Industries/Government & Public Sector
Government & Public Sector NDTFederal, state and municipal owners and their contractors — weld inspection with a record that survives an audit.
Prime Inspections Inc. is a registered vendor in SAM.gov, the US federal System for Award Management, and works for public owners and their contractors — federal, state and municipal or utility — on pipeline, facility and infrastructure weld inspection.
Public work turns on the record as much as the weld. Every weld is reported against the governing code in the specification, images are archived as digital records that can be retrieved and shared, and our Level III review service exists precisely for the moment somebody asks what the file actually shows.
- Federal
- State
- Municipal & utility
- Public works
- Audit-ready records
What we inspect on public work
The same methods and crews, on publicly owned assets.
Pipeline & utility infrastructure
Girth-weld and tie-in inspection on publicly owned or municipally operated pipeline and gas utility systems, reported against API 1104 and ASME B31.8 or B31.4 with applicable DOT/PHMSA regulations.
Water & wastewater steel
Radiographic and ultrasonic inspection of girth and seam welds on large-diameter welded steel transmission mains, treatment and pump station piping, and welded steel tanks.
Public facilities & structures
Radiographic inspection of structural and fabricated steel welds during shop and field construction, MT and PT on structural steel, supports and weldments, and UT thickness surveys on operating systems.
Records, review & audit support
Level III review of NDT and welding procedures against the project code, independent re-interpretation of radiographic film and digital images, and inspection-record review — so the documentation stands up when it is examined.
How we work with public owners and their contractors
Hired direct, or under the contractor
Prime can be engaged directly by the owner or work under the general or prime contractor. Direct engagement keeps the accept-or-repair call insulated from the company whose welds are being judged — which is usually what a public owner wants on the record.
Audit-ready documentation
Every weld reported against the governing code named in the specification, archived as a digital record that can be retrieved and shared rather than film that has to be found and scanned.
Independent review
Level III procedure review, film and digital image re-interpretation, and inspection-record review — an independent read of what the file supports, separate from whoever produced it.
Smaller exclusion boundaries in public spaces
Digital radiography runs at lower source strength with smaller exclusion boundaries, and with an X-ray tube there is no isotope on the job — the tube is energised only for the exposure. That matters next to a street, a school or a plant fence.
Codes of record
Pipeline construction welds are normally API 1104, with ASME B31.8 (gas) or B31.4 (liquids) and applicable DOT/PHMSA regulations in service; structural welds are AWS D1.1; process piping is ASME B31.3, power piping B31.1 and building services piping B31.9; pressure vessels are ASME Section VIII and aboveground storage tanks API 653. Examination requirements come from ASME Section V; the acceptance criteria are whatever the project specification names.
Methods we run on this work
Frequently asked questions
Is Prime Inspections registered to do business with the federal government?
Prime Inspections is a registered vendor in SAM.gov, the US federal System for Award Management. For our current registration details, including the entity identifiers an agency or prime contractor needs for an award, call (281) 944-3840 or use our contact form and we will send them.
Can a public owner hire Prime directly?
Yes. Prime can be engaged directly by the owner or work under the general or prime contractor. Direct engagement means no markup on inspection and no financial tie to the company whose welds are being judged.
What public-works assets do you inspect?
Publicly owned or municipally operated pipeline and gas utility systems, welded steel water and wastewater infrastructure, and structural and fabricated steel welds on public facilities — plus procedure, film and record review.
What code do you report against on a public project?
Whatever the project specification names — API 1104 and ASME B31.8/B31.4 on pipeline work, AWS D1.1 on structural welds, ASME B31.1/B31.3/B31.9 on piping, ASME Section VIII on vessels and API 653 on tanks.
Can you provide an independent review of an existing inspection record?
Yes. Level III review of NDT and welding procedures against the project code, independent re-interpretation of radiographic film and digital images, and inspection-record review — what the records actually show, what is missing, and where the documentation will not support the call that was made.
Are you PHMSA or a government agency?
No. Prime Inspections is not PHMSA, does not act for PHMSA, and holds no PHMSA certification, approval or authorization. We are not a government agency, we are not an authorized inspection agency, and we do not determine regulatory compliance.
Do you handle prevailing wage and certified payroll?
Our credit application asks up front whether certified payroll or prevailing wage is required — Davis-Bacon or Texas Government Code Ch. 2258 — because it changes our rates and our reporting and has to be known before a quote is honoured. Certified payroll is also one of the invoice-backup items you can require of us.
What about payment bonds on public work?
Our terms already address it: there is no mechanic’s lien against public property, so the remedy on a public project is a claim against the payment bond — Texas Government Code Ch. 2253 for Texas state and local projects, or the federal Miller Act. The credit application asks for the bonding company and bond number, or the prime contractor’s name, before the first order.
Do you hold a GSA schedule or a set-aside status?
We make no claim to any contract vehicle, schedule, set-aside or socio-economic status on this page. Ask us and we will tell you exactly what we hold.
How do I get a quote?
Use our contact form or call (281) 944-3840 with the project, the scope and the governing specification, and our team will follow up. Our credit application already handles public projects — federal, state, county or municipal.
Public project out for bid?
Tell us the scope, the specification and the schedule — we will give you a straight answer on what we can cover.