporary construction arrangements as applicable.
Confirm preservation requirements are maintained until equipment/systems are formally handed over.
Identify field discrepancies, incomplete installations and deviations and coordinate their resolution with the relevant engineering/QA/QC discipline.
Support resolution of interface issues between Piping, Mechanical, E&I, Civil and other disciplines affecting system completion.

Completion Dossiers & Certification

A key responsibility will be ensuring that physical completion in the field is fully aligned with the completion documentation submitted by the EPC Contractor.

The Inspector will:

Review Mechanical Completion dossiers and turnover packages submitted by the EPC Contractor.
Verify Mechanical Completion Certificates and supporting documentation.
Confirm that required inspection and test records are available and accepted.
Check that outstanding NCRs, technical queries, deviations and field modifications affecting completion have been satisfactorily resolved or formally accepted.
Verify that relevant red-line/as-built information has been captured where required.
Confirm that applicable punch lists accurately represent the actual field status.
Ensure closed punch items have supporting evidence and, where required, physical field verification.
Verify completeness and consistency of system/subsystem handover documentation.
Maintain clear records of systems accepted, systems pending acceptance and outstanding completion constraints.

Construction-to-Commissioning Handover

The position will have a central role in the transition between Construction and Commissioning.

Key activities include:

Verify that systems meet the agreed Mechanical Completion criteria prior to handover.
Participate in readiness reviews for system/subsystem turnover.
Coordinate with the Commissioning Team to understand system priorities and required handover sequence.
Identify outstanding construction issues that could prevent or delay pre-commissioning/commissioning.
Verify that safety-critical and commissioning-blocking punch items are closed before handover.
Support formal system handover from Construction to Commissioning.
Participate in joint Construction/Commissioning walkdowns where required.
Support resolution of construction-related issues identified after initial handover.
Monitor progress against Mechanical Completion and commissioning priorities and escalate critical constraints to the Client team.

Multidisciplinary Coordination

Unlike the discipline-specific QA/QC Inspector positions, this role requires a broader multidisciplinary understanding of plant completion.

The Inspector will coordinate closely with:

Piping QA/QC / Completion Inspectors
Mechanical Static & Rotating Inspectors
Electrical & Instrumentation Inspectors
Civil/Structural personnel
Client Engineering
Construction Management
QA/QC
Pre-Commissioning and Commissioning teams
EPC Contractor Mechanical Completion and Construction teams

The Mechanical Completion Inspector is not expected to replace the specialist discipline inspectors but must be capable of coordinating their inputs and determining whether the overall system/subsystem satisfies the requirements for Client acceptance and handover.

EPC Contractor Interface

Maintain daily coordination with the EPC Contractor's Mechanical Completion team.
Review planned system walkdowns and completion priorities.
Challenge premature requests for Mechanical Completion where field works or documentation remain incomplete.
Verify EPC-reported completion status against actual field conditions.
Follow up outstanding works and punch items affecting handover milestones.
Participate in Mechanical Completion and coordination meetings.
Ensure issues affecting completion are clearly assigned, tracked and escalated when required.
Maintain an independent Client position when reviewing and accepting EPC Contractor completion submissions.

Reporting & Progress Monitoring

Maintain accurate status of assigned systems/subsystems.
Report Mechanical Completion progress and outstanding constraints.
Monitor open and closed punch-list items.
Highlight critical issues affecting handover and commissioning priorities.
Provide regular field status updates to the Client Mechanical Completion/Project Management team.
Participate in daily/weekly completion meetings as required.
Support reconciliation between EPC-reported progress and actual verified field completion.

Requirements

Technical Diploma or Engineering qualification in Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation or a related technical discipline.
Minimum 8–10 years of relevant experience in construction, mechanical completion, QA/QC, pre-commissioning or commissioning within refinery, petrochemical, oil & gas, energy or EPC projects.
Strong experience in Mechanical Completion and system/subsystem handover.
Previous involvement in the late construction/finalization phase of major EPC projects.
Strong understanding of the Construction → Mechanical Completion → Pre-Commissioning → Commissioning process.
Experience performing multidisciplinary system walkdowns and completion inspections.
Strong knowledge of punch-list generation, categorization, follow-up and close-out.
Experience reviewing Mechanical Completion Certificates, turnover packages and completion dossiers.
Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, general arrangements, equipment drawings and relevant engineering documentation.
Good understanding of systemization and system/subsystem boundaries.
Ability to assess actual field completion independently from reported EPC progress.
Experience interfacing with EPC contractors and multidisciplinary Client/Commissioning teams.
Strong field orientation and practical understanding of construction activities.
Good organizational, reporting and documentation skills.
Strong communication and coordination capabilities.
Professional working capability in Italian and English is strongly preferred.

Preferred Experience

Previous experience on refinery, bio-refinery, petrochemical, brownfield or revamping projects, particularly during the final stages of construction and transition into commissioning.

Previous experience acting for an Owner/Client or PMC during Mechanical Completion and accepting EPC Contractor systems is highly desirable.

Experience with electronic completion management systems and databases for systemization, certificates, punch lists and turnover tracking would be advantageous.

Candidates may come from backgrounds such as Mechanical Completion Inspector, Mechanical Completion Coordinator, Completion Supervisor, Construction Supervisor, QA/QC Inspector or Commissioning/Pre-Commissioning Supervisor, provided they have substantial experience in system walkdowns, punch management and Construction-to-Commissioning handover.

Key Profile for the Livorno Project

For this particular project, I would make the selection criteria especially clear: this person should not simply be a QA/QC inspector checking individual installations.

The ideal candidate is someone who can walk a system from a Client perspective, understand what remains incomplete across several disciplines, challenge the EPC Contractor's declared completion status, coordinate the specialist inspectors, manage the punch-list process and determine whether the system is genuinely ready to be accepted and handed over to Commissioning.