Total Building Commissioning

Project Intent
The development of the project intent is the first step in the Commissioning process. This document details the Owner's expectations and requirements for the facility and its performance, and serves as a "handbook" for everyone involved in the project.

Cx Plan
A detailed project work plan forms the core of the Commissioning Plan and details the tasks to be accomplished along with specific personnel and resources to be applied. As the facility is designed, the Commissioning Plan is revised and kept up-to-date as needed.

Basis of Design
The basis of design is the collection of information used by the designers in creating a design that meets the requirements set forth in the owner’s project intent. Each designer records any assumption, code, standard, or calculation used in creating the design, then submits this information to the commissioning authority for documentation in the basis of design document.

Design Review
The designs are reviewed by the Commissioning Authority at several stages of design development (50%, 75%, 90%, 99%, etc.) to allow the designers ample time to address any comments or suggestions that the Commissioning Authority may have. The focus of the Commissioning Authority’s review is adherence to the Owner’s project intent, as well as issues that are often overlooked, such as coordination between trades and general quality of the drawings (page-to-page coordination, correct labeling, consistent detail drawings, etc.)

Cx Spec Development
The Commissioning Authority develops specification language describing any requirements that contractors must fulfill as part of the Commissioning process for the project. These Commissioning requirements are integrated into the overall project specifications where appropriate.

Submittal Review
As submittals for products and materials are received from contractors, the Commissioning Authority reviews and comments on the submittal before it is stamped for acceptance by the designer. This review allows the Commissioning Authority to check the submittals for adherence to the Owner’s project intent.

Site Visits
Site visits are performed to verify that the contractors’ processes are achieving the Owner’s project intent. Our primary role during construction is as a facilitator to resolve issues and to build team cohesion. This is accomplished by working closely with the field supervisors and providing on-going training on the Commissioning process.

Construction Checklists
Construction checklists are tools for transferring the information contained in the specifications and drawings to the workers in the field. By completing the checklist, the worker is assured that the requirements of the project documents are satisfied, preventing mistakes and unnecessary rework.

O&M Document Review
The operation and maintenance manuals provided to the Owner are reviewed by the Commissioning Authority for quality and thoroughness. The Commissioning process requires that the manuals be submitted earlier than in a traditional project, preventing all-too-common last minute efforts.

Training Review
Similar to the O&M documentation, the training agendas and materials developed by the contractors are reviewed by the Commissioning Authority for quality, thoroughness, and level of detail appropriate for the trainees. Since training of the owner’s O&M staff has often failed to meet the expectations of Owners in the past, the Commissioning process requires contractors to submit training agendas and materials for review well in advance of the scheduled training date.

Functional Testing
Functional testing of the facility systems occurs once all systems are installed but before the owner occupies the facility. The facility systems are tested in all modes of operation, including full heating, full cooling, power outage, emergency, and any other modes that may be required depending on the project

Cx Report
As soon as possible after the owner takes occupancy of the facility, the Commissioning Authority submits a report on the results of the Commissioning process. The report includes the scope and activities of Commissioning for the project, as well as a discussion of problems and difficulties that were avoided, rather than errors that were discovered.

Seasonal Testing
The performance of some facility systems can only be verified under actual load conditions. As a result, seasonal functional performance tests are often required. This includes testing the cooling system in summer, economizer use during spring or fall, and the heating system in the winter.

Warranty Review
At approximately the tenth month of occupancy, the Commissioning Authority performs a thorough review of the operation of all facility systems in preparation for the end of the equipment warranty period. Documenting and correcting any warranty-related issues before the end of the warranty period will result in significant cost and time savings for the owner.

Lessons Learned
After one year of occupancy, a lessons learned workshop is organized. This workshop is structured to obtain honest and constructive feedback on the entire project and how the process can be improved for the next project. The intent of this workshop is to provide all team members with ideas on how to improve both their internal and external processes to avoid common problems on their future work. This improves their bottom line and provides the Owner with higher quality work.