The supplier tells you that three battery containers and their project cabinets are nearing completion. As the industrial park’s EPC project manager, you need to decide when the order can leave. Your site team will then need a basis for checking the equipment that arrives—including what to do if one container shows damage.
This worked example follows three integrated 500 kW / 1003.52 kWh BESS containers, a grid-connected cabinet and a load cabinet from factory review to site handover. One container arrives with a damaged door edge. The equipment references, record statuses and delivery issue are illustrative; this is not a report of a GeePower customer project.
A BESS container pre-shipment inspection brings together the agreed factory checks, factory acceptance testing (FAT), packing checks and evidence needed for shipment release. Receiving inspection checks identity, completeness and delivery condition. Installation checks and the site acceptance test (SAT) address the assembled site system under the project’s approved plans.
What matters is that every one of those decisions points back to the same piece of equipment.
On this page
- Define the order before inspection
- Review the factory evidence
- Reconcile packing and authorise shipment
- Record the delivery damage
- Assess the affected container
- Hand over installation and SAT tasks
- Questions that change the inspection scope
Define what this container order includes before inspection starts
Start with the approved supply list and configuration. Here, your order includes:
| Project reference | Equipment within the example order |
|---|---|
| BESS-01, BESS-02, BESS-03 | Three GP-ESS1000-716.8V1400Ah containers, each rated 500 kW / 1003.52 kWh, with five battery clusters and an integrated PCS |
| GC-01 | One 1.5 MW grid-connected cabinet |
| LC-01 | One 1.5 MW load cabinet |
| Associated loose items | Listed rain covers, copper busbars and wiring harnesses, allocated to their host equipment and packing locations |
The container configuration follows GeePower’s containerized BESS configurations. The two site cabinets and associated items are part of this example’s agreed scope. Other orders need their own supply lists.
Together, the containers have 3010.56 kWh of nominal battery energy—approximately 3 MWh—and a combined equipment rating of 1.5 MW. Usable AC energy and available site output still depend on the project design and verification.
Use the short references alongside each unit’s nameplate serial number. Link them to the approved configuration and general arrangement drawing, showing the equipment layout. The model name identifies the type; the serial number lets the receiving team identify the individual unit.
Agree who prepares and reviews evidence, who authorises shipment, who coordinates receipt and who owns commissioning. In this example, the buyer’s engineer reviews the technical evidence before the authorised project manager releases the order.
Also settle the site EMS boundary: the controller, its supplier, the interfaces and the integration owner. Don’t treat a local display or integrated control function as an answer to who is responsible.
Create one handover record now. Give each equipment entry space for packing links, dispatch evidence, arrival observations, open items, an owner and the next decision. Add dated evidence references as the order progresses; the final snapshot appears below.
Review what the factory evidence proves for each container
Before you rely on any test result, ask the buyer’s engineer to review each container against the approved configuration: battery clusters, battery management system (BMS), PCS, DC combiner, air conditioning, fire protection and power distribution. One note on naming: the MPS/PCS terminology in the model documentation refers to the power conversion equipment, so it shouldn’t become two separate items in your inventory.
For the agreed functional checks, look beyond the result column. The evidence should identify the unit, relevant hardware and software versions, test connections, operating conditions, procedure, acceptance criteria and result.
Depending on the order, records could cover operating states, control responses, auxiliary equipment and safety interfaces. Agree the scope and method for this configuration. A general request to test everything gives the supplier and reviewer different interpretations of completion.
The same applies to GC-01 and LC-01. Review their specified configuration and agreed inspection or test evidence. Being on the supply list doesn’t tell you whether they were connected to all three containers during FAT.
| Subject | Factory evidence can establish, within the agreed scope | Receiving inspection can establish | Installation or site testing must address |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment configuration | Identity and configuration of the inspected equipment | Identity, completeness and visible discrepancies | Installation against approved drawings |
| Enclosure and packing | Recorded condition before dispatch | Visible changes, damage or moisture evidence | Assessment and resolution of affected conditions |
| Project cabinets | Results for the equipment and connections actually tested | Correct cabinets, parts and visible condition | Actual site connections and required functions |
| Controls and multiple containers | Responses under the recorded real or simulated setup | Equipment identity and visible transport condition | Real site EMS paths, multi-container coordination and site interfaces |
A container’s response to a simulated site signal supports a conclusion about that test setup. Verification through the actual site EMS remains a separate task unless the records establish that exact configuration.
For cabinet orders, the 10-cabinet pre-shipment inspection example follows individual records through batch release. Keep that same traceability here, and add a definition of the site equipment and interfaces that fall outside each container’s tested boundary.
Reconcile the packing list and authorise shipment
For the next stage, assume the buyer’s engineer has accepted the agreed factory evidence, with site tests assigned separately. Before you authorise shipment, you still need to check what will actually travel.
Match the packed equipment to the reviewed configuration
Work from the final packing list back to BESS-01, BESS-02 and BESS-03, then GC-01 and LC-01. Match each entry to its equipment identity, packing marks and dispatch photographs.
Treat separately packed components as traceable items. If rain covers or harnesses travel inside a container, record the host container, package location and contents. The receiving team should be able to find them without unpacking every unit to discover where the supplier put them.
Check quantities against the order’s list. Counting three containers and two cabinets will not account for parts packed inside them.
Ask what changed after FAT. A replacement component, software update or disconnection for transport needs an identifiable record. The engineer should decide whether it affects an accepted result and what verification is necessary. Preserve the original test evidence and link the change and subsequent review to it.
Leave a usable dispatch baseline
Photographs should connect readable equipment identification with overall condition and relevant details. For the later receiving check, include the areas that the team will compare: doors, edges, accessible seals and the transport protection actually fitted.
Record any temporary fixings or disconnected items and the instructions for restoring them. Include seals or transport indicators only where they are part of this consignment. Define their presence, readings and interpretation rather than assuming them.
Have the responsible logistics and technical parties confirm the shipment-specific transport documents, equipment condition requirements and handling instructions. Use the approved transport information for dimensions, weight and lifting arrangements.
Give the receiving coordinator access to the final packing list, identity mapping and dispatch photographs before arrival. A document archive that only the factory reviewer can navigate will be difficult to use at the delivery point.
Make the release decision explicit
Identify anything still open. An issue affecting the agreed release conditions needs resolution before the corresponding authorisation. A permitted deferral needs an owner, a deadline, an acceptance basis and the authorisation required by the order. Site tests already allocated to commissioning should remain visible as site tasks.
The release record should identify:
- The equipment covered by the authorisation.
- The approved configuration and reviewed factory evidence.
- The final packing list and post-test change status.
- Any accepted deferrals and their conditions.
- The authorised signatory and release date.
In our example, those checks support releasing the specified equipment for collection. Update the handover record to show shipment authorised, retaining the references that the site team will use next.
Record delivery condition when one container shows damage
When the delivery arrives, your receiving team works from the dispatch baseline you built earlier. At a safe, accessible point in the delivery process, it checks the delivered items, their identification, visible packaging and enclosure condition.
Here, BESS-02 has a dented door edge and damage to the adjacent protective packing. The corresponding dispatch photographs show no visible damage in that area.
That observation needs a record before the equipment moves into the next stage. The photographs do not establish the condition of the internal equipment or determine who is responsible.
Capture an observation another person can locate
Take an overall view showing the container and affected area, then closer views of the door edge and surrounding packing. Include readable equipment identification so the images can be associated with BESS-02 and its serial number.
Record the time and delivery stage, who observed the condition, and the associated delivery or carrier record. Describe the visible condition in plain terms. The position of the dent and its relationship to the door are useful; a general entry saying that the container is damaged leaves the assessing engineer with more questions.
Compare the images with the dispatch baseline and retain both sets. Keep later observations separate. If a condition becomes visible only during authorised unpacking, record when it was discovered rather than presenting it as something already checked at the vehicle.
GeePower’s model-specific Lithium Battery Energy Storage System User Manual, section 4.3, calls for checking the supply list, ordered model and equipment condition, and contacting the transporter or supplier promptly with photographs when concerns are found.
Notify the responsible parties and control the next activity
Follow the project’s receiving and notification arrangements. The delivery record should identify the observed condition and any reservations made through the agreed process. Notify the EPC receiving coordinator, supplier and relevant carrier or logistics contact in writing, with the equipment identity, photographs and delivery reference.
The buyer and logistics lead should have established the notification requirements and the intended use of each receiving document. The contractual effect of a signature, risk transfer and any claim deadlines depend on the arrangements in place.
For BESS-02, record that further installation, connection and energisation await technical assessment and authorisation. The receiving team should not power up the unit to see whether it still works.
Continue the individual checks on BESS-01, BESS-03 and the project cabinets. Their records need their own observations. Whether any installation activity can proceed while BESS-02 is under assessment requires a separate project decision.
Assess the affected container before allowing installation to proceed
Your next task is to establish what the door-edge damage affects and what evidence is needed before BESS-02 can enter installation.
The project’s authorised technical personnel should coordinate access and inspection with the supplier, using the manufacturer’s instructions and approved work procedures. Receiving inspection does not authorise opening high-voltage areas, altering connections or performing live measurements.
Complete the physical reconciliation
Under those arrangements, check the delivered equipment and accessible internal condition against the supply list. Locate the separately packed items, confirm their quantities and allocation, and record visible discrepancies.
Keep GC-01 and LC-01 as separate entries. Check each cabinet’s identity, specified equipment, associated parts and visible condition. Internal inspection and any additional tests follow the authorised procedure.
For BESS-02, ask the assessing personnel to identify the scope of concern: door closure, sealing, enclosure condition and any potentially affected internal equipment. They should determine the necessary inspection, repair or verification. We won’t prescribe a water test, a full charge-discharge cycle or fire-system actuation for a condition nobody has assessed yet.
Keep the original factory evidence attached to the unit’s record. The assessment should identify which earlier conclusions need further support following the arrival observation.
Define what will close the installation hold
Give the supplier and project engineer a specific request: assess the identified area, state the affected scope, specify necessary action and provide the evidence required for a decision about installation.
The resulting record should cover:
- The condition assessed and the equipment identity.
- The assessment method and findings.
- Any repair, replacement or further verification required.
- Evidence that the required actions were completed.
- The technical recommendation and the project authorisation for the next stage.
A general reply that the unit can be used needs clarification if it does not address the observed condition and the required checks. Equally, a new exterior photograph cannot resolve an internal concern that the assessment has identified.
The model manual’s transport-integrity section requires equipment to be intact and undamaged before installation or commissioning. Keep the hold in place until the assessment, necessary work and verification support the required condition.
At this point, BESS-02 remains awaiting assessment. The EPC technical lead owns the follow-up with supplier technical support; the required output is a written assessment and action plan before installation. So BESS-02 has a clear next step and a clear limit: no installation until the written assessment and action plan are in.
If the assessment later supports installation, record its basis, completed actions, authorisation and date. Permission to install still leaves the site system to be checked and tested.
Hand over the remaining interfaces for installation and SAT
Your commissioning lead needs the records explaining both the accepted factory scope and the work outstanding at site.
Transfer the equipment identity list, approved configuration revisions, factory evidence index, final packing list, dispatch and receiving photographs, change records and open issues. Include restoration instructions for any transport-related fixings or disconnections.
The installation and SAT plans should allocate the site tasks by stage. These cover foundation and positioning checks, external electrical, earthing and communication connections, and the connections involving GC-01 and LC-01. They also cover three-container coordination, real site EMS commands and feedback, and protection and safety interfaces.
Each task needs a responsible party, governing document and completion point. Where the EMS supplier or integration owner is still unresolved, the project coordinator must obtain that assignment before the affected work proceeds.
The table below is the receiving-handover snapshot of the same record started before factory inspection. All statuses are illustrative. BESS-01 and BESS-03 are grouped for space; each has been checked individually. In a live record, each status carries its date and evidence reference.
| Equipment / packing link | Dispatch evidence | Arrival observation | Open item | Owner | Next decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BESS-01 and BESS-03; own packing entries | Reviewed factory and release references | Identity and visible-condition checks recorded without discrepancy | Installation and site checks | EPC installation lead | Authorise the next installation stage |
| BESS-02; own packing entry | Factory, packing and pre-dispatch photo references retained | Door-edge and adjacent packing damage recorded | Assessment and any required action | EPC technical lead with supplier support | Written disposition before installation |
| GC-01; own packing entry | Agreed cabinet evidence and packing reference | Identity, listed parts and visible condition checked without discrepancy | Site connections and verification | EPC electrical lead | Proceed under the approved installation plan |
| LC-01; own packing entry | Agreed cabinet evidence and packing reference | Identity, listed parts and visible condition checked without discrepancy | Site connections and verification | EPC electrical lead | Proceed under the approved installation plan |
| Loose items; host equipment recorded | Contents and location on packing list | Listed items reconciled | Installation and restoration tasks | EPC installation lead | Use when the host equipment is authorised for the task |
| Site controls and multi-container interfaces | Factory connection and simulation boundaries documented | Field verification outstanding | Actual site interface tests | EPC commissioning lead | Verify against the approved site plan |
The order has been released and delivered; BESS-02 has an installation hold; site tests remain open. Contractual final acceptance follows its separately agreed conditions. Keep those states visible when planning work. Receiving two containers without visible discrepancies does not establish that the three-container system can operate with one unit unavailable.
If that review leaves system requirements unresolved, our C&I energy storage system planning page is the place to continue the configuration discussion.
Questions that change the inspection scope
Not automatically. Determine the scope from the arrival condition, post-test changes, manufacturer instructions and approved project plan. Specific concerns need assessment and appropriate verification. Neither repeating every factory test nor accepting every result unchanged should be the default.
Their receiving checks can be recorded separately. Installation or testing depends on system dependencies, the proposed work and project authorisation. The engineering team must assess any staged arrangement.
The scope changes. Redefine the PCS, auxiliary equipment and interface responsibilities. Establish what was connected during factory testing and what must be integrated elsewhere. This example’s integrated-PCS scope will not describe that order.
Include them when actually supplied and covered by the inspection arrangements. Record identification, condition or readings as specified. A normal-looking indicator only tells you about the indicator, not every component behind it.
Discuss the inspection and handover scope for your container BESS order
Contact and tell us your planned equipment quantity and configuration, supply boundary.