Industrial valve vendor prequalification checklist
Vendor prequalification should establish whether a manufacturer can execute a defined valve package, not whether it can complete a polished questionnaire. The assessment needs evidence tied to valve type, size, pressure class, materials, standards and manufacturing location.
TAZ Engineering & Export Team · · 13 min
Define the scope of approval
List valve families, size and pressure ranges, body materials, end connections, actuation and special services included in the assessment. Approval for standard water gate valves should not be interpreted as approval for sour-service pipeline ball valves.
Record manufacturing and assembly sites. If castings, forgings, heat treatment, welding, coating or actuators are subcontracted, identify the approved sources and supplier-control process.
Review design and configuration control
Assess how design inputs become calculations, drawings, bills of material, torque data and manufacturing instructions. Check approval authority, independent review, revision control and treatment of customer specifications.
Ask for one anonymised example that links an enquiry to an approved drawing and final record. The process should show how deviations and design changes are evaluated before they reach production.
Evaluate material and supplier controls
Review approved supplier lists, incoming inspection, certificate verification, identification transfer, positive material identification where used and quarantine of nonconforming material. Traceability depth should match the proposed project scope.
Check casting and forging source approval, repair rules, heat treatment and mechanical-test controls. A strong final assembly process cannot compensate for unidentified pressure-retaining material.
Audit manufacturing and special processes
Walk through machining, welding, overlay, lapping, assembly, cleaning, coating and preservation. Confirm work instructions, qualified personnel, equipment maintenance and process parameters for critical operations.
Special processes require qualified procedures and records. Check how the factory handles casting repair, weld repair, NDE, heat treatment and outsourced work.
Verify testing and calibration capability
Assess pressure-test rigs, safety controls, test-media management, gauge ranges, calibration status, leakage measurement and report traceability. Confirm capability for the required sizes, pressures and valve types.
Review functional testing, actuator setup, coating inspection, dimensional inspection and any project-specific tests. Witness one test where possible and compare the report with the actual valve identification.
Measure execution capacity and document discipline
Review current load, bottleneck equipment, staffing, production planning, inspection access, document-control resources and historical on-time performance. Capacity claims should be supported by a schedule for the proposed package.
Check how the vendor compiles the document register and MRB, resolves comments and controls release. Prequalification should end with a scope-specific approval, action list, validity period and re-evaluation triggers.
Checklist
- approved product scope
- manufacturing locations
- design-control evidence
- approved material suppliers
- traceability procedure
- special-process qualifications
- pressure-test capability
- calibration system
- nonconformance process
- capacity and delivery evidence
- document-control resources
- scope and validity of approval