CONSTRUCTION PHASE COMMISSIONING

The Construction Phase Commissioning Plan will include the Commissioning Team and updated construction information obtained from review of Construction Documents, review of submittal data and controls submittals per commissioning scope, data from specific equipment being installed, complete controls sequences of operation, change order work to date, and any approved as-built modifications.  BCC will provide submittal reviews for applicable systems to be commissioned for consideration and action by the Design Team and Owner Representatives.  Design and submittal review documents will not be included in the Construction Phase Commissioning Plan document placed onsite for contractor execution of the SVC’s, but these submittal reviews will be contained in the Commissioning Report delivered to the Owner during the Post-Acceptance Phase of the project.

The Construction Phase Commissioning Plan will be presented to the contractor and explained during an onsite Commissioning Kick-Off Meeting where Commissioning Team Members will be identified, roles and responsibilities will be explained and Commissioning Team communication protocols will be established.

The Commissioning Plan contains project specific System Verification Checklists (SVC’s) prepared by BCC to be filled out by installing contractors, and manufacturer start-up checklists provided by installing contractors for equipment and systems included in the commissioning scope. System Verification Checklists (SVC’s) ensure that systems have been installed properly, conform to the specifications and are ready for safe start-up. Contractors carry out point-to-point control checks and document their results. The Owner Representative and Design Team will review the Commissioning Plan for approval to distribute to all commissioning team members during a Construction Phase Commissioning Kick-Off Meeting chaired by BCC Project Manager while onsite.

The Commissioning Authority observes installation progress frequently to assess construction compliance with the OPR, specification requirements, and prevailing industry standards. The CxA conducts commissioning meetings in conjunction with regular progress meetings to discuss upcoming commissioning milestones, start-ups, resolution tracking form issues, and tests required for the project. A consistent onsite CxA/CxT presence during construction provides owners, contractors and designers an additional avenue for communicating design intent concerns.

The contractor is responsible for starting equipment and systems in accordance with the project specifications. The Commissioning Authority witness’s start-ups and documents the results using the start-up checklists and provisions in the commissioning plan.

BCC writes and submits Functional Performance Tests (FPT’s) for Commissioning Team review for each system that details the tests to be undertaken to demonstrate correct operation under designed modes of control, specified sequences of operation, and the applicable pass/ fail criteria for compliance with the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR).   The Commissioning Authority verifies installation test results reported by the contractors, includes appropriate information in the Commissioning Report.

Acceptance Phase Commissioning
BCC reviews Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Manual submittals. With respect to O&M deliverables, BCC emphasizes the critical importance of accurate O&M Manuals and O&M Training through review of these contractor deliverables. BCC will coordinate with the contractors to enhance the Training Agendas prior to training of Owner Representatives. BCC will verify that specified training and manuals are provided to the Owner and that training is thoroughly documented and recorded per contract documents.

The Commissioning Authority (CxA) reviews and verifies the Testing, Adjusting and Balancing (TAB) agenda detailing the prescribed TAB procedures and TAB instrumentation planned for use on the project. During the course of Functional Performance Testing BCC will perform TAB verification with TAB Agency's approved Final TAB Report, sampling 100% of HVAC equipment and 15% of air distribution to verify the recorded values are within 10% of the values on the submitted TAB report.

The contractor is responsible for preparing the O&M documentation and training program for the Owner in accordance with the specification requirements. The CxA will organize and manage the training for the O&M personnel such that each responsible contractor shall provide detailed training agendas for their representative systems. The CxA, Designer, and Owner will review O&M documents for acceptance. The contractor prepares detailed written and or electronic O&M documents and training materials to supplement verbal presentations and demonstrations, thus providing a permanent resource for Owner’s staff. The CxA will work with Owner Representative to develop a spare parts list and to verify these extra parts match the products installed, are packed with protective covering and identified with labels describing there contents or as applicable per specification requirements and other applicable extra materials as required.

The CxA is responsible for preparing and submitting the Commissioning Report to the Owner.  The Commissioning Report includes the documents noted herein and contains an Executive Summary addressing OPR conformance for all commissioned equipment and systems.  The report includes references to system documentation, and is organized and tabulated to facilitate access to specific information.  The Owner Representative and Design Team review the Commissioning Report to determine completion of the Commissioning Plan and may use this information to inform their decisions relative to acceptance and closeout procedures for the project.  Elements of executing the commissioning process and submitting commissioning documents will adhere to the requirements of plans, addenda, changes and specifications.

The CxA is responsible for preparing and submitting a systems manual, which include compiled training plan into a training manual to be turned over to the Owner Representative for each commissioned system on this project and in conformance with commissioning specification requirements.  These manuals will provide the Owner, building operating staff and other users the basis for operating and maintaining the  building systems.

Post-Acceptance Phase Commissioning
BCC will organize and administer the necessary seasonal testing required for the equipment on the project. A review of the building operations serving tenant spaces will be conducted with the occupants and maintenance staff ten months after substantial completion of the project. A plan will be provided for resolving outstanding commissioning issues that are still present at the time of the walk-thru.

Scheduling and Sequencing Activities
The sequence and timing of the commissioning activities will be incorporated into the construction schedule through close coordination with the prime contractor.  The Commissioning Authority identifies the required activities and coordinates with all team members to facilitate the integration of commissioning into the total construction program.

It is important to note that BCC will not be directly involved in interactions between the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) and the contractor to avoid confusing lines of authority, but the commissioning process will be closely involved with preparation for and mitigation of issues resulting from AHJ inspections for systems to be commissioned.

Construction issue resolutions are documented by Resolution Tracking Forms (RTF’s). The RTF ensures that issues raised during commissioning are documented, addressed, followed up, and kept visible until resolved.