Blog

May 27, 2014

The Importance of Hiring a Commissioning Consultant During Early Design Stage

There are many reasons and benefits to bringing on a Commissioning Consultant during the design stages of a project. The following will list a few:

Preparation of the Owners Project Requirements

In many cases the Commissioning Consultant will assist the Owner’s team in preparing a document which contains the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR). This document should include the following as a minimum:
• Owner and user requirements
• Environmental and sustainability goals
• Energy efficiency goals
• Indoor environmental quality requirements
• Equipment and system expectations
• Building occupant operations and maintenance personnel requirements

Review of Drawings and Specifications

During the design stage, the Commissioning Consultant will review drawings and specifications before they are Issued for Tender and Issued for Construction. During these reviews, some items which are looked for include the following:
• Co-ordination between drawings and specification
• Co-ordination between mechanical and electrical drawings
• Review operability and maintainability of equipment and systems
• Ensure a Quality Control Program is implemented in the project specifications

Keeping the Design Team on Track

It is important to ensure the Owner’s Project Requirements, Basis of Design and Construction Documents all line up before construction starts. Throughout the design stage, the design team is involved in meetings, design changes, etc. and are continuously working to complete the project design, drawings and specifications. During these phases, the design team may begin to sidetrack from the Owner’s initial requirements or may have missed an item brought up during a design meeting. The Commissioning Consultant should assist the team to keep on track and ensure the Owner’s requirements and expectations are maintained throughout the design process.

The commissioning consultant should work to ensure the design teams Basis of Design (BOD) documents are in line with the OPR documents, and once again to ensure the contract drawings and specifications are in line with both the OPR and BOD documents. This will help to ensure the OPR is followed through the design of the project.

LEED Enhanced Commissioning Requirement

If the Owner/Design Team is planning on pursuing the LEED Enhanced Commissioning credits, having the commissioning consultant on board early on in the design process is compulsory. As part of the LEED requirements, the design documents must be reviewed at approximately 50% completion and again at 75%-90% completion. The purpose behind bringing the commissioning consultant onto the Team early in the process goes back to the benefits to both the Owner and Design Teams.

Contact us to find out more!

Why Commissioning