No.  Building Commissioning is widely accepted as an industry best practice.  Owners desiring a better product and longer useful life expectancy of systems typically request facilities that undergo the commissioning process.  Better General Contractors have performed Building Envelope and Enclosure Commissioning as a Quality Assurance measure for the past several years. The Building Commissioning Process begins at the early stages of design; the most visible aspect of commissioning to the Construction Team is performing the functional performance tests at the end of construction.  During the Design Phase, commissioning involves establishing the Owner’s Project Requirements; during the Construction phase, commissioning ensures that the Owner receives the facility he/she requested during the Construction Documents development. The most beneficial time to engage a Commissioning Agent is early in the design stage.  At this stage, the Commissioning Agent can have the largest impact by providing independent third party comments to the design, improving the performance and maintainability of the facility. The most efficient scenario is for the Owner to directly engage the Commissioning Authority.  This removes the Commissioning Agent from the Design Team and ensures a third party advocate for the Owner.  However, Commissioning Agents may be engaged by the Project Architect or by the Design-Build Team if other arrangements cannot be reached. Studies have shown that buildings involving a formalized Building Commissioning process generally operate more efficiently, are easier to maintain, and are functional at the time of turn-over.  A study released by the U.S. Department of Energy revealed that Commissioning the Energy Consuming Systems generally pays for itself within the first 5 years of operation.

Commissioning serves as a Quality Assurance Program for the Building Owner, ensuring a high level of confidence that the Owner receives the facility they paid for.

All projects are different;  some projects only include Building Commissioning during the Construction Phase of the project.  Others take advantage of an independent third party in the programmatic stages of the design. 

Regardless of when formalized commissioning activities begin, the general process remains the same.  Commissioning is a mechanism to demonstrate that the building and its systems perform the way that the designers indicate that it should.  Commissioning Teams first establish what this performance criteria is, then documents that the systems function in a manner meeting the criteria.  This process allows the Designers and Construction Team to resolve identified issues prior to turnover.

One of the most powerful attributes of Building Commissioning is the involvement of a competent third party to provide insight to the design and construction of a facility.  Commissioning Agents typically have a perspective much different from traditional designers.  Insights as to construction coordination, maintenance activities, installation instructions, and systems operation provide a valuable asset to the Owner and the building’s maintenance staff after construction is complete.

If a formalized commissioning process does not begin until the construction documents are complete, many benefits of involving a Commissioning Agent are bypassed.

The cost varies dramatically with the size and complexity of the project, scope of commissioning activities, schedule, and systems involved. For a Fee Proposal from Apollo BBC, please call us at 713.869.0000, or email us at info@apollobbc.com.

A typical cost for HVAC Systems Commissioning for construction phase commissioning of a commercial facility larger than 100,000 square feet is approximately $0.30/sf.

Enclosure Commissioning fees can vary widely depending on the scope of commissioning and the testing methods specified.

During Construction, the Commissioning Agent’s role is to coordinate the activities of the Commissioning Team and to review the installation of systems and equipment for compliance with both the design and the manufacturer’s installation instructions. The Commissioning Agent’s typical role in testing is to direct testing activities and to document the results.  The most effective manner of demonstration is for the responsible contractor to perform the test by operating equipment and collecting measurements in the presence of the Commissioning Team.

Requiring the responsible contractor to demonstrate the performance of systems minimizes the variables involved in the event of systems not performing correctly. These variables include operator experience and calibration of measurement devices.

Issues that are identified by the Commissioning Process are ultimately resolved either by the responsible contractor addressing the deficiency or by acceptance by the designer and owner.  Commissioning Agents often raise issues that are later accepted by the Designer as a non-issue or by the Owner as a compromise to the facility.  Commissioning Agents are ideally an independent third party acting in the owner’s interest and do not have the ability to alter the design intent, construction documents, or to approve changes in contract. The on-site presence of designers and owner’s representatives at today’s typical construction project has dramatically declined compared to building construction 50 years ago.  Limited site visits is one of the mechanisms that designers use to reduce fees, which ultimately results in buildings that do not perform in the manner in which they were designed.

Contractors never intend to construct a deficient building, but with the complexity of today’s buildings and with so many parties involved, a formalized quality assurance program must be implemented to ensure that the facility is constructed and operated in a manner that meets the design intent.

Building Commissioning is an asset to Contractors because it formally documents the performance of systems at the time of turn over and reduces the number of warrantee call-backs that are performed.

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