Form library · Construction and handover
Request for inspection form
A request for inspection form, sometimes called a work inspection request or WIR, filled in on a phone. The contractor describes the work ready for inspection, its location with GPS, the drawing and ITP reference and whether it is a hold or witness point, and records their own pre-check with photos. The inspector then records each visit: when, the result (approved, approved with comments or rejected), comments, photos and a signature. The form records the dates and times, and works out the notice given and the days from request to inspection and to approval. It is not a request for information: for a design question, use the construction RFI template.
For site engineers, site managers and contractors asking for inspections, and for clerks of works, resident engineers and client inspectors answering them.
Written for any country. The notes mention England's building control stage notices and US federal contract terms where they help; your contract decides the rest.
- Request number, date and time requested and wanted, and the notice given against the notice asked for
- The work, location with GPS, drawing and ITP reference, and hold, witness or building control stage
- The contractor's pre-check: six checks, test records and photos
- One entry per inspection visit: result, comments, photos and the inspector's signature
- Days from request to first inspection and to approval, visits and rejections counted
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What is a request for inspection in construction?
A request for inspection works when the inspector can find the work, knows exactly what is being asked, and the contractor has already checked it. Recording each visit separately keeps the rejection and the re-inspection on one record, and the times show how long the work waited.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 27 October 2026 against The Building Regulations 2010 (England), regulation 16, notices in relation to building work, FAR 52.246-12, Inspection of Construction (eCFR) and Unified Facilities Guide Specifications, UFGS 01 45 00 Quality Control (USACE, NAVFAC, AFCEC).
How to request an inspection
Ask early enough to meet the notice in your contract, and only when the work is ready.
Raise the request
Give it a number, say who you are asking (engineer, clerk of works, building control or client's inspector), and enter when you are asking and when the work will be ready. Add the notice your contract or the authority asks for.
Describe the work
Say what is to be inspected and its limits, the location and GPS, the drawing and revision, the ITP line, and whether it is a hold point, witness point or building control stage. Add photos.
Check it yourself first
Confirm the work is complete, built to the current drawings, in the approved materials, tested where needed, and safe to reach. Attach test records and pre-check photos.
Record each visit
The inspector records the date and time, the result, comments and photos, and signs. A rejection gets a new visit entry once the work is put right.
Close the request
Read the response time and status, list any actions, record the final decision and sign. Only cover the work once it is approved.
What makes a request for inspection useful
Inspection visits, one entry each with the result and comments
WIR-014, foul drain run IC2 to IC3 behind plots 41 to 44. Requested 12 Oct 08:15 for 13 Oct 09:00. First visit 13 Oct 10:30: rejected, air test did not hold at the IC3 inlet joint. Joint re-made; re-inspection 14 Oct 14:00 approved. 1 day to first inspection, 2 days to approval.
Fictional example. Record the actual evidence and approved arrangements for your job.
A common recording mistake
Asking for an inspection before running your own air test or level check, so the first visit is wasted and the backfill gang stands idle.
What happens next
Once approved, backfill or start the next stage, file the request with the ITP line it closes, and raise the next request in good time.
Try the request for inspection form live
Answer a few questions and watch it adapt. Your answers are not saved, and any photos you add are deleted within the hour.
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Want to see one filled in? See a completed request for inspection report (PDF), made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit.
Every question in the request for inspection template
A request for inspection (work inspection request) before work is covered: request number, date and time requested and wanted, notice given, the work, location with GPS, drawing and ITP reference, hold or witness point, the contractor's pre-check with photos, then each inspection visit with the result (approved, approved with comments, rejected), comments, photos and signatures, and the days from request to inspection and approval. 5 sections and 79 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.
Make it your own: every question is editable
This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.
Details you only enter once
Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.
- Project: the project name
- Site address: the site address, from the space or the project
- Client: the project's customer
Request
- ProjectShort answer
Filled in from the project in SiteSurvey.
Fills in from the project name - Site addressShort answerFills in from the site address, from the space or the project
- ClientShort answerFills in from the project's customer
- Location (GPS)Short answer
- Request date*Date
- Requested by*Short answer
- Request number*Short answer
For example RFI-014 or WIR-014.
- Contract or job numberShort answer
- ContractorShort answer
- Contractor contact on siteShort answer
- Inspection requested from*Choose one
- Client's engineer or contract administrator
- Clerk of works
- Building control
- Owner's inspector or QA
- Water company or highway authority inspector
- Other
- Name or organisationShort answer
- Date of the request*Date
- Time of the requestTime
- Inspection wanted on*Date
- Wanted from (time)Time
- Notice the contract or authority asks for (days)Number
Optional. From your contract, ITP or the building control notice.
- Notice given (days)Worked out by the form
- CheckLess notice than asked for. Agree the time with the inspector, or move it.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- GuidanceThis is a request for inspection of finished work. To ask a design question, use a request for information (RFI) instead.
Work ready for inspection
- Type of work*Choose one
- Drainage before backfill
- Excavation or foundations before concrete
- Reinforcement and formwork before concrete
- Membranes or waterproofing before cover
- Insulation or fire stopping before cover
- Services before cover
- Structural steel or connections
- Finishes or a completed area
- Other
- Work to inspect*Notes
What, how much, and its limits. For example Foul drain run MH3 to MH4, 38 m, 150 mm pipe.
- Location*Short answer
Plot, gridline, chainage or room.
- Location (GPS)Short answer
- Drawing and revision*Short answer
- ITP or specification referenceShort answer
- Type of inspection point*Choose one
- Hold point: work stops until released
- Witness point: inspector may attend
- Stage notified to building control
- Other inspection
- CheckDo not cover the work or start the next stage until the inspector has released it. Keep it open and safe to inspect.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- GuidanceIn England, building control can require notice that a stage has been reached and set a period during which the work must not be covered up (Building Regulations 2010, regulation 16(3)). Follow the notice they gave you.Shown when “Type of inspection point” is “Stage notified to building control”
- Planned cover-up or next stageShort answer
For example Backfill booked for 14 Oct, 13:00.
- Photos of the work as readyPhotos
Contractor's pre-check
- Has the contractor checked the work before asking?*Yes or No
- CheckCheck the work yourself first. An inspector who finds it not ready may reject it, and some contracts let the client charge for re-inspection.Shown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is No
- GuidanceRecord your own check of the work.Shown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes
- Work complete for the whole area in the requestChoose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
Shown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes - What needs doing, or why not checkedNotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Built to the current drawings: line, level and position checkedChoose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
Shown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes - What needs doing, or why not checkedNotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Materials as approved or specifiedChoose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
Shown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes - What needs doing, or why not checkedNotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Contractor's own tests done and results attachedChoose one
For example an air or water test on a drain run.
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
Shown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes - What needs doing, or why not checkedNotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Comments from any earlier inspection closedChoose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
Shown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes - What needs doing, or why not checkedNotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Safe access for the inspector, area clear and litChoose one
- Acceptable
- Action needed
- Not checked
- Not applicable
Shown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes - What needs doing, or why not checkedNotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Test recordsPhotos
For example the air test record for the run.
Shown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes - Pre-check photosPhotosShown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes
- Pre-checked byShort answerShown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes
- Date of the pre-checkDateShown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes
- Time of the pre-checkTimeShown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes
- Pre-check items needing actionWorked out by the formShown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes
- Not checkedWorked out by the formShown when “Has the contractor checked the work before asking?” is Yes
Inspection (inspector's part)
- GuidanceAdd one entry for each visit. After a rejection, the contractor puts the work right and the re-inspection goes in a new entry, so the record shows both.
- Inspection visitsRepeat for each visit. Each one asks:
- Visit*Choose one
- First inspection
- Re-inspection
- Date inspected*Date
- Time inspectedTime
- Days since the requestWorked out by the form
- Inspector*Short answer
- Organisation and roleShort answer
- Result*Choose one
- Approved
- Approved with comments
- Rejected: correct and re-inspect
- CommentsNotes
What was seen, and for a rejection, what must be put right before the next visit.
- Inspector's photosPhotos
- Inspector signature for this visitSignature
- VisitsWorked out by the form
- RejectionsWorked out by the form
- approved_countWorked out by the form
- Days from request to first inspectionWorked out by the form
- Days from request to approvalWorked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Status of the requestWorked out by the form
- WarningRejected and not yet approved. Do not cover the work or build on it. Put it right and request a re-inspection.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
Result, actions and sign-off
- Items needing actionWorked out by the form
- ResultWorked out by the form
- ActionsRepeat for each action. Each one asks:
- Action*Notes
- PriorityChoose one
- Before re-inspection
- Before cover-up
- Before the next stage
- Before handover
- Who will do it*Short answer
- Due byDate
- Status*Choose one
- Open
- In progress
- Done, checked
- Photo when donePhotosShown when “Status” is “Done, checked”
- Actions still openWorked out by the form
- Final decision on this request*Choose one
- Approved: work may be covered or proceed
- Approved with comments: proceed and close the comments
- Rejected: correct and request re-inspection
- Not inspected yet
- Re-inspection dateDateShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- SummaryNotes
- Contractor representative nameShort answer
- Contractor representative signature*Signature
- Inspector nameShort answer
- Inspector signatureSignature
- CheckThis form records the request and the inspector's decision. It does not replace the contract, building control approval or the contractor's own quality control.
See it filled in
A completed request for inspection report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.
Request for inspection FAQs
Is a request for inspection the same as an RFI?
No. On site, RFI usually means a request for information: a question to the designer about the drawings or specification. A request for inspection asks someone to come and inspect work that is ready. Some contractors also call it an RFI or a WIR, which causes confusion, so this form says "request for inspection" in full. For design questions use the construction RFI template.
How much notice should I give?
As much as your contract, ITP or the building control notice asks for. The form has no notice period of its own. Enter the notice required in days, and the form works out the notice you gave from the date of the request and the date the work will be ready, and warns you if it is less. If your contract counts notice in hours, the request and wanted times are recorded on the form. In England, building control can set a period within which you must tell them a stage has been reached (Building Regulations 2010, regulation 16(3)).
Source: The Building Regulations 2010 (England), regulation 16, notices in relation to building work.
Can I cover the work before the inspection?
Not if it is a hold point or a stage building control has asked to see. In England, regulation 16(3) lets building control set a period during which the work must not be covered up. On US federal jobs that use UFGS 01 45 00, the follow-up phase says "Do not build upon nor conceal non-conforming work". If work is covered too early, it may have to be opened up again: FAR 52.246-12 sets out who pays when the government has completed work removed for examination.
Sources: The Building Regulations 2010 (England), regulation 16, notices in relation to building work, Unified Facilities Guide Specifications, UFGS 01 45 00 Quality Control (USACE, NAVFAC, AFCEC) and FAR 52.246-12, Inspection of Construction (eCFR).
What happens when the inspection is rejected?
The inspector records why, the contractor puts the work right, and a new visit entry records the re-inspection. The form keeps both, counts the rejections and shows the days from the request to approval. Some contracts let the client charge for re-inspection: on US federal contracts, FAR 52.246-12 allows the government to charge extra inspection costs when work is not ready at the time the contractor gave, or when a rejection makes re-inspection necessary.
Does an approved inspection mean the work is accepted?
Not on its own. It records that the inspector saw the work and was satisfied at that time. On US federal contracts, FAR 52.246-12 says government inspections do not relieve the contractor of responsibility for quality control and do not constitute or imply acceptance. Building control approval and contract acceptance follow their own rules. The contractor's own checks still matter: the construction quality control checklist records them.
Where do hold and witness points come from?
From the inspection and test plan for the work. A hold point is one where work stops until it is released; at a witness point the inspector is told and may attend. The inspection and test plan template lists them for a package, and this form is how you ask for each one to be inspected.
Related
Related templates
Templates that go with the request for inspection form
Raise one construction clarification with controlled drawing references, the question, response and next action.
Inspection and test plan for a work package: each check with its acceptance criteria, hold and witness points, who inspects, results, records and release.
A drainage installation record linking drawings, pipe and chamber observations, levels, concealed-work evidence, approved test references and defects.
Record a non-conformance, contain it, find the root cause with 5 whys, set corrective actions with owners and dates, then verify and close.
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