Most construction project specifications include a quality management section requiring the preparation of ITPs. However, if the project specification does not detail what activities/processes require ITP nor what content should they summarize, it is possible to end up with ITPs that don’t add much value to the project.

ITPs should be process-specific and detail all the inspection and testing activities required for the project. Rather than creating a monstrous ITP for all the shop or fieldwork activities, it is recommended to prepare as many ITPs as key processes are involved so that most critical requirements can be easily summarized (i.e., inspection or test activity name, standard, acceptance criteria, frequency of testing, etc.). Otherwise, inspectors must constantly review the applicable spec sections and referenced standards to assess the requirements before an inspection. This approach considerably increases the likelihood of missing something.

Does your project specification properly define how many ITPs should be prepared, when to submit them, and what content should they have? If it is not the case, you may want to consider revising the spec before tendering.