Our experienced independent commissioning management team provide verification that the building services have been commissioning as per the design intent, and give the client comfort in knowing they have mitigated their risk of building services failure.

Efficiency and Performance

Commissioning management does not only occur at completion, but is undertaken throughout the life of the project, and through all phases from concept to hand over, and through to building tuning.

We are focused on the end result to reduce building services risk and achieve maximum performance and efficiency.

COMMISSIONING

We approach each project with genuine commitment to develop solutions, which assists in delivering improved environmental and energy performance in both new and existing buildings.

Our specialist team has a range of sustainability skills including:

  • Independent Commissioning Management Organisation (IMCO)
  • Independent Commissioning Agent (ICA)
  • Commissioning Authority (LEED Cx)
  • Green Star Assessments & LEED Assessments
  • Soft Landings Service
  • NABERS Assessments
  • Building Energy Efficiency Certifications (BEEC) under Australian Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) Legislation
  • Energy (& Water) Efficiency Audits and Asset Management Plans

We understand that commissioning initiatives need to provide realistic and achievable returns in line with the client’s identified payback periods. Especially with relationship to redundancy and efficiency in the critical environments.

COMMISSIONING METHODOLOGY

Buildings which are not adequately commissioned can result in the poor operation of systems which can impact the energy usage, reduced occupant satisfaction, and low maintenance regimes.

As such, it is important to prescribe the procedures necessary to bring the systems into full working order to commission the systems, in accordance with the requirements of the specification.

The design, construction and installation engineering teams have a mutual interest in checking that the commissioning process brings the systems into full working order.

The systematic commissioning of building services is crucial to enable the correct operation of the systems and associated building services plant and equipment.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMISSIONING MANAGER

The principal objective of the ICA is to plan, lead and manage the commissioning process so that not only the engineering design intent is met, but also that the sustainable and integrated performance of the building and its engineering services is achieved. The ICA is independent of the design team. We shall provide an unbiased perspective of the commissioning process.

We will provide advice on commissioning activities from system design to project completion (from BSRIA Commissioning Management guide). We manage, oversee and check the commissioning of building services which may include electrical, mechanical, BMS, and hydraulic.

Importantly, in our role as the ICA we do not usurp, nor negate the responsibilities of the Design Consultants and Architect during the design, construction and commissioning phases. The Design Consultants and Architect have an obligation to ensure their design is inherently commissionable and to identify interdependencies with other services or structures. They will still carry out their own detailed defects inspections during construction and participate in the witnessing of their relevant systems. The Design Consultants and Architects will still need to sign off on their respective designs (and that the construction meets their design intent).

We will also participate in quarterly reviews with the building owner, tenant, design team, Head/Managing Contractor and specialist trade sub-contractors during the defects liability period, and provide input to any post occupancy performance test reports.

THE COMMISSIONING PROCESS

The key outcomes of each phase of this project are summarised below:

At the project pre-design stage, our role as the Commissioning Manager is to develop the commissioning standards that will be implemented for the life of the project and also for the ongoing operation of the building.

We will carry out a review of the building services design documentation with a commissioning focus, providing feedback where required. They will carry out the following:

  • Develop a commissioning plan encompassing the design, construction and tuning phases
  • Verify the basis of design with regard to the owner’s project requirements
  • Complete a maintenance and serviceability review of design documentation
  • Determine the commissioning requirements and activities for the construction documents for integration into the construction specifications and tender documents
  • A review of the design will be carried out and any commissioning issues will be highlighted, documented and issued in report format.

Within this stage, we will instigate meetings with the main contractor and subcontractors, with an initial commissioning meeting to align the approach for all parties. In addition, we comment and review on contractor shop drawings, and consider any proposed alternatives from a commissioning perspective.

We will work with the Subcontractors to agree the Commissioning work methods and procedures, so that the extent of works and the format of the Commissioning check sheets is agreed prior to any commissioning being undertaken.

We will undertake a final check of commissioning documentation prepared by the sub-contractors and will produce a Commissioning Issues log that will record any items raised during site visits and witness testing.

During the project commissioning stage, subcontractors will use the approved commissioning work methods to commission the individual plant and systems. We will carry out sample witnessing of the testing and commissioning of systems.

On completion of the building services being commissioned and witnessed we will review the test results and produce a final report highlighting any issues that occurred throughout the project and any outstanding items that need to be addressed, with recommendation moving forward.

We often undertake an Integrated System Test (IST). These tests put the building into various failure scenarios and confirms that the building performs as designed under these failure situations. The IST incorporates the varying systems which are to perform in specific ways following a failure of part of the system. These methods are tested and proven to combine to provide robust redundant systems. The IST also includes the establishment and trend logging of simulated loads within the facility to record the operational status during the IST. A final report will be issued on each test with a Pass/Fail indication.

At this final stage, we attend quarterly (tuning) meetings with the design team  to assess the performance of the systems and provide guidance and recommendation on potential improvements to the operational framework, including any seasonal adjustment.

The Commissioning Manager role (post-commissioning phase) is to provide recommendation to the quarterly tuning during the 12-month period, and to witness and verify the tuning. A witness report will be provided at the conclusion of each stage of the tuning.

During all phases of the contract, we act as a client advocate and works to provide efficient & accurate advice. Regular updates on the progress of the commissioning are provided and any issues which arise are highlighted and documented during the process.

SOFT LANDINGS METHODOLOGY

Building excellence does not stop when a building is handed over. Unless properly addressed, operational issues will degrade the building and its services. Indeed, in a very short space of time the design intent can be lost. This often manifests itself in higher energy usage, a failure to maintain critical conditions, and less satisfied occupants.

Experience suggests that the ‘handover stage’ is where many of the long-term operational problems become embedded. We are pioneering a new approach to help prevent the design intent from becoming lost, and this new approach can best be described as providing the building owners and occupants with a ‘soft landing’.

In the UK where the concept originated, it is recognised that Soft Landings can play an important role in helping the building services live up to expectations.

To facilitate a Soft Landing, we become involved at an early stage of the design process to assist the project team in making sure that all important operations and maintenance documentation is in place, that commissioning data is up to date, that maintenance procedures are in place, that energy targets have been established, and that the designers are satisfied that their intent is properly documented. These tasks fit neatly with the ICA Role. During handover, the team (designers and operations specialists) assist the facilities managers to familiarise themselves with the new building services.

In practice Soft Landings extends the duties of the team before handover, in the weeks immediately after handover, for the first year of occupation, and for the second and third years of occupation.

The Soft Landings procedures are designed to augment standard professional scopes of service, not to replace them. They can be tailored to run alongside most industry standard procurement routes. Major revisions to industry standard documentation are therefore not necessary. The main additions to normal scopes of service occur during five main stages:

Inception and briefing to clarify the duties of members of the client, design and building teams during critical stages, involve building users and operators, and help set and manage expectations for performance in use.

Design development and review (including specification and construction). This proceeds much as usual, but with greater attention to the procedures established in the briefing stage, reviewing the likely performance against the expectations of users and building operators, and achieving specific outcomes.

Pre-handover, with greater involvement of designers, builders, operators and commissioning and controls specialists, in order to strengthen the operational readiness of the building.

Initial aftercare during the users’ settling-in period, with a resident representative or team on site to help pass on knowledge, respond to queries, and react to problems.

Extended aftercare and post occupancy evaluation (POE) in years 1 to 3 after handover, with periodic monitoring and review of building performance.