A thorough Commissioning (Cx) agent should not only have a comprehensive Cx plan in place to include all steps from pre-design through occupancy and operations. They should also demonstrate effective communication and employ helpful technology to track the Commissioning within your buildings. Here are four questions you should ask before hiring a qualified Commissioning Authority (CxA).
#1 Does the CxA coordinate training for your facility team?
It’s one thing to write a Commissioning report and hand off the findings to facilities, but what if there’s a problem after construction is done? What if your team has never operated/maintained a specific chiller or boiler and has questions? Your Commissioning Agent should be the Owner advocate and partner to help navigate these issues and coordinate training for your team until they are comfortable and confident with the building assets.
#2 How does the CxA leverage technology and analytics to measure and verify your facility’s success
Constant and real-time systems data is vital to the efficient operational maintenance of your facility. Building analytics alert your facility team to inefficiencies before they become larger problems.
#3 How does the CxA involve your facility team during the design phase?
Managing expectations from the Owner’s Representative to contractors to facility managers is critical to project success. Creating an Owner’s Project Requirement (OPR) during this phase is vital in keeping all parties involved in moving toward the same goals.
#4 What should your facility team expect during handoff, occupancy, and turn-over?
This varies greatly by Cx providers and their process. A good agent will recommend a guided tour of all your HVAC assets before critical parts of those systems are buried behind walls and ceilings. In addition, they should encourage owners and operational maintenance teams to participate in the Functional Testing of all systems. Contact us to request a sample Functional Testing deliverable.