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Checklist · Site acceptance

Site acceptance test checklist (PDF)

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Sinospect supplies industrial equipment from China as the principal and runs the FAT as its own release gate, then hands the site team the factory record its SAT starts from. For equipment you buy direct, it witnesses the FAT in China and prepares the witnessed FAT record the SAT starts from. Send your FAT and SAT plan for review →

Engineers cross-checking equipment documentation against the unit under test

A site acceptance test, or SAT, is the witnessed test that shows installed equipment meets the contract where it will actually run: on the buyer’s utilities, with the real process medium, connected to the rest of the plant. Where the factory acceptance test asked whether the equipment was built to specification, the SAT asks whether it performs to specification on site.

For equipment made in China, the two tests are weeks and thousands of kilometres apart. The SAT goes faster and is easier to judge when it starts from the factory record: the serial numbers, measured values and software versions taken at the FAT, the tests the factory could not run, and the punch items still open at shipment. The checklist below is built around that hand-over. For the difference between the two tests and how to word them in the contract, see FAT vs SAT. Both are defined acceptance events for process-automation systems in IEC/ANSI/ISA 62381; the tests a given unit must pass come from its own product standards and the contract.

What the FAT record hands the SAT

The site test is quicker and fairer when it starts from the factory record. Each line below is a FAT record the site team uses, and the checklist section where it is used.

  1. Factory record (FAT, at the supplier)Serial numbers, nameplates and the configuration tested

    Site check (SAT, after installation)Identity check on arrival, before anything is unpacked for installation

    Section 03

  2. Factory record (FAT, at the supplier)Measured values: insulation resistance, pressure-test results, vibration, partial discharge

    Site check (SAT, after installation)Baseline for the same measurements after transport and installation

    Section 06

  3. Factory record (FAT, at the supplier)Software, PLC and HMI versions frozen at the FAT

    Site check (SAT, after installation)Version check before energising, so the site runs the logic that was witnessed

    Section 06

  4. Factory record (FAT, at the supplier)Tests the factory could not run: real medium, full load, integration

    Site check (SAT, after installation)Scheduled as named SAT tests with their own acceptance criteria

    Section 08

  5. Factory record (FAT, at the supplier)Punch items open when the equipment shipped

    Site check (SAT, after installation)Closed or retested on site, each with an owner and a date

    Section 10

  6. Factory record (FAT, at the supplier)Packing list, spares, special tools and manuals

    Site check (SAT, after installation)Counted against the packing list and handed over with the training record

    Section 11

When to use this SAT checklist

Use it for imported industrial equipment that is installed and tested at the buyer’s site, especially when:

  • The final payment, the warranty start or the transfer of care depends on site acceptance.
  • Some guarantees could only be tested on site: capacity with the real product, consumption, or integration with other equipment.
  • The installer, the integrator and the supplier are different companies.
  • The supplier’s commissioning engineer has a fixed number of days on site.

Agree the SAT protocol when the FAT protocol is agreed, before the equipment ships. That is when the buyer still has the most leverage, and when the list of tests deferred from the factory to site can be written down.

Printable site acceptance test checklist

Copy the twelve sections into the SAT protocol, the commissioning plan or the site test record. Each section closes with a control point: the principle the buyer should hold to when time on site runs short.

01

Before the SAT is scheduled

Confirm that the site, the equipment and the people are ready before calling the supplier’s engineer or the witnesses to site.

  • Installation is complete and the installer has confirmed it in writing.
  • Utilities are connected and available at the values the protocol needs.
  • The process medium, product or load needed for the performance runs is available.
  • The SAT protocol and its acceptance criteria are agreed in writing.
  • The contract names who runs the SAT, who witnesses it and who signs the result.
  • The supplier’s commissioning engineer is booked, where the contract includes one.
  • Work permits, isolation and lock-out arrangements are in place for the test.
  • Calibrated instruments for the site measurements are available.
  • The signed FAT report, the list of tests deferred to site and the open punch list are on site.
02

Documents to have on site

The site team tests against the contract, the approved drawings and the factory record. Have them on site before the test day.

  • Purchase order and technical specification.
  • Approved drawings at their latest revision, and as-built drawings where issued.
  • Signed FAT report with measured values and photographs.
  • List of tests deferred from the FAT to site, with the reason for each.
  • Punch items open at shipment, with the agreed close-out route.
  • SAT procedure, or the commissioning and test plan that includes it.
  • Electrical, control and piping diagrams for the installed configuration.
  • Software, PLC and HMI backups with their version record.
  • Operation and maintenance manuals.
  • Conformity documents the destination requires, such as a declaration of conformity.
  • Calibration certificates for the instruments used on site.
  • Packing list and spare-parts list.
03

Delivered condition and identification

Check what arrived, and in what state, before installation starts. Transport damage found later is harder to attribute.

  • Packages counted against the packing list.
  • Shock and tilt indicators read and recorded.
  • Crates and units photographed before and during unpacking.
  • Visible transport damage recorded and notified to the carrier within the contract or policy deadline.
  • Serial numbers and nameplates matched against the FAT report.
  • Preservation checked: desiccant, corrosion protection, blanking plates and covers.
  • Transport locks, brackets and removed parts accounted for.
  • Storage before installation meets the manufacturer’s conditions.
04

Installation checks

Verify the installation against the drawings and the manufacturer’s instructions before anything is energised or filled.

  • Foundation, anchoring and levelling as drawn.
  • Alignment checked and recorded for couplings, shafts and conveyors.
  • Transport locks and shipping brackets removed.
  • Parts removed for shipment reinstalled.
  • Guarding and safety covers fitted.
  • Earthing and equipotential bonding connected and tested.
  • Cable terminations, glands and segregation inspected.
  • Pipework connected, supported and pressure-tested where site joints were made.
  • Lubricants and fluids filled to the manufacturer’s specification.
05

Utilities and site conditions as found

Measure the conditions the equipment will actually run in, and record the values on the day.

  • Supply voltage, frequency and phase rotation measured at the terminals.
  • Voltage stability and power quality recorded where the protocol requires it.
  • Compressed air pressure, flow and dryness measured.
  • Cooling water flow, pressure and temperature measured.
  • Drainage, ventilation and extraction confirmed.
  • Ambient temperature, humidity and dust conditions recorded.
06

Checks before energising

Repeat the safety and integrity checks that transport and installation can disturb, then compare them with the factory values.

  • Insulation resistance measured and compared with the FAT value.
  • Continuity of protective conductors confirmed.
  • Protection relay and breaker settings checked against the settings schedule.
  • Emergency stops and safety interlocks tested before energising the drives.
  • Software, PLC and HMI versions matched against the FAT record.
  • Direction of rotation checked on a short start.
  • Instrument zero and range checked against the datasheet.
07

Functional tests as installed

Re-run the sequences checked at the FAT, now with field wiring, site utilities and the real control system.

  • I/O and loop checks completed from field device to control screen.
  • Start, stop and operating sequences run in each mode.
  • Interlocks and permissives triggered and confirmed.
  • Alarms raised and acknowledged at the operator station.
  • Safety functions tested end to end.
  • Manual, automatic and maintenance modes checked.
  • Each result recorded with the measured value or observation, not only pass or fail.
08

Performance under site conditions

Prove the contractual performance with the real medium, at the agreed capacity, for the agreed duration.

  • Tests deferred from the FAT carried out and recorded.
  • Output or throughput measured at the contractual rating.
  • Product quality or process parameters measured against the specification.
  • Energy, air, water and consumable consumption measured where guaranteed.
  • Noise and vibration measured where specified.
  • Sustained run completed for the agreed duration without unplanned stops.
  • Actual site conditions during the run recorded beside the results.
09

Integration with the plant

Check the equipment as part of the line or system, across the boundaries between suppliers. Some contracts call this the site integration test (SIT).

  • Signal exchange with upstream and downstream equipment confirmed.
  • Communication with the plant control system or SCADA confirmed.
  • Safety circuits that cross supplier boundaries tested together.
  • Behaviour on loss of power, air or communication checked.
  • Restart after a stop or a power cut checked.
10

Punch list and non-conformities

Record every finding in one list, classify it, and agree how each will be closed before anyone signs.

  • Each finding described with evidence: photograph, value or log.
  • Each finding classified as blocking acceptance or not.
  • An owner and a due date set for each item.
  • Retest required for each item that affected a test result.
  • Cost allocation recorded as the contract sets, usually by root cause.
  • Closure evidence attached before the item is marked closed.
11

Training, documentation and handover

Confirm that the people who will run and maintain the equipment can do so, and that they have the records.

  • Operator training delivered and attendance signed.
  • Maintenance training delivered and attendance signed.
  • Final manuals and as-built drawings received.
  • Software backups and passwords handed to the owner.
  • Commissioning spares, special tools and consumables received against the packing list.
  • Warranty terms and the date they start confirmed as the contract sets.
12

SAT result and acceptance record

Close the SAT with a written result that states what was accepted, on what evidence, and what remains open.

  • Result recorded for each test, with measured values.
  • Decision recorded: accepted, accepted with listed punch items, or not accepted.
  • Open items listed on the record with owners and dates.
  • Signed by the party the contract names for site acceptance.
  • Contractual effects noted where the contract assigns them: final payment, warranty start, transfer of care.
  • SAT report and records distributed to the owner, the supplier and the installer.

Where Sinospect fits in the FAT-to-SAT sequence

When Sinospect supplies the equipment from China as the principal, the FAT is its own release gate, and the factory’s final balance is released only once that gate is cleared. The site team receives the factory record this checklist starts from: serial numbers and configuration, measured values, software versions, the tests deferred to site with their reasons, the punch items open at shipment, and the packing list. Commissioning support, where the supply includes it, is agreed for the actual destination.

For equipment you buy direct, Sinospect witnesses the agreed FAT in China and prepares the witnessed FAT record the SAT starts from; the SAT is run by the party your contract assigns. See factory acceptance testing in China for the witnessing scope, or the supply model for an order Sinospect supplies.

Frequently asked questions

What is included in a site acceptance test checklist?

A SAT checklist covers readiness, the documents needed on site, delivered condition and identification, installation, utilities as found, checks before energising, functional tests as installed, performance under site conditions, integration with the plant, the punch list, training and handover, and the acceptance record.

How is a SAT checklist different from a FAT checklist?

The FAT checklist proves the equipment was built and works to specification at the factory. The SAT checklist proves it works installed, with site utilities, the real process medium and the rest of the plant. It also covers what only exists on site: transport damage, installation, integration, training and handover.

Who performs the site acceptance test?

The party the contract assigns: the buyer’s own team, an integrator, or the supplier’s commissioning engineer, with the buyer or its representative witnessing. The contract should also name who signs the result and what that signature triggers.

Is the SAT done before or after commissioning?

Commissioning brings installed equipment into operation; the SAT is the witnessed test that records whether it meets the contract. The SAT runs during or at the end of commissioning, as the contract sets, once the equipment can run under site conditions.

Planning the FAT and SAT for equipment from China?

Send the equipment scope, the supplier’s test plan if there is one, and the acceptance wording in your contract. Sinospect acknowledges the request within one business day. When the file is sufficient, the initial written assessment follows within two business days with the FAT witnessing approach, the factory record the site team will receive, and a quotation.

Send the test plan