When the Cx Provider (CxP) is engaged with the project during project conception, the benefits to the entire project team grow for a nominal fee to the project. Our commissioning experience has shown value provided for the Design Team, Construction Team, as well as the Owner/End User groups for their project. Value of commissioning is generated by thoughtfully planning the commissioning process early and ensuring that the desired tasks of the process are clearly stated in project documents for all project participants to reference and plan for.

The Commissioning process provides documentation and feedback for a project team throughout the entire design and build process. A trained Commissioning Provider (CxP) will always look out for the best interest of the Owner, which is why true third-party commissioning provides the best value to the entire Project Team.

Part 1 of this 3-part article focuses on the benefits a robust and clearly coordinated Cx Process can give the Design Team. They are asked to do many things, including but not limited to understanding code requirements, Owners’ Project Requirements, creation of design and construction documents, understanding all aspects of the project from Architecture to Engineering of systems, and ensuring the project meets all required life safety needs. This is a daunting task. Having a quality Cx process can ensure all necessary information is clearly shown in the project documents for the installation teams use in constructing the project. Below are items that should be included in the CxP scope to assist the Design Team in getting the build to match their intent.

Design Team Benefits

• Clarity of project requirements – The CxP can assist and/or Review the Owners’ Project Requirements (Narrative, Basis of Design, etc.) to ensure the team has a clear understanding of what the Owner’s project goals are. This can include preferred manufacturers, required codes, desired building rating systems, and clarity in system selection guidelines.

• Clarity in project documentation – The CxP scope should include design document and construction document reviews. These early design phase tasks allow clarity in the construction documents and confirmation that the documents represent the owners project requirements.

• Quantifiable specification start-up and warranty information – A robust Cx Process will ensure that the specifications clearly state the requirements for system start-up, check-out, desired warranties, and documentation of training for the staff. Having this clear prior to bidding out the project saves time during installation and ensures the Owner will not only get an operational facility at project turnover, but also training on how to operate and maintain their new systems.

• Additional site information during construction – Utilizing the CxP for regular site observation reports provides data and questions to the Design Team for acceptance or revision requirements during installation of system components. This allows the Design Team to better understand the progress and quality of installation for system components before they cause issues during operation of systems. Sharing this information early can save weeks of the construction schedule by catching items that could cause issues at start-up.

• Submittal and Shop Drawing Review Assistance – Including this in the CxP scope allows another professional review of equipment and system submittals for items that sometimes are overlooked. These items include maintenance clearances, sequences of operation, and integration requirements for each system. Having another professional provide comments on these documents saves time and money for the entire team. It also ensures products ordered will meet the design intent without modification post-delivery.

• Additional Review of Close-Out information – The Cx Process should allow for review and/or creation of useful close-out information about each system. The Design Team can benefit by having CxP assist and finalize documents and ensure as-installed documentation is accurate to testing and check-out of a facilities systems.

• Recommendations for issue resolution – A CxP can not only get questions to the Design Team but can also provide input on possible low cost or acceptable corrective action. This minimizes time needed for the Design Team to answer questions, which is critical to maintaining a project schedule.

These benefits not only assist the Design Team with minimizing the time needed during construction, but also assist the entire Project Team in having information and tools available to ensure the project is a success. The Commissioning Process works with the Design Team to ensure they meet project requirements, end up with operational systems with minimal ‘last minute’ troubleshooting, and have close-out information that their client is excited to use for operations of the facility designed.

If you have thoughts or questions, we are interested in hearing from you. Please contact us for further discussion.