COMMISSIONING OF BUILDING SYSTEMS

DEFINITION

Commissioning is a process that begins during the conceptual phase of a construction project and ends after successful startup and training of the operation and maintenance staff. It includes verification at various stages of the project that the design and construction comply with the project criteria and purpose, and that the building systems ultimately operate properly and are reliable and maintainable. It also includes detailed documentation of building systems and components to be used by building management throughout the life of the facility.

OWNERS AGENT

We work directly for the owner as its agent throughout the planning, design, construction and testing phases of the project. This eliminates common conflicts of interests in the commissioning process.

COMMISSIONING PLAN

A comprehensive commissioning plan is created for each project in concert with the facility owner. The plan takes into account the type of facility, the type of building systems and of course, the customer's requirements.

DOCUMENT REVIEW

We review pre-construction, construction and post-construction documents for compliance with the owners project criteria and objectives. The object is to identify problems before they are irreversible or difficult to resolve.

CONSTRUCTION MONITORING

Periodically, we visit the project site and make observations. These are not inspections nor intended to replace an inspection program but rather observations made "outside of the box" to identify conflicts and other problems which otherwise may have gone unnoticed. Again, the purpose is to identify as many problems as possible as early as possible.

TESTING AND VERIFICATION

After construction, we test and verify that all systems operate properly. This typically involves random tests of each system type to confirm the validity of the test and balance and system start up reports.

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAM

We assist with the assembly of detailed documentation of building systems and components to be used building management throughout the life of the facility and develop and assist the customer with implementation of an operation and maintenance program.