We are Independent.
The only work we do is commissioning work. We are not design engineers and we have no tie to any construction firm. We solely represent the Owner to ensure the project specifications and design intent are met.
To understand why an independent Cx provider is important, it helps to have a full understanding of the Cx process. But for those unfamiliar with the commissioning process, it can be difficult to understand what exactly building commissioning entails. Even for those who have worked with good Cx providers before, it can be a bit mysterious. A construction project manager we recently worked with said it perfectly: “I don’t know exactly what commissioning is or what you do, but all I know is nothing works until you show up, then it works.”
Building commissioning is completely different than doing a punch list or quality control by a particular contractor. Done well, building commissioning takes every component of every mechanical system into account when determining if a building is functioning per design intent. To do this successfully, your Cx provider needs to be able to take into account the functioning of multiple systems at once: HVAC, hydronic, plumbing, building envelope, BAS, as well as the humans building, occupying, and servicing the building. As a Cx provider, we then need to make sure all of that information is documented, communicated, and acted upon to result in a fully functional building.
The best Cx services are provided by an independent firm whose sole focus is building commissioning. This independence provides you, the Owner, a completely new set of eyes on everything: from plans and specs to submittals and the equipment as it goes in, and then the equipment as it is up and running and interacting with all the components of the building. We review all of those things with an eye to every detail that could possibly affect the functionality of the building.