The Benefits of Building

Commissioning
Carl N. Lawson
Hanson Professional Services Inc.
Rapid City South Dakota
ASHRAE
We are told never to cross a
bridge until it is finished.
In this business we cross bridges
every day that have not been
finished.
And we will continue to do so.
What is the Total Building
Commissioning Process (TBCxP)?

A Quality Process
to VERIFY and DOCUMENT
that building systems and assemblies
meet the needs of
BUILDING OWNERS and OCCUPANTS.
What is TBCxP?

 Owner orientated
 Team Responsibility
 Continuous improvement
 Lower cost, more profits
 Consistent delivery of
construction projects
So, why are we here
and what does
TBCxP have to offer?
Essential Concept of TBCxP
 It takes the uncertainty out of the delivery
of a constructed projects
 Does as well as any other approach, but at a
lower cost
 Has means to use statistical tools based
upon probability distribution of outcome or
based upon random estimate of expected
outcome distribution
 Has an element of continuous improvement
 Transfers knowledge from planning to
operations
Goals of TBCxP
 Document owner’s goals and
requirements
 Keep project team focused on
owner’s goals
 Prevent or eliminate problems
inexpensively
 Lower overall costs for the owner
 Increase profits for project team by
decreasing costs
TBCxP Best Practice

 Cost effective
 Owner’s Project Requirement
orientated
 Team (commissioning process
team)
 Quality tools used
 Orientated on delivery of the
constructed project for: owner,
occupants, and O&M
What Each Team Member Wants
ARCHITECTS
 Design the next wonder of the world
 Fewer change orders
 Fewer RFI’s
 Contractor to build it like it is designed
 No site visits
 Do the engineer’s inspections
 No attorneys involved
What Each Team Member Wants

ENGINEERS
 Design that is not VE’d to death
 Fewer change orders
 Fewer RFI’s
 Contractor to install it like it is designed
 No inspections
 Do their own CA
 No legal hassle
 Paid on time
What Each Team Member Wants

SUB-CONTRACTORS
 Design he can change (for he believes
his design is better)
 A/E should stay off the job site
 Work at his own pace
 Get paid in a timely manner
 Holds supplier’s money since he has not
been paid by the GC
 Get off the job quickly
 Hope he gets his retainage
What Each Team Member Wants
GC/CM
 A design that works
 To VE the daylights out of it
 A/E should stay off the site
 Do it his way
 Paid 30% mobilization fee
 Paid monthly on time
 Hold subcontractor’s payment as long as
he can
 Get off the job and hope he gets his
retainage
What Each Team Member Wants
OWNER
 Project that is pretty, functions well and
all systems work
 Project is complete, on time and within
budget
 No change orders
 No RFI’s
 Low interest construction loan
 Makes excuses about paying designers
and contractors on time
 Hopes the building and systems work as
anticipated.
What Each Team Member Wants

Manufacturers
 Equipment and system approval
 Ship equipment early
 Warranty to start when equipment
leaves factory
 Why can’t I submit on this project?
 Take their time in completing project
 Paid without penalty
The Three Systems of Buildings

STATIC HUMAN
SYSTEM SYSTEM

ENERGIZED
SYSTEM

STATIC SYSTEM: (THE FRAME AND ENVELOPE)

ENERGIZED SYSTEM: (THE BUILDING SERVICES)
HUMAN SYSTEM: (THE TENANTS AND OCCUPANTS)
Building Relationships
O
W
N
E
R

COMMISSIONING
AUTHORITY
Role of the Commissioning Authority

 Determine what the owner really wants

 Work with design team to implement a
Basis of Design (BOD) document and
Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR)
document
 Develop a plan to implement the BOD
and OPR into the construction
documents
 Verify the right systems are being
installed
 Verify the operation of the systems
 Document the entire project
Price vs. Cost

 Price is something you pay

one time

 Cost is what it takes to

operate
PRICE
QUALITY
SPEED

Pick any Two

Benefits and Cost Savings Potential
vs. Cost to Implement or Change

Benefits and Cost to Change

Cost Savings

Concept Design Construction Acceptance Occupancy

Phases
Commissioning Consultant
Definition of “Consultant” –
someone called in to share the
blame.

The Blame Game…Dr. John Parker

Lawyer – Have we left anything
out?
Surgeon – Have we left anything
in?
Engineer – Is there anything left?
What is Commissioning

 Commissioning is a process to verify that

the owner has received what they
contracted for during the programming
and design phases and during the
construction phase. It also gives them a
comfortable feeling of knowing someone
is looking out for them throughout the
project and the 1st year of occupancy
 It also verifies that the architects and
engineers have received the systems they
designed and approved
The Principal Goal of Commissioning

 The Principal Goal of

the Commissioning
Process is:
 The identification and
correction of problems
as early in the process
as possible.
Top 10 Deficiencies Discovered by
Commissioning New & Existing Buildings
 Incorrect scheduling of HVAC and
Lighting equipment
 Incorrect heating and cooling
Sequence of Operation
 Incorrect Calibration of Sensors and
Instrumentation
 Lack of control strategies for optimum
comfort and efficient operation
 Malfunctioning air and water side
economizers
Top 10 Deficiencies Discovered by
Commissioning New & Existing Buildings
(cont.)
 Under-utilized computer-based control
systems
 Short cycling of HVAC equipment
leading to premature failure
 Lack of design intent and building
documentation
 Lack of training for building operators
or service contractors on complex
systems
 Missing specified and pair-for
equipment economizers
What Commissioning is NOT

 Test and Balance

 Start-up
 Plan Review
 Design
 Contract Administration
 Inspection
When Should Commissioning Begin??

 Near the end of the Construction Phase?

 When MEP systems installation begin?
 When construction begins?
 When design is complete?
 When CD’s are started?
 When DD’s are Started?
 When SD’s are started?
 Prior to beginning design?
Commissioning – Where it is going

 It is mandatory to commission all LEED

projects to a specified level
 Some states have mandated that state
owned or leased buildings be
commissioned
 US FEDERAL GSA has mandated that
GSA buildings be commissioned
 More and more hospitals are now
requiring commissioning
 Commissioning is a standard in Canada
Why Required?

 Low quality construction-

construction deficiencies
 Complex systems – difficult to
test
 Integrated systems – do cause
problems
ASHRAE Guideline 0-2006

 Describes the commissioning

process that will ensure HVAC
systems perform in conformity
with design intent and owner’s
project requirements
Phases of Commissioning

 Pre-Design
 Design
 Construction
 Occupancy
 Project Turnover
 Warranty
How does the CxA meet his
Responsibilities?
 Conduct a OPR Charrette with the
owner and design team.
 Create and publish the OPR.
 Review each step in the process to
ensure compliance with the OPR.
 Conduct regular meetings with the Cx
Team to ensure communications are
free flowing.
 Document the entire process for the
benefit of the owner and his staff.
Systems Commissioning

 Verifies operation of components

under various conditions
 Verifies interaction between systems
and subsystems
 Documents performance of systems to
design criteria
 Instructs building personnel on proper
operation of systems
 Ongoing after building occupancy as
requirements change
Cost Savings from Building
Commissioning
 Energy Savings of 20 to 50%
 Maintenance savings of 15 to
50%
 Reduction in claims from 2 to
20%
 Reduction of in-house overtime
costs
 Reduction of trouble-shooting
costs
Who are the Players

 Architect
 Engineers
 Owner’s Representative
 Construction Manager
 Mechanical Contractor
 Electrical Contractor
 Controls Sub-Contractor
 Others as deemed necessary
Responsibilities

ARCHITECT/ENGINEER
 Be a team player
 Design the project with owner’s
thoughts and requirements in mind
 Be willing to make changes
 Attend and participate in the
commissioning meetings
 Attend and participate in the owners
project requirement meeting
Responsibilities (Cont.)

 With the assistance of the CxA

develop the basis of design
document
 Answer RFI’s in a timely manner
 Answer change orders in a timely
manner
 Attend and participate in the VE
process
Responsibilities (Cont.)

OWNER’S REPRESENTATIVE
 Make decisions in a timely manner
 Attend and participate in owners
project requirement meeting
 Attend and participate in
commissioning meetings
 Must own commissioning authority’s
contract
 Approve the owners project
requirement document
 Approve the commissioning plan
Responsibilities (Cont.)

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
 Manage the project
 Coordinate sub-contractors work
 Attend and participate in the
commissioning meetings
 Attend and participate in the owner’s
project requirement meeting
 Attend and participate in the VE
process
 Have coordination drawings developed
Responsibilities (Cont.)

MEP CONTRACTORS
 Install their respective work
 Complete the various checklist
 Be part of the commissioning team
 Attend and participate in the owners
project requirement meeting
 Attend and participate in the
commissioning meetings
 Attend and participate in the VE
process
 Be a team player
Responsibilities (Cont.)

COMMISSIONING AUTHORITY
 Manage the commissioning process
 Develop the commissioning plan
 Develop the commissioning
specifications
 Work with all the other team members
 Develop the owner’s project
requirement document
 With the assistance of the engineer
develop the basis of design
 Verify mold and mildew concerns
Responsibilities (Cont.)

COMMISSIONING AUTHORITY
 Conduct the commissioning meetings
 Review the project in a timely manner
 Review the submittals for compliance
 Review the warranties for the record
 Review the checklist
 Perform the FPT
 Turn building over to the owner
 Not responsible for the design
CxA Responsibities During Design

 Review the SD documents and

issue comments to the design
team
 Review the DD documents and
issue comments to the design
team
 Review the CD documents and
issue comments to the design
team
 Work with the VE process
To Correct Major Problems
 The contract for the
commissioning work should be
awarded in the programming
phase
 The commissioning contract
should be professional services
directly contracted with the
owner
 Other contractual arrangements
may and will lead to conflicts of
interest
Common Technical Disagreements

 Commissioning projects may

experience difficulties if the
design team does not take an
active part in recommending an
adequate solution to a found
deficiency
 It is not the responsibility of the
CxA to dictate a design correction
or change to solve a problem
Conflict Resolution
 Responsibilities of the design
team must be clearly defined by
the commissioning plan
 Design team required services
and adequate fees also must be
included in their contract
 It is important that the
commissioning authority and
design team maintain a close
relationship throughout the
project
Common Technical Disagreements

 Cx contract was not awarded until

construction bids were received
and awarded
 The Cx contract is a subcontract
under the mechanical contractor
O & M Manuals

 Should be received within 60 days

after approved submittals have been
returned
 Review with owner and give comments
back to contractor for compliance
 Use this as your training Bible
 Be careful what you get in the O & M
 You do not need installation material
Training

 Factory witness testing on major

pieces of equipment
 Get factory training out of way up front
 Training should be in a classroom
setting and also at the respective piece
of equipment
 Use factory trainers not the local sales
rep
Documentation Required

 Owners Project Requirement

Document
 Commissioning Plan
 Basis of Design
 Contract Documents
 TAB Report
 Draft of the Final Commissioning
Report
 Warranties
 O & M Manuals
Documentation Required (Cont.)

 Approved Change Orders

 AS-Built Drawings
 All testing data verification and
documentation.
 Sequence of Operation
 Minutes of Meetings
 Local jurisdictional inspection
documentation and records
 Benefits of the Commissioning
Process
If the Commissioning Authority/Team for your project cannot
clearly document that their fee has been recovered, you are not
properly implementing the Commissioning Process

Project State Cost Project Cx Fee CxP Savings

Hospital IN $70 M Completed $744,000 $340,000
Hospital Ohio $80 M Completed $856,000 $375,000

PET Scan Facility NC $2.1 M Completed $25,000 $40,000

ABMT NC $4.8 M Completed $36,500 $100,000

Tissue Culture Lab NC $3.5 M Completed $35,000 $75,000

Hospital NC $45 M Completed $325,000 $900,000

Vivarium NC $28 M Completed $280,000 $500,000

Prison TX $40 M Completed $225,000 $400,000

CIEMAS NC $105 M Completed $1,200,000 $3,000,000

Center for Human NC $42.5 M Completed $322,000 $1,680,000

Genetics
Example
 Costs
 $50M Laboratory Project
 MEP Systems = $27M
 MEP Cx Costs = 21/2 % = $675K
 Savings
 CO reduction = $1.5M
 Construction Costs = $2M
 Energy Savings = $750K
 Legal Costs = $500K
 Early Occupancy = 45 days @ $10K/day = $450K

 NET SAVINGS = $5,200,000

Benefits of Commissioning
 Project on time
 Establish & maintain energy and
maintenance budgets
 Change orders are greatly
reduced
 Claims are greatly reduced
 Punch list is non-existent
 Operators have correct training
 Enforce Start-Up Requirements
 Reduce Post-Occupancy
Corrective Work
Benefits of Commissioning (Cont.)
 Absenteeism has diminished
 Users have been able to take
ownership
 Lasting professional relationships have
been developed
 Buildings and systems are operating as
owner predicted
 Minimize Effects of Design Defects
 Improve Indoor Environment and
Employee Production
 Reduce Energy and Operating Cost
 Increase Value through Better Quality
construction
Owner’s Comments
 Kept politics out of project
 Worth the money
 Will definitely continue the process on
other projects
 Project was on time & budget
 Systems are working as requested
 Occupancy is stable
 Training was a major factor in the
process
 Maintenance is manageable and
understands the systems
Coil Damaged Beyond Repair
Water & Oil - OSHA Violation
Corrosion Inside & Out
Inside ATS for 330kw Generator
#1: Improper installation
requires hand operation.
Water Line Misplaced
Variable Frequency Drives
installed w/o air space
 Remember
Commissioning is
A
Quality Process
Questions

Thank You

Carl N. Lawson
Hanson Professional Services Inc.
West Palm Beach, FL
Phone 561-471-9370
Email: clawson@hanson-inc.com