11. GSA Commissioning Guide September 2020.pdf

U.S. General Services Administration

G S A C O M M I S S I O N I N G G U I D E

SEPTEMBER 2020

2 September 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword 3

Introduction 4

Philosophy 6

Building Commissioning Process 8

Overview 8

Project Initiation Phase 9

Design Phase 16

Construction Phase 26

Occupancy and Operations Phase 33

Appendices 38

A – Commissioning Roles and Responsibilities Matrix Template 38

B – Commissioning Systems Selection Matrix 57

C – Resources and References 61

D – Glossary and Definitions 63

3 September 2020

FOREWORD

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) designs, constructs, and operates workplaces for 1.1 million Federal civilian employees through its Public Buildings Service (PBS). Comprising mostly courthouses, land ports of entry, and Federal office buildings, the PBS real estate inventory ranks among the largest in the United States.

For the tenants of Federal civilian buildings, existing conditions, maintenance, management, comfort, security, and design are criteria of workplace quality. PBS ensures it is delivering on all fronts through

Total Building Commissioning.

As presented in this GSA Commissioning Guide, Total Building Commissioning, recommissioning, and ongoing commissioning translate expectations into documented and tangible facility results. Reduced operating costs, enhanced energy efficiency, elevated occupant safety, improved occupant comfort and health, increased asset longevity, and better maintainability, reliability, and operability are some of the proven results of commissioning.

In this guide, GSA specifically offers recommendations for navigating the commissioning process from its inclusion in project planning to its continued emphasis throughout the life of a facility. We hope the roadmap facilitates GSA associates, our customer agencies, and our consultants as they support our mission of providing a superior workplace for the Federal worker, and superior value for the American taxpayer.

Daniel W. Mathews

Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service

U.S. General Services Administration

4 September 2020

INTRODUCTION

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

The primary audience for the GSA Commissioning Guide includes GSA’s project managers (PMs) as well as their construction management advisors, the Commissioning Provider, and GSA’s Office of Facilities

Management (OFM). The commissioning process has many stakeholders, such as customer agencies, the balance of the project team, other members of government, and GSA’s partners; these parties should consider interacting with the guide.

The GSA Commissioning Guide provides the overall framework for commissioning, from project planning through tenant occupancy. Further, it describes the mechanics of the commissioning process, by identifying the participation of each team member and other keys to success in each step along the way.

While recognizing that every project is unique and that required activities will vary, this guide describes recommendations, minimum requirements, and best practices based upon industry guidance and GSA experience. Applying the GSA Commissioning Guide completely to projects not only addresses the facility needs of customer agencies, but also ensures national consistency in PBS practice.

The Guide is organized into the following sections:

“Philosophy” provides GSA’s definition and expectations for commissioning

“Building Commissioning Process” details considerations, practices, and recommendations for commissioning during the project‐initiation, design, construction, and occupancy and operations phases of a GSA project

Appendices include templates and samples, tools, definitions, and links to further resources for additional information on commissioning

What’s New

The 2005 version of the GSA Commissioning Guide has been updated to reflect current project‐ management process and tools, and this update features new processes for commissioning building enclosures. In addition, this most recent guide describes OFM recommissioning and ongoing‐ commissioning processes and describes commissioning roles and responsibilities for different construction delivery methods. Finally, it identifies the most current references and resources.

5 September 2020

Beyond This Guide

As required by GSA’s Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service (PBS‐P100), all GSA capital construction projects employ the Total Building Commissioning practices recommended by the GSA

Commissioning Guide. Commissioning requirements specific to each project should be detailed in the commissioning provider statement of work, A/E statement of work, and construction contractor commissioning specifications.

Development of this guide included a thorough review of myriad publications dedicated to the commissioning discipline. Total Building Commissioning further incorporates industry guidance and best practices suggested by leading organizations that include:

ASHRAE

ASTM International

National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS)

U.S. Department of Energy

For a complete listing of resources and references, see Appendix C.

The GSA Commissioning Guide identifies many additional sources and experts for detailed support of the commissioning process, as well. GSA oversees a comprehensive body of these resources, which cover key topics in facilities ranging from site selection and historic preservation to sustainability and which also include pricing guides and facilities standards.

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PHILOSOPHY

To assure a high standard of excellence for the American public, GSA utilizes Total Building

Commissioning when serving the space requirements of Federal agencies. Total Building Commissioning is PBS’s process of ensuring quality delivery of building functionality in new construction and major modernizations. It validates and documents that the performance of the total building and its systems meet the design intent and requirements of the owner. Ultimately, Total Building Commissions helps

GSA achieve its intents and requirements and fulfill its duty to both customer agencies and the American taxpayer.

Defining Commissioning for GSA Buildings

Commissioning ensures the delivery of efficient, durable, and comfortable facilities. ASHRAE Guideline

0‐2019 The Commissioning Process defines commissioning as follows:

“Commissioning Process (Cx): a quality‐focused process for enhancing the delivery of a project. The process focuses on verifying and documenting that all of the commissioned systems and assemblies are planned, designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained to meet the OPR (Owner’s Project

Requirements)”.

Historically, the term commissioning has referred to the process by which a building’s heating, ventilation, and air‐conditioning (HVAC) systems were tested and balanced according to established standards prior to acceptance by the building owner. Today, the commissioning process views building performance as a holistic system whose impacts range from sustainability and workplace productivity to occupant safety and security: commissioning proves that all designed and constructed systems meet specified performance standards.

Depending on the project, separate commissioning efforts might be required for HVAC systems; fire protection and life safety systems; building enclosure systems that include roofing, facades, and below‐ grade waterproofing; and landscape systems. Such efforts are distinct and require different personnel, and project teams should develop separate commissioning plans for these efforts. PBS‐P100 provides information on commissioning for fire protection and life safety systems, for example.

As reflected within the PBS‐P100, GSA accepts building commissioning practices as described within this guide and by referenced standards. Since 2006, prospectus‐level projects (new construction and major modernization) have adopted Total Building Commissioning practices beginning with project initiation

7 September 2020 and concluding with the project’s occupancy and operations phase. These projects should include provisions for Total Building Commissioning in their budgets. Where performance risk has been identified in the repair and alteration of existing buildings, project teams should consider incorporating commissioning requirements independent of project size and funding source.

Benefits of Commissioning for GSA Buildings

Because all building systems are integrated, a deficiency in one or more components can result in suboptimal operation and performance among other components. Remedying these deficiencies can result in a variety of benefits, such as:

Improved building occupant productivity

Lower utility bills through energy savings

Increased occupant and owner satisfaction

Enhanced environmental/health conditions and occupant comfort

Improved system and equipment function

Improved building operations and maintenance

Increased occupant safety

Better building documentation

Shortened occupancy transition period

Significant extension of equipment/systems’ life cycle

Increased building life‐cycle durability

According to the U.S. Department of Energy 2018 Commissioning Cost/Benefit Study Findings, commissioning of existing buildings yields energy savings that range from 3 to 10 percent. New‐ construction commissioning results in 13 percent median whole‐building energy savings. In utilizing commissioning, GSA aims to:

Implementing solutions that manifest long‐term energy efficiency and functionality in all PBS buildings

Create safe, healthy, and reliable working environments that customers expect from GSA

Improve facility operations’ energy efficiency and reduce O&M costs

Optimize the value received for each construction dollar spent

Assure construction quality

Improve Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) and decrease liability due to IEQ problems

Improve PBS buildings systems documentation

When properly coordinated with construction‐phase work, commissioning enables the discovery of the sequence of activities required to achieve desired performance. GSA can be reasonably assured of the life‐cycle cost effectiveness of the Federal Government’s real estate investments, and it can establish workmanship standards for replication throughout its portfolio, in turn. Total Building Commissioning safeguards the interests of PBS.

8 September 2020

BUILDING COMMISSIONING PROCESS

OVERVIEW

The building commissioning process is interwoven with the overall project delivery process. This Guide outlines only the key essential steps within the commissioning process, without detailing all of the capital program delivery process steps. Subsequent pages in this section provide more detail on the building commissioning process phases, deliverables and specific responsibilities of the entire

Commissioning Team.

Building Commissioning Process

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PROJECT INITIATION PHASE

For the purpose of this document, the Project Initiation Phase encompasses GSA’s Pre‐Planning, Feasibility Study and Program Development Study (PDS) activities per GSA PM Guide. Consideration for commissioning is critical even at the Project Initiation Phase of a project. During this phase, the GSA

Project Manager (PM) should establish commissioning as an indelible piece of the overall delivery process. Adequate consideration for commissioning scope, budget and schedule should be included in the Feasibility Study and Program Development Study (PDS). Further, it is at this phase that the Owner’s

Project Requirements are developed in concert with the Customer Agency. These requirements establish the benchmarks for performance later in the commissioning process.

Identify Commissioning Team

The first step in the commissioning process is for the GSA PM to identify and layout the makeup of the

Commissioning Team. The exact size and members of the commissioning team will vary depending on project type, size and complexity, however in general the team will consist of:

GSA Project Manager (Team Leader)

GSA Facilities Management/Operational Excellence representatives

Customer Agency Representative(s)

GSA Subject Matter Experts (SME) (i.e. Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Fire Protection, Elevator, Seismic, Building Enclosure, LEED/Sustainability, Landscape Architecture, SITES, etc.)

GSA Contracting Officer

Construction Manager as Advisor (CMa)*

Construction Contractor and Subcontractors

Commissioning Provider (CxP)

Architect/Engineer (A/E)

Equipment Manufacturers and Vendors

*Note: Throughout this Guide there are references to Construction Manager and CM. Unless otherwise specified, this is assumed to mean Construction Management as Advisor (CMa) as opposed to

Construction Management Contractor, CM at risk or General Contractor, which is consistently referenced as Construction Contractor.

10 September 2020

The Commissioning Team is responsible for working as a cohesive unit to assure that all of the steps in the commissioning process are completed and the facility objectives are met. Even though it is likely that key team members (i.e. CMa, A/E, CxP) will not be on board at this phase of the project, completion of a project specific Roles and Responsibilities Matrix will help the GSA PM develop the A/E, CMa and

CxP contract scopes for commissioning. The GSA PM should use a Roles and Responsibilities Matrix as a tool to develop the SOWs for the A/E, Construction, D‐B, and CMa contracts depending on the project's selected delivery method and other project specific considerations. Using a Matrix will help ensure that the appropriate tasks are assigned to the right entities on the project team while also ensuring that no steps are unintentionally omitted. The initial roles and responsibilities matrix should be updated and confirmed during the design and construction phases once the team members are contracted. See appendix A for a draft commissioning roles and responsibilities matrix that should be edited to meet the project specific requirements.

Define Owner’s Project Requirements with the Customer Agency

The objective of commissioning is to provide documented confirmation that a facility fulfills the functional and performance requirements of GSA, its occupants and operators. To attain this goal, it is necessary to establish and document owner project requirements and criteria for system function, performance and maintainability. The Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) forms the basis from which all design, construction, acceptance and operational decisions are made.

The commissioning process necessarily changes with the project delivery method. To ensure that a construction contract accounts for the full effort and cost of commissioning activities, the Owner’s

Project Requirements (OPR) must be developed prior to the construction contract award. For the

Design‐Bid‐Build and Construction Manager as Constructor (CMc) delivery methods, the OPR can be developed concurrent with the design. Similarly, the OPR can be developed during the bridging phase of a design‐build project. However, when the design‐build delivery method is used, the OPR must be developed during project planning to ensure design‐builders’ technical and price proposals include all commissioning requirements. The OPR should establish requirements for all mock‐ups and testing including testing types, quantities, and protocols for retesting.

The following suggested categories provide a framework for the types of requirements that should be considered.

Accessibility Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standard (ABAAS) Acoustics Control of internal and external noise and intelligibility of sound

Comfort Identify and document those comfort problems that have caused complaints in the past and which will be voided in this facility (i.e. glare, uneven air distribution, etc.)

Communications Capacity to provide inter‐ and intra‐telecommunications throughout the facility

Constructability Feasibility of transportation to site, erection of components and assemblies, and health and safety during construction. Consider contractor means and methods and identifies risk in successful execution.

Design Coordination Resolve all technical problems thoroughly and across disciplines to ensure durability and optimize facility life cycle performance.

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Design Excellence Concept development DE peer review process and incorporating peer guidance and adherence to approved design concept as design progresses

Durability Retention of performance over required service life

Energy Goals for energy efficiency (to the extent they are not called out in the Green Building Concepts)

Fire Protection and Life Safety

Fire protection and life safety systems. This includes active and passive fire protection and life safety systems and their interconnection with other building systems.

Flexibility For future facility changes and expansions

Health and Hygiene Protection from contamination from waste water, garbage and other wastes, emissions and toxic materials

Indoor Environment Including hygrothermal, air temperature, humidity, condensation, indoor air quality and weather resistance

Installation evaluation, testing requirements, and sampling procedures.

Evaluation, testing, integrated system design and testing and sampling criteria quantity identified.

Light Including natural and artificial (i.e. electric, solar, etc.) illumination

Maintenance Requirements

Varied level of knowledge of maintenance staff and the expected complexity of the proposed systems, maintainability, access and operational performance requirements.

Security Protection against intrusion (physical, thermal, sound, etc.) and vandalism and chemical/biological/radiological threats

Site Development

Systematic process of verifying that the dynamic systems built beyond a building’s skin, perform in accordance with design intent and the property owner’s operational needs including stormwater management, site utilities, irrigation, filtration, water harvesting systems and dynamic site security systems..

(background report for reviewers on this subject can be found at:

https://www.gsa.gov/real‐estate/design‐construction/landscape‐ architecture/landscape‐analytics‐and‐commissioning)

Standards Integration Integration of approved Federal, State and local as well as GSA and Customer Agency standards and requirements

Structural Safety Resistance to static and dynamic forces, impact and progressive collapse Sustainability Sustainability concepts including LEED certification goals Training Training requirements for the Owner’s staff

Obtaining the information and criteria for the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) necessitates input from all key facility users and operators. The Owner’s Project Requirements shall be developed in keeping with the processes detailed in GSA’s PM Guide including conformance with the P100 standards, facility specific (i.e. courthouse, border station, etc.) design guidelines and project programming methodologies. In some cases the tenant is likely to have a prescribed set of project requirements typically identified as the Program of Requirements (POR). The OPR is the larger umbrella of requirements that includes the POR, the P100, exceptions, qualifications and all other requirements.

The Owner’s Project Requirements should be reviewed by the CxP and approved by the Owner during pre‐design phase. Updates during subsequent project activities should be formally accepted by the

Owner. The OPR may evolve during the design phase of the project, but requirements should be firm at the completion of construction documentation and prior to soliciting a construction contract to control

12 September 2020 the impacts of construction phase change. The OPR is the primary tool for assuring quality and will it ultimately become part of the systems manuals documentation.

GSA’s P100 Facilities Standard establishes the minimum requirements for building enclosure commissioning (BECx). For some projects, P100 requirements are sufficient. For other project types, further development is required to address unique risks. Building types that require the development of more robust OPRs include, but are not limited to:

Coastal buildings subject to extreme weather events

NARA‐certified storage facilities protecting valuable contents

Laboratories with tightly controlled interior environments

Tall buildings subject to stack effects

Buildings, campuses and structures with security requirements

For BECx, the P100 Facilities Standard references ASTM E2813, Standard Practice for Building Enclosure

Commissioning, and ASTM E2947, Standard Guide for Building Enclosure Commissioning. ASTM E2813 is the requirements document with enforceable contract language. ASTM E2813, Annex A1, provides an

“OPR Development Guideline”.

As noted above, the project delivery method has implications for the timing of commissioning planning.

Commissioning experts must be retained and engaged to develop the OPR in advance of construction contract award. Doing so will help to mitigate the risks of scope changes and schedule delays during the construction phase.

GSA’s P100 Facilities Standard establishes the minimum requirements for commissioning fire protection and life safety systems. In addition, commissioning of fire protection and life safety systems must meet the procedures, methods, and documentation for the commissioning of active and passive fire protection and life safety systems and their interconnections with other building systems in accordance with NFPA 3, Standard for Commissioning of Fire Protection and Life Safety Systems.

Develop Preliminary Commissioning Plan

The Commissioning Plan translates standards and requirements into an actionable approach by developing the sequence of activities required to prove system performance. The durations and costs of activities enable management of the processes. The Cx plan should include a discussion of the commissioning process, schedule, team and team member responsibilities, communication structures and a general description of the systems to be commissioned.

This preliminary version of the Cx Plan should be developed by members of the Commissioning Team.

The CxP and/or BECxP should provide the requisite expertise and proactive leadership to properly represent GSA’s and the Customer Agency’s interests. Many CxPs and/or BECxPs make use of well‐ developed Cx Plan templates. However, a complete Cx Plan will adapt boiler plate language to address the project specific risks defined by the OPR.

13 September 2020

It is prudent to develop the Preliminary Commissioning Plan prior to the award of the construction contract. Collectively, the OPR and Cx Plan will collectively describe the required efforts and their associated costs such that the Cx statement of work captures the full scope of mock‐ups and functional performance testing. However, because commissioning activities require coordination with the construction contractor, the development of the Final Cx Plan necessarily occurs following construction contract award. Final Cx Plan development should occur as soon after construction contract award as possible so that the required activities can be incorporated into the construction schedule without risk of delay. Deleting Cx activities from the construction phase for convenience is unacceptable.

The suggested structure of the Commissioning Plan is as follows. All information in the Commissioning

Plan should be project specific.

Introduction Purpose and general summary of the Plan.

General Project Information

Overview of the project, emphasizing key project information and delivery method characteristics.

Commissioning Scope The commissioning scope including which building assemblies, systems, subsystems and equipment will be commissioned on this project.

Team Contacts Project specific Commissioning Team members and contact information Communication Plan and Protocols

Documentation of the communication channels to be used throughout the project.

Commissioning Process

Detailed description of the project specific tasks to be accomplished during the Project Initiation, Design, Construction and Occupancy and Operations Phases with associated roles and responsibilities and the framework for procedures to follow when Cx evaluation does not meet the OPR.

Commissioning Documentation

List of commissioning documents required to identify expectations, track conditions and decisions and validate/certify performance.

Commissioning Schedule Specific sequences of events and relative timeframes, dates and durations.

The Commissioning Provider will add to this preliminary Plan in the Design and Construction Phases by assembling and completing the Commissioning Plan Appendices as detailed below. The completed

Appendices will form the Commissioning Record turned over at the end of the construction phase (see

“Turnover Commissioning Record”).

Commissioning Plan Appendices Work completed during the commissioning process

A Owner’s Project Requirements B Basis of Design C Commissioning Specifications D Design Review E Submittal Review F Issues Log G Construction Checklists H Site Visit and Commissioning Meeting Minutes I O&M Manual Review J Training K Functional Performance Tests and Seasonal Testing L Warranty Review

14 September 2020

M Test Data Reports

Under the guidance of a qualified CxP and/or BECxP, and with the input of the Customer Agency, the

GSA project team including GSA OFM personnel should derive the initial commissioning scope. In addition to incorporating established minimum requirements, the commissioning scope should address performance risks that are unique to a design. Innovative, custom designs represent a higher level of performance risk than other already proven systems. The Commissioning Systems Selection Matrix provided in Appendix B of this Guide is a useful tool in selecting systems to commission for a particular facility type. Exact systems should be determined on a project to project basis.

Commissioning for Certifications (LEED, Energy Star, SITES, etc.)

Development of the preliminary Commissioning Plan and initial commissioning scope should also include a discussion regarding project certifications and goal attainment (i.e. LEED, SITES, Energy Star, Energy

Goals, Design Awards, etc.). The commissioning scope should include the activities needed to meet the project SITES or LEED prerequisite requirements for fundamental building commissioning and enhanced commissioning. For building enclosure commissioning, the GSA P100 Facilities Standard baseline requirements and Tier 1 requirements satisfy the corresponding LEED requirements for fundamental and enhanced commissioning, respectively

Establish Initial Budget for Commissioning

The GSA Project Manager develops commissioning related costs with assistance from GSA regional estimators and includes budgetary costs for commissioning in the Feasibility Study, Enhanced Feasibility

Study and the Program Development Study. It is critical that the overall established budget which is submitted for funding approval contains necessary costs for commissioning.

Specifically, Feasibility Study, Enhanced Feasibility Study and Program Development Study deliverables per GSA’s PM Guide call for estimated construction costs (ECC) and estimated total project costs (ETPC).

These estimates must include line items for both commissioning services and testing.

Commissioning Provider Costs

Total building commissioning costs for Commissioning Provider services can range from $0.13 to $0.48 per square foot for existing buildings and from $0.40 to $1.35 per square foot for new construction (U.S.

Department of Energy. 2018 Commissioning Cost/Benefit Study Findings).

GSA's total commissioning practice occurs during the entire life of a project and is based on a sliding scale. The larger the project, the lower the percentage, and the lower the unit cost (cost per GSF) paid for commissioning services. In addition, the building complexity has an impact on the expected commissioning cost. A Courthouse being more complex than a typical Office requires great due diligence in the commissioning services, hence a greater level of effort, and greater cost. The same is true for a complex Laboratory.

15 September 2020

Other factors apart from building complexity that affect the cost of commissioning services are the overall size of the project, phasing 24/7 operations, the depth and breadth of commissioning services, the level of commissioning desired and the systems and assemblies chosen to be commissioned. The following chart shows benchmark costs (percent of construction costs and cost per GSF) for

Commissioning Provider services by facility type.

Benchmark Cost of Total Building Commissioning

Building Type Percentage of Construction Cost

(ECC)

Cost per GSF of Building Area

Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum

Office 0.5% 1.75% $3.25 $5.00

Courthouse 0.75% 2.25% $5.00 $8.00

Laboratory 0.90% 2.50% $7.00 $10.00

Land Port of Entry 0.5% 2.00% $3.00 $5.00

(Source: GSA Cost and Schedule Management Team, 2015 Development of Professional Services Fee

Look‐Up Table)

Additional Project Costs

The above costs only cover Commissioning Provider fees. There are also costs to the Construction

Manager as Advisor, Construction Contractor, A/E and owner staff for their part in the commissioning process. The profile of these costs will vary depending on roles and responsibilities chosen. For a detailed estimate of professional service fees, an itemized level of effort needs to be performed based on unique project requirements.

16 September 2020

DESIGN PHASE

Design Phase commissioning activities serve to assure that the Owner’s Project Requirements for items such as energy efficiency, sustainability, indoor air environmental quality, fire protection and life safety, etc. are sufficiently defined and adequately and accurately reflected in the construction documents. The

Design Phase is the Commissioning Team’s opportunity to assure that building systems and assemblies as designed will function according to user expectations. Further, specific tests and procedures designed to verify the performance of systems and assemblies are developed and incorporated into the construction documents.

Incorporate Commissioning into A/E and CMa Scopes of Services

GSA Commissioning Guide recommended activities may be more rigorous than A/Es and CMas typically include in their scope of services. Project Initiation, Design, Construction, Occupancy and Operations phase commissioning activities should be defined and written into the Architect/Engineer and

Construction Manager as Advisor scopes of work and executed contracts.

By the design phase of project development, the GSA Project Manager must have an awareness of how commissioning services will be delivered.

It is an industry best practice for commissioning services to be provided by an independent third‐party.

This eliminates the inherent conflicts of interest for construction contractors attempting to verify the performance of their own work. However, it has been GSA’s practice to allow construction contractors to subcontract for testing services. This has been found to be beneficial because it allows the construction contractor to sequence the commissioning activities with other construction phase activities without risk of schedule delays caused by others. The roles and responsibilities of the various parties should be established by the Roles and Responsibilities Matrix and the Preliminary Cx Plan/BECx

Plan.

It is also possible, and sometimes preferable, for GSA to contract for commissioning services independent of the construction contractor. Alternatives include procuring such services directly, tasking the Construction Manager as Advisor (CMa) to subcontract for services, or similarly tasking the

Architect‐Engineer of record. If GSA contracts for commissioning services independent of the construction contractor, it is incumbent upon the GSA project team and the CMa to coordinate the commissioning activities with the construction contractor’s schedule so as to mitigate the possible risk of government caused delays.

17 September 2020

When commissioning services are subcontracted by the construction contractor, GSA requires the representation of a CxP and/or BECxP to provide oversight, to ensure the integrity of the testing methods, and to report the outcomes. Again, alternatives include procuring such services directly, tasking the Construction Manager as Advisor (CMa), or tasking the Architect‐Engineer of record. Should the project team determine that the CMa will contract the commissioning provider, this must be written into the CMa’s scope of work.

In summary, the requirement for an independent commissioning provider may be satisfied by an independent third‐party contracted by GSA, or by a firm subcontracted by the Construction Manager as

Advisor (CMa), but not solely by the construction contractor itself.

Commissioning services for Design and Construction Management professionals should minimally include, but are not limited to the items listed below: Scope of

A/E and CMa Commissioning Scope Items

Design Professional

1. Participate and aid in the documentation of the Owner’s Project Requirements.

2. Document revisions to Owner’s Project Requirements and obtain GSA Approval.

3. Document the Basis of Design.

4. Review the P100 measurement and verification requirements and integrate Cx process requirements and activities into the construction documents.

5. Confirm the validity of the CX schedule and update as needed to coordinate with the construction schedule.

6. Integrate Cx process requirements and activities provided by the CxP into the construction documents.

7. Confirm qualified specialists, where required, perform commissioning activities.

8. Review submittals, plans and product data sheets, for conformance to the basis of design.

9. Document issues and changes to the project and update the commissioning plan.

10. Attend Commissioning Team meetings (Design Review Meetings and Construction Phase Cx

Team meetings).

11. Specify and verify that the operation and maintenance of the systems and assemblies have been adequately detailed in the construction documents.

12. Review and incorporate as appropriate the CxP’s comments into the construction documents.

13. Review integrated systems design for compatibility or communication problems.

14. Participate in the operations and maintenance personnel training as specified in the training program. Verify owner training took place.

15. Review test procedures submitted by the contractor. Document the testing activities.

16. Complete commissioning construction checklists.

17. Review and comment on the CxP’s progress reports and issue logs.

18. Witness the functional testing of all commissioned systems and assemblies.

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19. Review and accept record documents as required by the construction documents.

20. Verify that materials, construction, and installation conform to the basis of design.

21. Review and comment on the final Commissioning Record.

22. Recommend final acceptance of the systems to GSA.

23. Verify systems are installed as specified.

Construction Manager as Advisor

1. If appropriate, lead the RFQ process for commissioning services and award a contract to a

Commissioning Provider directly under the Construction Manager as Advisor.

2. Include commissioning process activities and requirements into all General Contractor Bid

Packages.

3. Work with the Commissioning Team to develop a schedule for commissioning activities and incorporate commissioning activities into the overall project schedule

4. Provide personnel with the means and authority to coordinate implementation of the commissioning process as detailed in the construction documents.

5. Attend Commissioning Team meetings (Design Review Meetings and Construction Phase Cx

Team meetings).

6. Coordinate with the Commissioning Provider in development of a Commissioning Plan.

7. Perform quality assurance functions, particularly in the areas of design reviews for constructability and inspection.

8. Participate in and assist with the functional testing of all commissioned systems and assemblies.

9. Provide technical expertise such as testing, cost estimating and resolving disputes.

10. Ensure General Contractor coordinates and documents Owner/Operator training.

11. Issue a statement that certifies all work has been completed and the facility is operational, in accordance with the construction documents.

12. Coordinate General Contractor remedies for deficiencies identified by the Commissioning

Provider during their verification of the installation or tests.

13. Review and comment on the final Commissioning Record.

Retain Commissioning Provider Services

GSA’s suggested practice is to task the Construction Manager as Advisor (CMa) to hire a subcontractor to act as the Commissioning Provider (CxP). This results in no additional contract management responsibilities for GSA. In such a case, the CMa will lead the RFQ process for commissioning services.

There will be exceptions to this suggested practice, and in these cases, GSA will lead the RFQ process for a CxP. Regardless of the contracting method, the CxP should be under contract by the beginning of

Design Development.

For building enclosure commissioning, depending on the project delivery method, GSA should retain the services of the BECxP during the Pre‐design phase and no later than Design Development. Projects using the design‐build delivery method should retain the services of a CxP/BECxP during the planning phase to ensure the full scope of commissioning activities is solicited from the offerors.

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Commissioning Provider Qualifications

The Commissioning Provider and the Construction Manager as Advisor generally have different skills. In general, the Construction Manager as Advisor provides management, technical and administrative expertise during the design and construction phases to ensure that the Customer Agency’s goals relating to schedule, budget, scope and quality are met. A Commissioning Provider has technical background and in‐depth expertise with the commissioning process including verification techniques, functional performance testing, system equipment, fabrication processes and O&M knowledge.

The Commissioning Provider must have significant commissioning experience, including technical and management expertise on projects of similar scope, size and type and meet the minimum commissioning qualifications required for LEED projects. Further the CxP should bring a total building commissioning perspective to the project and be knowledgeable in the interdependency of systems performance. Expertise should include knowledge of national building fire codes, as well as water‐based extinguishing systems, detection systems, LEED and energy efficiency imperatives. A CxP/BECxP should further demonstrate experience with other Federal requirements (i.e. blast, progressive collapse, security, etc.).

GSA relies heavily on our Commissioning Providers (CxP/BECxP) to represent the interests of the government by assuring the quality of constructed systems. In addition to technical expertise and experience, CxP/BECxP qualifications should include strong leadership ability and a proactive approach to identifying and solving problems. GSA Project Managers should expect CxP/BECxPs to actively assert their expertise and identify risks before the project budget, schedule, and quality can be impacted.

Especially when a CxP/BECxP is a subcontractor to a Construction Manager as Advisor, GSA PM’s must ensure the Government’s contracted expert representatives are empowered to advocate effectively.

Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Commissioning Provider

The RFQ for Commissioning Provider services is based upon the Preliminary Commissioning Plan and the commissioning budget established in the Program Development Study (PDS). Depending on the CxP delivery method (i.e. CMa versus GSA contracts the CxP), this may be the responsibility of either GSA or the CMa. If the RFQ is performed by the CMa, this format may vary slightly.

Project Background Building type, square footage, general program, overall project budget, milestone schedule dates, LEED and other certification pursuits, etc.

Objectives GSA project objectives for commissioning

Scope of Work Design, Construction and Occupancy and Operations Phase expectations for the Commissioning Provider

Systems and Assemblies Preliminary identification of the systems and assemblies to be Commissioned.

Once contracted, the CxP will further develop this matrix.

Qualifications Desired qualification of the CxP Proposal Expectations for format and content of prospective CxP’s proposal

Change in Personnel Statement on GSA review of CxP changes in personnel for the project Selection Criteria

A table indicating the selection criteria and scoring system for evaluating CxP proposals

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Proprietary Information (disclaimer)

Protection and Control of Government Documents (disclaimer)

Commissioning Provider Selection

This service should be acquired in the same manner as other professional services. The Commissioning

Provider should be chosen on the primary basis of qualifications and not solely based on price. It is recommended that the CxP is contracted according to a two stage fee negotiation process. The first stage includes Project Initiation Phase, Pre‐Design and Design Phase responsibilities and the second stage includes Construction Phase and Occupancy and Operations Phase. This two stage process allows for the negotiation of the initial fee to be based on known general factors, and negotiation of the

Construction Phase and Occupancy and Operations Phase fee based upon a substantially completed design and the Final Cx/BECx Plan including the actual type and number of equipment, systems and assemblies to be inspected, started and tested. Within the Project Initiation Phase and Design Phase proposal, the CxP should be asked to provide budgetary numbers for the Construction Phase and

Occupancy and Operations Phase.

Review Owner’s Project Requirements and Basis of Design

As described in previous sections, the Owner’s Project Requirements are developed as part of GSA’s project planning processes and establish baseline criteria for facility function, performance and maintainability. The Basis of Design (BOD) is developed by the A/E early in the Design Phase based on

Owner’s Project Requirements. It is the primary document that translates GSA’s and the Customer

Agency’s needs into building components such as HVAC systems, building enclosure systems, security systems, building automation system, etc. The BOD describes the technical approach planned for the project as well as the design parameters to be used. The BOD is typically developed by the A/E and written in technical terms, whereas the Owner’s Project Requirements are developed by GSA in concert with the Customer Agency and expressed in layman’s terms.

When the Commissioning Provider is brought on board early in the Project Initiation phase, one of their first tasks is to review the Owner’s Project Requirements and the Basis of Design (BOD). The purpose of these reviews is to assure that the Customer Agency’s needs are met as described in the Owner’s Project

Requirements and captured in the Basis of Design Document. The CxP’s review ensures clarity and completeness with an eye toward commissioning process activities (benchmarks, standards, performance targets, etc.). The CxP may recommend changes to improve energy efficiency, operation and maintenance and equipment reliability. Making changes in the Design Phase, rather than after installation begins, saves money.

Through the design process, a key role for the Commissioning Provider is to facilitate a clear understanding of expectations by the design team. To do this, the practice of conducting program

21 September 2020 review meetings is to be used to offer all stakeholders the opportunity to indicate what they want to see in the next design submission.

Concept, DD and CD Design Reviews

The Commissioning Provider should provide focused reviews of the design documents in a quantity that corresponds to project complexity. The GSA project team and the CxP and/or BECxP should collaborate to develop an approach and scope of services that promise to assure project quality. It is recommended that these reviews occur first at the end of Design Concepts, the second should occur during Design

Development (50%) and the third toward the end of Construction Documents Phase (95%) (see P100 for definition of Concept, DD and CD design phases).

The CxP compares the design with the interests and needs of GSA as identified in the Owner’s Project

Requirements and Basis of Design (BOD). The CxP also compares the proposed design against GSA design standards as defined in the latest version of the PBS P100 Facilities Standards. The CxP identifies any improvements that can be made in areas such as energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, operations and maintenance, etc. The CxP also identifies vulnerabilities in the design and/or challenges to constructability that represent possible risks of system failure and risks to life cycle durability.

Though the CxP is responsible for reviewing the design from a commissioning perspective, the CxP is typically not responsible for design concepts and criteria or compliance with local, State and Federal

Codes.

The CxP must coordinate all Fire Protection and Life Safety system commissioning with the GSA Regional

Fire Protection Program Office. In certain jurisdictions, State and local government officials may elect to perform code compliance construction inspections of the building systems in addition to the GSA code compliance and testing of fire protection and life safety systems. Therefore, it is recommended that the

A/E, CxP, CMa and each contractor’s contract include provisions for each to handle the additional requirement of coordinating their work with State and local government officials.

Commissioning Provider Focused Design Review Scope

Certification Facilitation

Review construction documents to facilitate project certification goals (i.e. does design meet Energy Star requirements; does Cx meet LEED criteria, etc.).

Commissioning Facilitation

Review construction documents to facilitate effective commissioning (sufficient accessibility, test ports, monitoring points, etc.).

Commissioning Specifications

Verify that bid documents adequately specify building commissioning, including testing requirements by equipment type.

Control System and Control Strategies

Review HVAC, lighting, fire control, emergency power, security control system, strategies and sequences of operation for adequacy and efficiency.

Electrical Review the electrical concepts/systems for enhancements.

Energy Efficiency

Review for adequacy of the effectiveness of building layout and efficiency of system types and components for building shell, HVAC systems and lighting systems.

Enclosure Review enclosure design and assemblies to ensure the separation of outside and inside environmental conditions. Review for thermal, air, and water barrier continuity and integrity for all six sides of the building. Consider performance impacts on occupant

22 September 2020 comfort, interior finishes, and the performance of other interdependent systems including HVAC. Assure system life cycle durability.

Fire Protection and Life Safety

Review design and construction documents to facilitate effective Cx of fire protection and life safety systems and to aid in active fire protection systems being inspected and tested for proper installation and operation including witnessing the acceptance testing (e.g., sequence of operation and functional tests), and integrated system testing of these systems to obtain a GSA certificate of occupancy .

GSA Design Guidelines and Standards

Verify that the design complies with GSA P100 design guidelines and standards, Court Design Guide, Border Station Guide and Federal Facility Council requirements).

Functionality Ensure the design maximizes the functional needs of the occupants.

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)

Review to ensure that systems relating to thermal, visual acoustical, air quality comfort, air distribution maximize comfort and are in accordance with the OPR.

Life Cycle Costs

Review a life cycle assessment of the primary competing mechanical systems relative to energy efficiency, O&M, IEQ, functionality, sustainability.

Mechanical

Review for owner requirements that provide flexible and efficient operation as required in the P100, including off peak chiller heating/cooling AHU operations, after‐hours operation, pressurization requirements and size and zoning of AHUs and thermostat zones.

Operations and Maintenance (O&M)

Review for effects of specified systems and layout toward facilitating O&M (equipment accessibility, system control, etc.).

O&M Documentation

Verify adequate building O&M documentation requirements.

Owner’s Project Requirements

Verify that construction documents are in keeping with and will meet the Owner’s Project Requirements.

Structural Review the structural concepts/design for enhancements (i.e. blast and progressive collapse).

Sustainability

Review to ensure that the building materials, landscaping, water and waste management create less of an impact on the environment, contribute to creating a healthful and productive workspace, and are in accordance with Owner’s Project Requirements. See also P100 LEED and SITES requirements.

Training Verify adequate operator training requirements.

Issues Log

All comments and issues identified must be tracked in a formal Issues Log. The Issues Log must be sufficiently detailed so as to provide clarity and a point of future reference for the comments. The Issues log should contain at a minimum:

Description of Issue

Cause

Recommendation

Cost and Schedule Implications (on design, construction and facility operations)

Priority

Actions Taken

Final Resolution

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The Issues Log serves as a vehicle to track, critically review and resolve all commissioning related issues.

The Log is maintained by the CxP and becomes part of the final Commissioning Record.

Design Review Meetings

The Cx Team should have Design Review Meetings (Kick‐off, Concept/DD and CD) in…