In 2005, the ACG Commissioning Guideline defined commissioning as “A systematic process that facilitates and ensures the required communication, coordination, testing and verification, and results in the delivery of a building whose systems perform as intended.”  The guideline continues with ‘Commissioning is intentional, visible, cooperative, and proactive process” and “In summary, commissioning serves the Owner’s best interests by delivering a facility with systems that perform as specified, intended, and paid for.”

So, what is commissioning? – A proactive, systematic process that serves the Owner’s best interests.  That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.  Commissioning Providers (CxP) get involved to help ensure a project is designed, planned, installed, and documented properly to help the Owner of that project succeed.

Commissioning is a tasked based process, with tasks selected to ensure items needed for a successful project aren’t overlooked.  The process has different steps during different phases, with Owners’ having some flexibility in how involved they want their CxP to be.  Some provide more value than others, and all depend on the Project Team and goals of the commissioning process. The infographic below provides information on more options of the project phases and tasks. 

A beneficial commissioning process will encourage communication between Project Team Members to ensure a full understanding of project requirements.  This allows Builders and their Team to properly manage time for each system and ensure all project requirements, from component installation to proper warranty document submission, are met without rework effort needed.  We collaborate with project team members to ensure installations are completed and systems are operating correctly, providing documentation that is useful to the facility operators.

A sound Cx Process includes document reviews of Construction documents for clarity, as well as review of submittals and shop drawings to ensure products purchased can perform as shown in construction documents.  These reviews are also used to create project specific installation checklists, or Pre-Functional Checklists (PFC).  This process helps the Architect/Engineering (A/E) Team ensure the Construction Team has clarity when trying to meet tight deadlines. It also assists in providing clarity to Bidding and Building Contractors prior to subcontract agreements being signed. 

The Construction Team benefits from having an accessible, knowledgeable team member that cares about the Owner’s needs and the system operations. Benefits include minimizing rework that directly and negatively impacts project schedules.  The Owner and Operator are the biggest beneficiary, as the process will assist in confirmation of systems’ installation and operation. They also recieve a robust operations and maintenance plan created to utilize and maintain systems operating at peak performance.

As with any service, the proof of a good CxP can be found with the outcome and documentation of a project.  Utilizing a robust, proactive process from the beginning will ensure your project commissioning process is understood and clearly explained.  The commissioning process will minimize rework after occupancy, finger pointing by Project Team members after completion of work, and the opportunity for an Owner to inherit expensive operational problems due to poorly planned and located component installations.

With updated requirements, specifically the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC 2012-current) and ASHRAE 90.1, specific commissioning tasks have become required for building permitting and construction in more geographical regions.  The A/E should also have a grasp of these requirements during conceptual planning stages of the project’s design. If you’re not sure about commissioning requirements in your project location, contact our team for confirmation of codes in your area. 

So, what is commissioning? – It is a way for your Project Team to have an experienced building systems’ expert available to them to help facilitate communication and coordination of tasks needed to make your project successful.  Please contact Byron if you have any questions related to the Commissioning Process, or how to ensure your project gains value from this code required service.