Manufacturing Record Book (MRB): what goes in a turnover data book.
A Manufacturing Record Book — also called a data book, quality dossier or turnover package — is the compiled documentary evidence that a fabricated or installed scope was built, examined and tested to the contract. On most capital projects it is also the last thing standing between the contractor and final payment, and the first thing to slip. This guide sets out what belongs in an MRB, a reusable index, who signs what, and the rejections that cost weeks at handover.
The MRB is not a filing exercise at the end of the job. Every section corresponds to a hold or witness point already defined in the Inspection and Test Plan, so a book that is difficult to assemble usually means the ITP was never enforced.
Most MRB rejections are structural rather than technical: missing traceability between certificates and physical items, unsigned or uncontrolled documents, open non-conformances, and a format that does not match the contractual index.
- 01Agree the MRB index and format in the first weeks of the contract, not at handover.
- 02Every record must trace to a specific item — heat number, weld number, tag number or serial.
- 03The MRB structure should mirror the ITP; if it does not, evidence will be missing.
- 04All non-conformances must be closed with objective evidence before submission.
- 05Build the book progressively as work completes, and audit a sample at 30% and 70% progress.
MRB, data book, quality plan — what each term actually means
The names are used loosely across projects, which is exactly why contracts disagree about what is owed.
| Document | Purpose | When it exists |
|---|---|---|
| Quality Management Plan / Project Quality Plan | How quality will be managed on this project — organisation, responsibilities, processes, audits | Before work starts |
| Inspection and Test Plan (ITP) | What will be inspected and tested, to which criteria, at which hold and witness points | Before fabrication |
| Quality Control Plan | Often used interchangeably with the ITP, or as the discipline-level control document beneath the quality plan | Before fabrication |
| Manufacturing Record Book (MRB) / Data Book | The compiled evidence that the ITP was executed and the item conforms | Built through fabrication, submitted at completion |
| Turnover package | The MRB plus commissioning, punch list and system completion records for the operating asset | At mechanical completion and handover |
A standard MRB index you can reuse
Adapt the section numbering to the contract, but keep the sequence — reviewers read in this order.
Who signs what
Unsigned or wrongly-signed records are treated as no record at all.
Fabricator QC
Compiles the book, signs in-process inspection, dimensional and test records, and certifies traceability of materials to items.
Third-party inspector
Signs the ITP lines designated as witness or hold points, and issues release notes or inspection release certificates that must appear in the book.
Contractor / EPC quality
Reviews the book against the ITP and specification before submission, and owns the transmittal and comment resolution log.
Owner / client representative
Accepts the book, closes any documentation punch list, and links acceptance to the payment or completion milestone.
Where MRB sections come from
Every MRB section should trace to a line in the ITP. If your ITP does not yet define acceptance criteria and sign-off authority per activity, the data book cannot be complete.
Why data books get rejected at handover
Ranked by how often they appear in review comments, not by severity.
Traceability breaks
A mill certificate exists but nothing links its heat number to the fabricated item. The material may be right; the evidence is not.
Open non-conformances
NCRs submitted without disposition, verification of the repair or the re-inspection result. Any open NCR blocks acceptance.
Uncontrolled or superseded documents
Drawings at the wrong revision, unapproved WPS revisions, or procedures with no revision status shown.
Missing signatures and dates
Records signed by someone with no authority in the quality plan, or witness points with a blank third-party column.
Expired calibration
Gauges and test equipment whose calibration lapsed before the test date, which invalidates every result taken with them.
Wrong format or index
Scanned images instead of searchable PDF, no bookmarks, or a section order that does not match the contractual index.
Late compilation
The book starts at completion, so records from early fabrication cannot be recovered and are recreated retrospectively — which reviewers can spot.
Concessions not carried through
Approved deviations referenced in correspondence but absent from the book, leaving apparent non-conformity on the record.
- Step 01
Approve the index and format early
Index, numbering, file naming, digital format and native-file requirements agreed in writing with the client before fabrication starts.
- Step 02
Build progressively against the ITP
Each ITP line closes with its record filed into the corresponding book section the same week, not at the end of the package.
- Step 03
Audit a sample at 30% and 70%
Pull ten items at random and trace each one end to end. Two short audits mid-fabrication prevent almost every structural rejection.
- Step 04
Close NCRs before submission
Every non-conformance dispositioned, verified and closed with objective evidence, with the closure record filed in the same book.
- Step 05
Pre-submission review
An independent review against the ITP and specification, producing an internal comment sheet resolved before the book reaches the client.
Turnover documentation as part of the project quality system
On EPCM and capital programmes the data book is not a standalone deliverable — it is the output of the project quality management system. Where the PQMS defines the ITPs, hold points, NCR workflow and record requirements at the start, the MRB assembles itself as work completes. Where it does not, turnover becomes an archaeology exercise months after the crews have left.
We build project quality systems that produce a defensible record package as a by-product of execution, and we review or compile data books for fabrication packages where the evidence trail needs rebuilding.
Project Quality Management System
ITPs, hold points, NCR control, quality records and turnover documentation designed for EPCM programmes and modular fabrication scopes.
Questions we get on this topic
What is a Manufacturing Record Book (MRB)?
An MRB is the compiled documentary evidence that a fabricated or installed scope was manufactured, examined and tested in accordance with the purchase order, specification and applicable codes. It typically includes certificates of conformity, material certificates, welding and NDE records, test results, calibration certificates, non-conformance closure evidence and as-built drawings.
What is the difference between an MRB and a turnover package?
The MRB covers the manufacture of an item or package — usually a vendor or fabricator deliverable. The turnover package is broader: it bundles the MRBs with construction, commissioning, punch list and system completion records for the operating asset handed to the owner.
What is the difference between a quality management plan and an ITP?
The quality management plan describes how quality will be managed across the project — organisation, responsibilities, processes and audits. The Inspection and Test Plan is the activity-level document that says what will be inspected or tested, against which acceptance criteria, at which hold and witness points, and who signs.
Who is responsible for compiling the MRB?
Normally the fabricator or vendor compiles it, the contractor or EPC quality team reviews it against the ITP and specification before submission, and the owner's representative accepts it. Third-party inspection release notes and witnessed ITP sign-offs are filed within it.
Why do data books get rejected?
Most often for broken traceability between certificates and physical items, open non-conformances, unsigned or superseded documents, expired calibration on test equipment, and a format or index that does not match what the contract requires.
When should MRB compilation start?
At contract award. The index, numbering, file format and native-file requirements should be approved before fabrication begins, and records should be filed as each ITP line closes rather than gathered at completion.
Turnover documentation slipping?
Send us the package scope and the contractual index — we'll tell you what is missing and what it takes to close the book.