QA / QC Manager

The on-site QA/QC Manager is responsible for establishing, implementing, and enforcing the project quality framework for a large customer fast-track data center project delivered under a FIDIC Yellow Book design-build contract. The role acts as the Employer’s site-based quality lead, verifying that the Contractor’s design, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning, and handover activities comply with the Employer’s Requirements, contract specifications, applicable codes, approved Contractor’s Documents, and agreed project quality procedures. The role is critical to protecting the customer’s technical, operational, schedule, and contractual interests in a high-velocity delivery environment where design, procurement, installation, and commissioning activities overlap.

Purpose of the role

Protect the Employer’s Requirements and customer quality expectations by ensuring that the Contractor’s design-build delivery is controlled, inspected, tested, evidenced, and accepted in accordance with the contract.

The QA/QC Manager shall provide independent on-site quality oversight while maintaining clear separation between the Contractor’s responsibility to design, execute, test, and demonstrate compliance and the Employer’s right to review, inspect, reject, and accept deliverables under the contract.

The role shall support fast-track decision-making by identifying quality risks early, preventing defective work from being built into the permanent works, and ensuring that inspections, test records, non-conformities, and handover evidence are available when required for sectional completion, taking-over, energisation, commissioning, and customer readiness milestones.

The QA/QC Manager shall work closely with the Project Manager, Engineer or Engineer’s Representative, customer technical representatives, HSE lead, commissioning manager, engineering manager, contract manager, and site construction management team.

1. FIDIC Yellow Book quality administration

Monitor that the Contractor establishes, maintains, and follows a project quality management system and quality plan suitable for a contractor-designed plant and building project. Ensure that inspection and test processes are aligned with the Employer’s Requirements, approved Contractor’s Documents, the programme, and contractual acceptance procedures.

• Review Contractor quality plans, method statements, inspection and test plans, checklists, test procedures, and quality records before execution.
• Confirm that hold points, witness points, surveillance points, and acceptance criteria are defined for civil, structural, architectural, MEP, ICT, fire, security, controls, and commissioning activities.
• Track quality submissions, inspection status, test readiness, non-conformities, corrective actions, and evidence required before certification, taking-over, or customer acceptance.
• Support the Engineering review process by providing site quality observations, records, and recommendations without assuming the Contractor’s design or execution responsibility.

Ensure quality issues are recorded in a way that preserves contractual clarity, including clear references to the Employer’s Requirements, approved documents, specifications, drawings, standards, test procedures, and agreed acceptance criteria.

2. Design quality assurance and technical compliance

Verify that the Contractor’s design outputs, shop drawings, coordinated models, technical submittals, calculations, equipment selections, and installation details are reviewed against the Employer’s Requirements and are suitable for a resilient, maintainable, and customer-compliant data center facility.

Focus areas include redundancy architecture, power distribution, grounding and bonding, mechanical cooling topology, containment strategy, fire detection and suppression, BMS/EPMS/DCIM interfaces, security systems, ICT rooms and pathways, maintainability, commissioning access, temporary works interfaces, and phased energisation constraints.

3. Supplier, factory, and off-site quality control

Confirm that critical long-lead plant, prefabricated assemblies, switchgear, UPS systems, generators, transformers, busbar, cooling equipment, pumps, valves, containment, panels, controls, and modular skids are subject to appropriate vendor quality surveillance, document review, factory inspections, and factory acceptance testing.

Ensure FAT agendas, test scripts, inspection records, certificates of conformity, material traceability, calibration certificates, type test reports, spare parts information, and shipping release documentation are reviewed and closed before equipment is accepted for delivery to site.

Escalate vendor quality risks that may affect the fast-track programme, including incomplete test evidence, late documentation, design deviations, unresolved technical queries, packaging damage, or non-compliant substitutions.

Coordinate with procurement, logistics, construction, and commissioning teams so that materials and plant arrive with sufficient quality evidence to avoid site delays, rework, or blocked inspections.

4, On-site construction quality control

Lead daily on-site QA/QC surveillance and ensure that quality control is embedded into the construction rhythm without slowing down safe and compliant progress. The role shall ensure that works are not concealed, energised, pressure tested, commissioned, or handed over without the required inspections, approvals, test records, and evidence.

• Manage ITP compliance for civil, structural, architectural, electrical, mechanical, controls, ICT, fire, security, and external utility works.
• Verify incoming materials, storage conditions, installation quality, workmanship, torquing, pressure testing, flushing, cleaning, insulation, labelling, identification, protection, and preservation.
• Ensure check sheets are completed progressively and linked to areas, systems, assets, drawings, test packs, and turnover packages.
• Raise, track, and close NCRs, defects, observations, punch items, and corrective actions with clear ownership and due dates.
• Prevent repeat defects by analysing trends, feeding lessons learned into toolbox talks, method statements, supervision routines, and supplier corrective actions.

Particular attention shall be given to high-risk fast-track interfaces, including phased works, temporary power, energised environments, shared access routes, live-system tie-ins, temporary versus permanent systems, ceiling closure, floor void closure, penetrations, fire stopping, commissioning boundaries, and customer witness inspections.

The QA/QC Manager shall maintain a visible site presence, attend daily coordination meetings, participate in look-ahead planning, and ensure quality constraints are identified early enough to protect key milestones.

5. Commissioning, testing, and performance verification

Ensure the Contractor’s commissioning quality process is complete, sequential, documented, and aligned with the Employer’s Requirements, approved commissioning plan, system completion strategy, customer witness requirements, and FIDIC Yellow Book testing procedures.

Quality oversight shall cover pre-commissioning inspections, start-up documentation, functional testing, integrated systems testing, failure scenario testing, load bank testing, controls verification, alarm response, cause-and-effect testing, reliability testing, and evidence required for taking-over or operational readiness.

The QA/QC Manager shall verify that test prerequisites are satisfied before testing starts, including completed installation checks, calibration records, safety permits, approved procedures, competent resources, temporary works readiness, integrated system availability, and clear test boundaries.

• Confirm that test results are recorded, signed, reviewed, and linked to the correct system, asset, room, drawing, and turnover package.
• Track failed tests, retests, corrective actions, and residual risks until formal closure.
• Support customer witness testing and ensure comments are captured, dispositioned, and closed.
• Ensure no system is presented for acceptance without complete quality evidence and agreed defect status.

6. Documentation, turnover, and handover readiness

Manage quality documentation discipline so that the project can demonstrate compliance at any point in the fast-track delivery cycle. The QA/QC Manager shall ensure that project records are accurate, current, traceable, auditable, and available for Employer, Engineer, authority, insurer, customer, and operations reviews.

Required records include approved drawings, redlines, as-built records, material certificates, test reports, ITPs, inspection records, NCR logs, punch lists, commissioning records, asset data, O&M manuals, training records, warranty documentation, spares information, and statutory or authority completion evidence.

7. Customer interface, reporting, and escalation

Act as the Employer’s on-site quality focal point in customer-facing inspections, quality walks, witness tests, defect reviews, readiness reviews, and close-out meetings. Communicate quality status clearly, factually, and commercially, with focus on evidence, risk, ownership, and recovery actions.

Provide weekly QA/QC dashboards covering inspection progress, NCRs, defects, punch items, test readiness, system turnover status, documentation completeness, customer comments, risk items, overdue actions, and forecast constraints to completion and taking-over.

Escalate material quality issues, repeated workmanship failures, unapproved design changes, inspection bypasses, incomplete test evidence, blocked handover areas, and quality risks that may affect customer acceptance, programme recovery, commercial entitlement, or operational reliability.

Required experience and competencies

• Proven QA/QC leadership experience on large-scale data center, mission-critical, industrial, power, or complex MEP projects.
• Strong understanding of design-build delivery, FIDIC Yellow Book principles, Employer’s Requirements, Contractor’s Documents, Engineer review processes, testing procedures, taking-over, defects, and close-out obligations.
• Practical knowledge of civil, structural, architectural, electrical, mechanical, controls, fire, ICT, security, commissioning, and handover quality requirements.
• Ability to work in a fast-track environment with overlapping design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and customer acceptance activities.
• High standard of documentation discipline, audit readiness, evidence management, and contractual awareness.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to challenge non-compliance firmly and professionally while maintaining productive relationships with contractors, consultants, vendors, authorities, customer representatives, and internal stakeholders.

Key deliverables

• Project QA/QC implementation plan review and monitoring register.
• Inspection and test plan matrix with hold points, witness points, acceptance criteria, and responsible parties.
• NCR, defect, punch, observation, and corrective action registers.
• Material, equipment, FAT, SAT, commissioning, and test evidence tracker.
• Area, system, and asset-based turnover readiness dashboards.
• Weekly QA/QC status report for Engineer, project leadership, and customer review (as applicable).
• Quality risk and constraints log integrated with the project look-ahead programme.
• Handover evidence index (Verne template) supporting taking-over, customer acceptance, and operational transition.

Success criteria

• Quality requirements are understood, planned, inspected, tested, evidenced, and closed without avoidable impact to the fast-track programme.
• The Contractor’s responsibility for design, execution, testing, and compliance remains clear, while the Employer has robust visibility and control over quality risk.
• Defects, NCRs, and incomplete evidence are identified early, assigned clearly, and closed before they compromise commissioning, taking-over, customer acceptance, or operational reliability.
• Customer witness inspections and quality reviews are supported by complete, accurate, and auditable records.
• Handover packages are complete, traceable, and aligned with contractual, statutory, operational, and customer requirements.