Commissioning dossier: test reports and as-built

Short answer

The commissioning dossier, or turnover package, is the set of documents that proves what was tested, how, with what result and in what condition the installation was left. It gathers the test plan, the test reports per piece of equipment and per function, the FAT and SAT reports, the nonconformity log, the loaded settings, the verified signal lists and the as-built drawings. It is the evidence for whoever grants the interconnection and the baseline for maintenance.

What the dossier is for

Commissioning without documents is commissioning that cannot be proven. The commissioning dossier, also called the turnover package or commissioning report, gathers the evidence of what was tested, how, with what result and in what condition the installation was left. It closes substation commissioning and has three uses:

For whoever grants the interconnection. The utility or transmission owner usually reviews the test reports before authorizing energization.
For the owner. It is the basis for accepting the work and for any warranty claim.
For maintenance. Future measurements are compared with those of commissioning: without that baseline, a deterioration trend is hard to read.

What documents it should contain

Document	What it proves
Approved test plan	What was going to be tested, under which standard or specification and in what order
Factory test reports and FAT reports	The condition of each piece of equipment and of the panels when they left the factory
Site test reports per piece of equipment	Primary equipment and instrument transformer tests, with measured values
Protection test reports per function	Pickup points, times, logic and actual trips
SAT and integration report	Control, interlocks, signals and communications of the complete system
Verified signal lists	Each signal tested on each leg up to the control center
Copy of the loaded settings	What was left in each relay, compared with the approved study
Configuration files	In IEC 61850, the final version of the SCD and of each IED’s configuration
Nonconformity log	Each finding, its owner and how it was closed
Calibration certificates	That the test instruments were within calibration
As-built drawings	How the installation was actually built
Energization and handover certificates	The dates, the conditions and who gave approval
Final report	The state of each bay or system, what is pending and the conclusion

What a good test report has

The test report is the basic unit of the dossier. A report that only says “OK” is useless as a baseline or as evidence. At a minimum it should have:

Identification of the equipment, serial number, location and bay.
Test performed and the standard or specification that governs it.
Test conditions: temperature, humidity, tap changer position, connections. On transformers, without them there is no comparison with the factory; see power transformer commissioning.
Measured values, not only the result.
Acceptance criterion and its source: standard, manufacturer or client specification.
Instrument used, with its serial number and calibration certificate.
Date, tester and witness, signed off.

The utility may also require test equipment calibrated within a set period, and the local code may require keeping maintenance records available to the authority.

How the dossier is built during the project

01Test planApproved before starting, with agreed forms
02FATWitnessed factory test reports
03Site testsReports per piece of equipment and function, nonconformities
04EnergizationCertificates, readings with voltage and with load
05HandoverSettings, SCD, as-built drawings and final report

Who builds it and who reviews it

In a project with several contractors, each one delivers the reports of its scope: the manufacturer the factory ones, the installer those for inspection and wiring, the testing company those for primary and protection tests, the integrator those for control and communications. Someone must consolidate them into a single dossier with a common index, usually the main contractor or the owner’s engineer. The owner’s review should be done in stages, comparing each report with the approved test plan: it is much easier to correct an incomplete report in the week of the test than months later, when the equipment is already energized.

The documents most often lost

The final settings. Settings change during commissioning; if the final copy is not in the dossier, years later nobody knows what is loaded in the relay. That is why protective relay commissioning ends with that copy. Recovering them costs more than keeping them.
The final SCD. In IEC 61850 substations, the substation configuration file must match exactly what was left in the IEDs. How to manage it is in IED and SCD configuration management.
The as-built drawings. Changes made in the field must reach the drawings before the contract is closed, starting with the single-line diagram.
The on-load readings. The angles and magnitudes recorded at energization are the proof that polarity and directionality are right.

What to require when contracting

That the proposal lists the deliverables and their format (printed, digital, editable) and that the test plan is approved before work starts.
That the test reports are delivered at the end of each stage, not at the end of the project.
That the final report states explicitly what was not tested and why.
That settings and configuration files are delivered in the manufacturer’s native format, as well as in PDF.

If the owner organizes the project by commissioning levels, each level closes with its part of the dossier. The specific format of the dossier depends on the client’s specification and on what whoever grants the interconnection requires.

Well-documented commissioning

Our crew delivers test reports with measured values, acceptance criteria and calibration certificates, a copy of the settings and the configuration in native format, and a final report per stage, in Colombia, or elsewhere on request. Contact us about your project.

References

ANSI/NETA ATS-2025 and ANSI/NETA ECS-2024.
IEEE C37.233-2023, IEEE Guide for Power System Protection Testing.
IEC 62381:2024, Automation systems in the process industry – FAT, SAT and SIT.
IEC 62337:2012, Commissioning of electrical, instrumentation and control systems in the process industry – Specific phases and milestones.

Frequently asked questions

What should a test report contain?

The identification of the equipment and its location, the test performed and the standard or specification that governs it, the test conditions, the measured values, the acceptance criterion and the result, the instrument used with its calibration certificate, the date, and the names of whoever performed and whoever witnessed the test.

What is the difference between a test report and a commissioning report?

A test report records one specific test on a piece of equipment or a function. The commissioning report summarizes the state of the whole installation: what was tested, what is still pending, which nonconformities were closed and with what conclusions it is handed over. The commissioning report refers to the test reports as appendices.

How long should commissioning test reports be kept?

For the whole life of the equipment, because they are the reference against which maintenance tests are compared. The local code or the utility may also require records of maintenance and tests that the authority can request.