What You Can Do to Ensure a Successful Commissioning Project
Phillip Stanford, PE July 1, 2018
One of the most important aspects of a successful commissioning effort on any project is having an informed and involved owner who is supportive of the commissioning authority and their efforts. The funny thing about commissioning is that the commissioning authority has no authority to directly control any aspect of the project. The design professionals are ultimately responsible for the design, and the contractor is ultimately responsible for the construction.
At the end of the day, the commissioning authority is only responsible for catching the potential pitfalls, and making recommendations to the team. It is up to the owner to empower the CxA by embracing those recommendations, and requiring the designers and contractors to follow them. The following are a few steps that the owner can take to help ensure a successful commissioning effort on their projects.
Pick a CxA that you have confidence in. As with any procurement decision, it is often tempting to save money upfront, and go with the lowest cost provider. However, it’s important that you feel confident that your CxA is fully qualified for the project, and is providing a quality service. You will be hesitant to enforce a recommendation from a CxA whose expertise is in question, and this may cause legitimate issues to be overlooked. You shouldn’t feel like you are questioning every issue or recommendation brought to you by your CxA.
Get the CxA involved early. For the most part, the majority of the billable hours in a CxA’s contract for a project are spent in the construction and acceptance phases, but it is very costly, and sometimes impossible to resolve design issues during these project phases. The earlier an issue is discovered, the cheaper and easier it is to resolve it. That being said, ideally the CxA should be engaged at the start of (or before) the design phase. Involve the CxA in programming meetings and communications with the design team. Doing this will bring a valuable third-party perspective to the early design decisions, and it will show to the entire team that you are committed to supporting the commissioning effort on the project. You can receive a great deal of value by getting your CxA involved early, and it will come at a very low premium to the overall Cx budget (likely about a 5% increase in the overall Cx fee).
If possible, contract with the CxA directly. While it is not uncommon for the CxA’s contract to be held by the architect, developer, program manager, or in some cases even the construction manager, it is usually best if the owner contracts directly with the CxA. While the CxA should always be acting in the owner’s interest regardless of the contract structure, the methods by which the CxA is forced to communicate within the project team will change based on who is contracting their services. This can turn what should be a straightforward chain of communication into a game of politics that can lead to problems going unresolved in the process.
Integrate the Cx process into your project management. The CxA is in a position to provide a great deal of insight into project details that are essential to effective project management. Include the CxA in coordination meetings, email communications, and conference calls. All too often, there are meetings between users, designers, and contractors where owner requirements are added or changed, and this information is not relayed to the commissioning team. Also, be sure to keep up-to-date with all commissioning communication (i.e. emails, progress reports, and issues logs), and be willing to put pressure on other members of the design and construction team if they are not meeting requirements of the commissioning process.
While commissioning can have a profound impact on the successful outcome of a construction project, it’s important to keep in mind that the CxA has no contractual authority or leverage over other members of the project team, and relies on the owner to give them authority. As the owner, being fully involved in the Cx process, and supporting the CxA will allow for much greater project outcomes.