Above all, a good Commissioning Authority must be an experienced professional that has a demonstrated ability to organize people and communicate issues.  The Agent should hold a professional accreditation focused on Building Commissioning.  Commissioning Agents may be supplemented by others that have a more technical knowledge of the systems being commissioned.  Overall, the Commissioning Authority should possess the following skills.

1.  Knowledge of and experience with the systems being commissioned from a design, installation, and operational perspective.

2.  Practical field experience.

3.  Demonstrated ability to organize and lead a team of diverse parties.

4.  Good written and verbal communication skills.

5.  Familiarity with the testing procedures being implemented.

During testing, the Commissioning Agent directs activities and documents results.  The role of the Commissioning Agent is not to operate equipment, calibrate sensors, or collect measurements – the responsible contractor should perform these functions. Commissioning is a term used by multiple people in the industry, having multiple definitions.  Many contractors perform an internal startup and functional verification of performance that they refer to as ‘commissioning’.  This function should still be performed by the responsible contractors prior to the formalized Building Commissioning Activities to ensure that the systems and equipment operate as intended for the Pre-Functional Tests and Functional Performance Tests.  Building Commissioning is a Quality Assurance Program for the Owner that is, for the most part, independent of the Construction Team. One of the most important aspects of Building Commissioning is that it is performed by an independent third party to provide objectivity for the Owner.  Often, Building Commissioning is performed by the designers, or by someone from the designer’s firm; however, the consensus recommendation is that a true third party be engaged. Having a truly independent third party act as the Commissioning Authority is an integral aspect in the process to ensure effective Building Commissioning.  Independent third parties are able to disagree with the design and construction teams and are better suited to provide the Owner with unbiased opinions regarding design concepts, construction related issues, and completeness of work. The recent prevalence of litigation resulting from inadequate performance of the Building Enclosure, or Building Envelope, has demonstrated the need to institute a formal quality assurance program for the design and construction of enclosure systems.  The Building Commissioning Process is ideally suited to fill this need.

Enclosure Commissioning includes the same fundamental process that HVAC Commissioning does:  Documenting the Owner’s Project Requirement (OPR); Reviewing the Design for compliance with the OPR; Verifying installation of components and systems; and Testing the performance of those systems.

There are currently no licensure programs for Commissioning Agents, so no licensure is required to perform Commissioning Activities.  However, several organizations are issuing professional accreditations that certify that the professional has the requisite experience and expertise to perform Commissioning Services.  Such accreditations include Certified Commissioning Authority (CxA) issued by the AABC Commissioning Group (www.commissioning.org) and Certified Building Commissioning Professional (CBCP) issued by the Association of Energy Engineers (www.aeecenter.com).  Other organizations are currently developing accreditation programs. The most accepted definition of Building Commissioning does not include Test Adjust and Balance (TAB), although the review of TAB work is often a critical component of HVAC Commissioning.  In HVAC Commissioning, the Commissioning Authority reviews the work of the TAB contractor just as the Commissioning Authority reviews the work of the Controls Contractor or the Mechanical Contractor. No.  Commissioning Agents often provide specifications that may be included into the Project Manual, but, because it becomes part of the Contract, the specifications are typically included in General Conditions Section of the manual as well as in each technical section describing systems and materials that are included in the Commissioning Process.  Additionally, professional licensure is not required for Building Commissioning; many Commissioning Agents do not carry professional licensure and could not seal drawings or specifications.

For more information about Building Commissioning or ways that Apollo BBC may be of service to you, please call us at 800.370.5456 or email us at: info@apollobbc.com.