The term testing refers to a series of specific operations performed in order to verify the correct execution of the work - in compliance with the current regulations - as well as to ascertain its correct functioning before its commissioning.
Testing activities shall be carried out in accordance with at least the following documents :
executive project and related technical requirements;
contract signed between the Owner and the Contractor;
any variations duly approved by the parties.
Other objectives of the testing are to verify the correspondence between design documents, dimensions, shape, quality and quantity of the materials used.
As is easy to imagine, the testing operations vary in relation to the type of work and the documents accompanying the project, the technical specifications and the contract.
The legislation provides for different classifications of testing of a work . The main ones can be defined as follows:
technical-administrative and functional testing of systems;
static testing (during construction).
The main regulatory reference relating to testing activities is represented by art. 116 of the recent Procurement Code Legislative Decree no. 36/2023 , which establishes the provisions relating to technical-administrative testing and static testing.
With regards to static testing, it is also worth mentioning art.7 of law no. 1086/1971 as well as chapter 9 of the Ministerial Decree of 17 January 2018 ( NTC2018 ) .
Technical-administrative and functional testing of systems
The technical-administrative and functional testing of the systems has the purpose of verifying and certifying that the work has been carried out in accordance with the rules of the art, according to the approved project and the related technical requirements, as well as any variant appraisals, in compliance with the contract and any duly approved submission or additional documents.
It also aims to verify that the data resulting from the final accounting and supporting documents correspond to each other and to the actual findings, as well as including the examination of the executor's reservations , on which a definitive administrative resolution has not already been made, if they are entered in the accounting register and in the final account.
The technical-administrative and functional testing of systems is required for public works, and in some cases also for private ones. In some cases it can be replaced by the certificate of regular execution signed by the Director of Works.
For the technical-administrative tester , in general, there are no specific rules governing the methods of carrying out the checks and verifications to be performed on the works covered by the contract; the tester, therefore, will carry out all those checks that he deems necessary and appropriate, in relation to the type and specificity of the work, in order to form his own conviction on the testability of the work.
In addition to the above, technical-functional testing means the set of checks aimed at ascertaining that a system functionally satisfies certain industry standards or specifications. This type of testing therefore presupposes the execution, on the various systems created, of tests and functional checks to be carried out with the use of suitable instruments and whose results are contained in specific test reports.
It is worth remembering that in the case of works that require the contribution of several different professional skills due to the particular type and category of the intervention, the technical-functional testing can be entrusted to a commission composed of two or three members; with the designation of a member of the commission who assumes the role of president.
The qualification requirement for carrying out the testing assignment is a master's degree in engineering or architecture and a qualification to practice the profession, as well as, with the exception of employees of contracting authorities, registration for at least five years in the respective professional register. Persons with other degrees in technical-scientific disciplines may also be designated, in relation to the specific nature of the work or jobs.
For works for which static testing is necessary , this may be entrusted to the person in charge of technical-administrative testing or to one of the members of the testing commission, where they possess the requirements.
The testing body (tester or commission), once the testing procedures have been completed, shall compare the actual data found with the project data, the approved variants and the accounting documents. Following the aforementioned comparison, it shall issue the testing certificate clearly indicating:
whether the work is testable;
under what conditions and restrictions it can be tested;
the measures to be taken if it is not testable;
Static testing during construction
The static testing during construction is aimed at evaluating and judging the performance of the works and structural components included in the project and any variations filed with the competent control bodies.
It is important to remember that the static test :
except in special cases, it must be carried out during the work;
the works cannot be put into operation before the static testing certificate has been issued.
Static testing during construction is always required following the construction of works or structural elements regulated by the Ministerial Decree of 17 January 2018, both for new construction works and for works on existing buildings. In the latter case and only for "local works", it can be replaced by the certificate of regular execution signed by the Director of Works.
The current legislation clearly defines the procedures that the tester must carry out in order to draw up the testing certificate, and it is possible to classify them into the following two categories:
administrative obligations: aimed at complying with the technical requirements necessary for public safety, the procedures set out in the regulations in force regarding structures and the verification of compliance with seismic standards.
technical requirements: aimed at forming the inspector's opinion on the stability of the work and on its static compliance with the purposes for which it was designed, also through the execution of tests - of load and/or on materials - on site and/or monitoring.
The discretion of the static tester for the evaluation of the tests (static, dynamic and vibrational load tests with FEM - Test correlation; on materials of the destructive, semi and non-destructive type, etc.) and of the static/dynamic monitoring (deformation field, stress field also with constant remote readings, etc.) to be performed is almost absolute , without prejudice to the principle according to which he will carry out all those deemed necessary, considering the fact that the tests on the structures involve significant costs, which are borne by the contractor. Often, in fact, the special tender specifications report, among the contractor's duties, those relating to tests and analyses on the materials arranged by the works management or the tester even if they are not mandatory by law.
From what has been said, it emerges, on the one hand, the relevance of the procedure relating to static testing which requires a high degree of competence and professional knowledge of the tester and on the other hand the delicacy of the decisions that the same is called to take, especially in cases in which the static nature of the work is impoverished.
In order to be awarded the static testing task, the following specific requirements must be met :
master's degree in engineering or architecture, according to the competence limits established by the respective professional regulations;
qualification to practice the profession, as well as registration in the respective professional association for at least ten years.
Furthermore, the testing must be carried out by a professional who was not involved in the design, management or execution of the work - nor directly or indirectly connected to the manufacturer ( art. 9 of the Lombardy Region law of 12 October 2015, n. 33 ).
AS Engineering: long-experienced on-site testers
With a long experience and thanks to a planned and well-organized working method, the technical team of AS Ingegneria carries out checks, examinations, verifications and tests necessary to ascertain the technical conformity of the work to the requirements of the project and the contract, including any approved variant appraisals .
In addition to evaluating the reservations presented by the contractor, we assist the Client in drafting static, functional and technical-administrative tests , which can be carried out at the end of the works or during their construction (i.e. during the works ) depending on the needs.
Our expert team also dedicates itself to the accurate drafting of the Certificate of Static Suitability (CIS) for existing buildings , with particular attention to Lombardy and, more specifically, the city of Milan, in compliance with the Building Regulations for buildings of at least fifty years. Our in-depth verification on two levels guarantees structural safety over time and uses the most recent methodologies in the sector.
Among the projects that have seen us involved in the role of static tester (in progress) are the prestigious Palaindoor athletics stadium in Brescia , an exclusive multipurpose facility built by a pool of professionals on behalf of the Municipality and destined to become one of the main sports centers in Italy; and the seismic improvement project of the IKEA store in Carugate , in the province of Milan.
As technical-administrative and functional testers of the systems, we followed the regulatory and seismic adaptation project of the Gianni Rodari Middle School in Desio (MI) , part of the Via Prati Comprehensive Institute, and of the new public park of Agrate Brianza (MB) .
More information about our service can be found on the dedicated page .
