Sustainable Government Buildings: Beyond Design

Executive Summary

1 Introduction

2 The Current Commissioning Process in New Zealand

3 A Best Practice Approach to Commissioning

4 Commissioning Resources

5 The Benefits and Costs of Better Commissioning

6 The Value Case for Better Commissioning

Appendix A: Typical Procurement Documentation

Appendix B: Post-occupancy Environmental Management Plan

Appendix C: Green or Performance-based Leases

4 Commissioning Resources

The commissioning process is a team effort involving all the traditional stakeholders in the construction process, plus a commissioning agent with the specialised knowledge and experience to help plan and direct the commissioning activities. The role of the commissioning agent could be provided by either the building services engineer, the contractor, or an independent company. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages, and these are covered below. The final decision will depend on the scale and complexity of a particular project.

4.1 Independent commissioning agent

An independent company under contract to the developer/building owner can play an objective role and ensure that the developer/building owner gets the building performance they expect. For large and/or complex projects, especially buildings with highly integrated and sophisticated systems, future savings from commissioning often outweigh the slightly higher costs of an additional contract for an independent commissioning agent.

Independent third-party commissioning providers also bring a fresh perspective to the project because they collaborate with the design team. By joining the project team during the design phase, the commissioning agent can suggest improvements and savings at the stage when changes can be made on paper rather than by costly on-site changes. This arrangement is required by Green Star NZ for one point.

4.2 Design engineer

A separate engineer from the building services consultants could be asked to take on the commissioning agent’s role. This option has some advantages because the engineering consultants are already familiar with the project requirements and don’t need to spend time getting up to speed. Managing the commissioning is not normally included in a design professional’s basic fees, so the developer/building owner must pay the designer extra for this additional role. To manage the potential conflict of interest created by having the commissioning services managed by the building services consultants, all findings of the commissioning process should be directly reported to the developer/building owner. This arrangement is not recognised by Green Star NZ.

4.3 Builder’s services co-ordinator

Although builder’s services co-ordinators may have the knowledge and capability to programme, plan and supervise installation activities, they may not be skilled in design-related or system-testing and commissioning matters. In addition, some contend that it is difficult for builder’s representatives to objectively assess their own work, especially since repairing deficiencies found through commissioning may increase their costs and delay completion. This arrangement is not recognised by Green Star NZ.

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