We understand that clear, consistent, and timely communication is critical to the success of any commissioning project. Here is how we will ensure that happens upon hire as the Commissioning Provider for your project. 

 

At the time a contract is awarded, our job is to make sure we have a complete understanding of all construction documents and to set the stage for clear communication among all parties involved in the Cx process. 

 

An option for services that we can perform at this time are Construction Document and/or Submittal Reviews. The purpose of these reviews is to catch any instances where more information would be needed by a contractor (or ourselves) to completely understand the design intent and be able to adhere to it. For example, we often find that installation details such as coil piping details are missing, or sequence of operations are not applicable to the designed equipment. Without this information, the construction team cannot successfully install equipment and we cannot commission it.

 

 

Items that we work on upon hire can include: 
1. Gather and review all plans and specifications, change orders, construction drawings, and contractor submittals. We will go through the portions of these that fall in our scope with a fine-toothed comb to pull out all the information we need to keep front-and-center throughout the project.

 

2. Submit requests for more details or clarification as needed to the design team to ensure contractors have a clear understanding of the design intent and that we can perform prefunctional checks and functional performance testing. These requirests may happen now and throughout the project.

 

3. Draft a commissioning plan that outlines our role and channels of communication for issue resolution. This plan includes a Cx schedule.

 

4. Conduct kick-off Cx process meeting with the entire team.

• This will include an introduction to Bluerithm, the software we use to track issues. 

• Our approach is collaborative. We emphasize that our time spent onsite doing prefunctional checks during construction is not to ‘catch’ anyone doing anything wrong. We are simply checking for things that could get in the way of the functional performance testing and eventual functionality of the building.

• Our exact approach to channels of communication is open to discussion and should fit within what works for a particular construction team. This will be one of the items that is finalized with input from this meeting.

 

5. Discuss milestone dates with the Owner and project team. These milestones are closely tied to completion of installation, temperature controls, and TAB work. We will collaborate to ensure related milestone dates in the project are met.

 

6. Complete and distribute a final Cx Plan.

 

 

Note about facilities staff:  We strongly emphasize the benefit of having facilities personnel participate in the Cx process. In order to keep your building working past the initial commissioning, it is critical that members of your facilities staff understand the design intent and proper maintenance of the mechanical systems. Lack of familiarity with the design and improper maintenance can easily result in a building going out of commission quickly.