A day-by-day acceptance plan for biomedical teams receiving used or refurbished capital equipment, current as of September 2026. It is not clinical guidance and does not give repair instructions; safety testing belongs with qualified personnel following the manufacturer’s procedure.
Most of the leverage a buyer has in a used-equipment purchase exists in the first week after delivery. That is when damage is still attributable to transit, when the seller’s return obligations are still live, and when the unit has not yet been accepted into your asset register. After that window closes, every problem becomes a service cost you own. This plan organises the week so nothing important depends on someone remembering it.
Why the first seven days decide your recourse
Three things change when the inspection window closes. The evidence becomes harder to attribute ¡ª was the damage there at delivery, or did it happen after? The commercial remedies expire ¡ª the return and remedy terms you negotiated apply within a defined period. And the equipment stops being a delivery and becomes an asset, with all the maintenance and compliance expectations that follow.
The practical response is to treat acceptance as a scheduled project with a named owner, a written plan and a decision log, rather than as something the receiving team fits around other work.
Day 1¨C2: shipping damage and identity
Inspect before the packing material leaves the loading area and photograph everything. Two checks belong here, and they are different in kind: physical condition and identity.
| Check | What to do | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Crate and packaging | Record external condition on the delivery document before signing, and photograph the crate as received | Signed delivery note with any damage noted, plus photographs |
| Contents | Compare against the packing list and the invoice, item by item | Annotated packing list with discrepancies marked |
| Identity | Read model and serial from the device and match them to the paperwork | Photographs of the label and serial, with the invoice line beside them |
| Accessories | Verify that cables, probes, brackets and documents are present as listed | A photographed accessory inventory |
Two habits matter here. Note damage on the carrier’s document at the point of delivery rather than in an email the next day, because that note is what supports a transit claim. And keep the packaging until acceptance is complete ¡ª insurers and carriers routinely ask to inspect it.
Day 3¨C4: functional and safety checks
This is where the equipment becomes specific. What you test depends on the device class, but the structure is consistent: confirm the unit performs the functions it was sold to perform, and confirm its safety status through the checks that apply to that class.
- Functional checks: power-up and self-test, then the specific functions named in the description you bought against.
- Safety checks: electrical safety testing and any device-specific verification, performed by qualified personnel following the manufacturer’s procedure.
- Performance evidence: where the device has a specification to meet, record measured values rather than an overall pass.
- Consumables and accessories: check that consumable items are in date and that accessory sets are complete.
Where a check cannot be performed in-house, that is not a reason to accept the unit; it is a reason to schedule the work before the inspection window closes, and to record that the device is not yet in clinical service.
Who should be involved
Acceptance works better with three roles named before the delivery date rather than assembled afterwards. The receiving team inspects and photographs the consignment on arrival. The biomedical team performs or arranges the functional and safety checks and owns the technical findings. Whoever holds the purchase contract owns the communication with the seller, so that issues are raised once, in writing, with the evidence attached. Where the same person carries two of those roles, name both explicitly ¡ª the failure mode this prevents is a finding that everyone assumes someone else has reported.
Day 5: document review
Review the documentation against what was promised, not against what arrived. Confirm the service history refers to this serial number, that verification records match the checks you would expect for the device, and that the labeling and instructions supplied correspond to the configuration you received. Anything that cannot be matched to the unit is a question for the seller while the window is still open.
Day 6¨C7: issue escalation and sign-off
Consolidate the week’s findings into one list, separated into three categories: items to raise with the seller, items your team will fix internally, and items that change the value of the purchase. Raise the first category in writing before the window closes, with the evidence attached, and state what outcome you are asking for. Then record the acceptance decision explicitly ¡ª accepted, conditionally accepted with a defined remediation list, or rejected and returned.
| Decision log field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Unit identity | Model, serial and the purchase order it belongs to |
| Checks performed | Each check, the date and the person who performed it |
| Findings | Pass, fail, or pass with a noted limitation, with measured values where applicable |
| Issues raised | What was raised with the seller, when, and with what evidence |
| Decision | Accepted, conditionally accepted, or rejected ¡ª with the reason |
| Follow-up | Remediation items, owners and dates |
Questions buyers ask
What if a needed check cannot be done within seven days?
Say so while the window is open. Agree a conditional acceptance that keeps the specific issue live, with a defined date and remedy, rather than allowing the window to close on an unverified item.
Who should perform the safety checks?
Qualified personnel following the manufacturer’s procedure, with the test equipment in calibration. The acceptance plan can assign the check, but not substitute for the qualification.
Should we unpack fully on day one?
Inspect the crate and the visible contents, and photograph before and during unpacking ¡ª but keep the packaging until acceptance is complete. Where transit damage is likely, an unpacking sequence recorded in photographs is the evidence that decides the claim.
Run the week as a project: someone owns it, the checks are written down, and the decision is recorded against the unit. If you are receiving used equipment and want the documentation that should arrive with it, ask HHG for the records on a specific item, and see lifecycle management for safer healthcare equipment for where acceptance sits in the wider asset cycle.