Commissioning & Qualification:
A Practical Approach
Presented by:
Damian Gerstner, President, systek
Gary Short, CEO, systek

Commissioning & Qualification:
A Practical Approach
Introductions
Commissioning from Viewpoint of General
Industry
Level V Commissioning
Mission Critical Facilities
Practical Applications of Commissioning &
Qualification Baseline ®
Design and Commissioning
Project Management

Introductions:
Damian Gerstner
Education & Professional
BS, Architectural Engineering, KSU
MBA, Rockhurst University
Boehringer Ingelheim – 12 Years
Validation Engineer
Manager, Engineering
Professional focus:
Improving Engineering / Management Processes
Developing Staff
Continuous Learning

Introductions:
Gary Short
Education & Professional
Mechanical Engineering, U. of Wis. – Madison
Started systek in 1995
Member of Building Commissioning Association
Professional focus:
Mission Critical Facilities
Control Systems & Integration
Hands On Troubleshooting & Commissioning

Commissioning in General:
Why Buy Commissioning?
Historically - Lack of reliable data
2004 Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory Study “The Cost Effectiveness of
Commercial Building Commissioning)
Analyzed 224 Buildings in 24 States, representing 30.4 million square feet (73% in existing building)

Commissioning in General:
Why Buy Commissioning?
The study showed:
Median payback time versus cost of 4.8 years for new construction and 0.7 years for existing
Existing buildings showed a six fold greater energy savings
Non-energy benefits - hard to quantify include reduced change orders, early problem detection that may lead to equipment breakdowns
In 28 new construction projects, commissioning uncovered a whopping 3,305 deficiencies -
HVAC led the list

Commissioning in General:
Why Buy Commissioning?
New construction Budget breakdown: 30year life-cycle cost of building
2% “First”-Cost of building
6% Operations & Maintenance cost
92% Building Staffing (personnel that live in the building over the lifetime of the building.)
Funding - being cut across all budgets
Maintaining facilities with fewer staff
(automation & scheduling)

Commissioning in General:
Why Buy Commissioning?
Improving staff morale
Maintaining facilities while building occupied
Age of Buildings (30 years or older) = higher maintenance & replacement costs
Commissioning is not a luxury it is a
Necessity

Commissioning in General:
Levels of Commissioning
Level 1 - Design Phase
Develop detailed & comprehensive commissioning specifications & critique of design as it pertains to commissioning
Level 2 - Construction Phase
Review & coordinate the application of the testing plan through observation & documentation of equipment & systems to ensure function complies with systems requirements, objectives, and all contract documents

Commissioning in General:
Levels of Commissioning
Level 3 - Acceptance Phase
Provide on site testing, commissioning and performance testing
Level 4 - Integrated System Testing
At this level, the interaction between the building systems shall be demonstrated under both normal and abnormal operating conditions
Level 5 - Warranty
One-year functional retesting of all equipment & systems within the commissioning contract

Commissioning in General:
Level 1 – Design Phase
Owner’s Performance Requirements (OPR)
Clear and concise document that summarizes the design intent of the project
The OPR serves as conceptual basis for all commissioning & acceptance testing of systems
The OPR identifies ways to maximize innovation, reliability, ease of maintenance, innovation & energy efficiency for all systems & components
Provides written documentation of commissioning consensus

Commissioning in General:
Level 1 – Design Phase
Requires Commissioning Team review of project to identify deficiencies and recommend corrections to Architect and
Owner at the following milestones:
50% and 100% of Schematic Design
Design Development
Construction Documents

Commissioning in General:
Level 1 – Design Phase
Develop & integrate with the designer’s full commissioning specifications for all commissioned equipment and systems
Coordinate with consultants to improve controls systems design & integration
Commissioning scope of work naming components & systems and required testing procedures

Commissioning in General:
Level 2 – Construction
Phase shop drawings and submittals
Limited to equipment relative to commissioning
Critique all RFIs and Change Orders for issues potentially affecting equipment & systems within the commissioning scope of work
Provide CM with checklists & document completion through review & site observation

Commissioning in General:
Level 2 – Construction
Phase installation
Factory test key building system components.
Testing is equipment dependent
As equipment arrives at site, review components for condition and verify features and accessories as provided as specified
Comprehensive check-out is crucial to maintaining a total quality approach
Components are checked before, rather than after installation; and as individual components

Commissioning in General:
Level 2 – Construction
Phase inspection plan for all equipment and systems
Revise commissioning plan as needed, & notify contractor with special requirements or requests
Ensure commissioning activities are included in the construction schedule
Prior to start-up and initial systems inspections, verify current control sequencing and interlocks

Commissioning in General:
Level 3 – Acceptance Phase
Acceptance testing is the most critical phase in the commissioning process
“Where the rubber meets the road”
Provide on site testing, commissioning and performance testing

Commissioning in General:
Level 3 – Acceptance Phase
The term system in this context includes major systems such as:
Chilled Water System
Stand-by Power System
Smoke Control
Building Control Systems
Electrical Switchgear and Interlocks
Test, Adjust and Balancing
Heating Plant and Equipment
Air Handling Systems
Ventilation and Heat Recovery Systems

Commissioning in General:
Level 3 – Acceptance Phase
Capacity test critical equipment such as chillers, AHUs, boilers & pumping systems
Includes tests for internal failures, recovery, reporting, alarms, and abnormal conditions
Capacity testing needs to be outlined in some detail in the contract specifications
Commissioning plan development requires creativity to accomplish capacity testing

Commissioning in General:
Level 3 – Acceptance Phase
There are costs associated with capacity testing that need to be evaluated
Chiller capacity testing may require external heat sources if building heating system can’t be used
Capacity testing AHUs can normally be done by over-cooling & heating the building during startup
Normally a test method can be devised without using temporary equipment for HVAC
Generator & UPS testing requires a load bank
Data center raised floor testing requires multiple load banks

Commissioning in General:
Level 3 – Acceptance Phase
Acceptance and testing procedures include:
Point-to-Point verification of all wiring and tubing within the control system
To reduce cost change scope to random 25%. If errors are found increase scope
Verify control range on all analog outputs, verify stroke and control action. Stroke control valves and damper actuators at 0%, 25%, 50%, &
100%
Software Verification:
Complete step-by-step walk through
Verify & challenge system software, including alarms, loop tuning, setpoints & control sequences

Commissioning in General:
Level 3 – Acceptance Phase
PID control loops require verification & if needed, tuning. Test PID loops by disturbing process & validate time for recovery & over- or under-shoot
Control contractors typically do not tune loops.
They use standard configuration parameters that worked on the last project they did
Lazy control loops create problems
All PID settings should be documented in the
O&M manuals or final commissioning report

Commissioning in General:
Level 3 – Acceptance Phase
Review, confirm & verify point configuration
& parameters for all physical & virtual points
To reduce cost, reduce verification from 100% to
25%. If errors are found increase scope
Graphic (SCADA) system commissioning

Commissioning in General:
Level 4 – Integration Phase
Level 4 commissioning demonstrates how site infrastructure, such as chillers, pumping systems, heating plant, AHUs and life-safety systems will likely perform as a system over the next 60 months
This also provides performance & efficiency benchmarks in diagnosing future maintenance
Stand alone data logger monitoring

Commissioning in General:
Level 4 – Integration Phase
Develop, coordinate & execute functional performance testing on equipment & systems
Control system integration
Staging of equipment based on load (boiler staging, chiller activation etc.)
Transitions from Unoccupied / Occupied modes
Pumping & distribution with varied loading
Summer - Winter Changeover
Test potential system failures and document system recovery & operation

Commissioning in General:
Level 5 – Warranty Phase
Perform 1-year functional retest equipment & systems within commissioning contract
Interview facility staff to discuss building operations and address problems or concerns they have in maintaining building operations
Once identified, make recommendations for improvement
Identify if these are warranty or original construction contract issues and assist in reconciling outstanding issues

Commissioning in General:
Level 5 – Warranty Phase
Re-visit outstanding issues noted in original and seasonal commissioning
Facilitate opposite season or deferred testing and deficiency corrections
Incorporate final testing results, data, and reports into original Commissioning Record as well as current O&M manuals
Provide a re-commissioning plan of systems for future implementation

Commissioning in General:
A Unique Skill Set
Communication
Need to be able to talk several languages such as “Engineer”, “Contractor”, and “Owner”
Communication that motivates (non accusing and solution driven)
Expertise in developing test methods & procedures
Understanding of the big picture (focus on getting the entire building functioning properly)
Creativity
Planning and staging

Commissioning in General:
A Unique Skill Set
Working knowledge of contracting methods and procedures
Contractor protocol
Projects are scheduled driven
Touch it once, touch it right
Ability to understand contractor motives
Personality traits that foster open communication

Commissioning in General:
A Unique Skill Set
Expertise in Controls & System Integration
Control system protocols
Integration methods
Bandwidth and Network Architecture
Alarm transport
Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition
(SCADA)
Troubleshooting
System configuration, physical points, control devices
Control wiring systems

Commissioning in General:
A Unique Skill Set
Engineering Expertise
Expert in system operation
Strong knowledge in engineering principals
Fan and pump laws
Heating and cooling loads
Airflow paths and building pressurization
Ductwork and piping distribution

Commissioning in General:
A Unique Skill Set
Engineering Expertise
Experience in start-up
Chillers, cooling towers and pumping schemes
Air handling systems
Generators
Boiler and heat plants
Critical power
Testing, adjusting and balancing
Design experience

Commissioning in General:
Probable Cost
New Construction
Square foot cost - $1 - $3 / square foot
Total construction 0.06% to 0.08%
Percent of system commissioned 1.5% to 3%
Retro Commissioning
$0.30 - $0.60 per square foot
Clear scope definition and define Owner involvement
Cost Factors
Test, Adjust and Balance
Performance Testing

Commissioning in General:
Payback
For the commissioning of existing buildings:
Median energy cost savings of 15%
Median payback times of 0.7 years
For new building:
Median commissioning costs were 0.6% of total construction costs or ($1.00/ft 2 ),
Median payback time of 4.8 years
Professional satisfaction !
Priceless

Practical Applications:
Where I’m Coming From
Validation experience
Project Management experience at BIVI
“Lack of Resources”
ISPE Commissioning & Qualification
Baseline ® Guide
Gradually retooled BIVI’s Project
Management processes

Practical Applications:
Develop the Process
Document the existing Project Management process flow
Know your stakeholders
End User / Operations
Quality Assurance / Validation
Safety
Calibration / Maintenance / Security
Finance
Engineering

Practical Applications:
Develop the Process
Envision the new Project Management process flow
GAMP® Good Practice Guide: Testing of GxP Systems, International Society for Pharmaceutical
Engineering (ISPE), First Edition, December 2005, p. 15, Figure 2.2: GAMP® ‘V’ Model, www.ispe.org

Practical Applications:
Develop the Process
GAMP® Good Practice Guide: Testing of GxP Systems , International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE), First Edition, December
2005, p. 147, Figure E5.1: Example of Good Testing Practice applied to Infrastructure Hardware Infrastructure Components, www.ispe.org

Practical Applications:
Develop the Process
Document your vision, using language that fits your company’s culture
Visualize how you will “sell” the process
From the bottom up? Or top down?
Mass training? Or smaller groups?
One procedure at a time? Or whole program?
Pilot project? Or all at once?

Practical Applications:
How We Did It
Used C&Q Baseline ® as guide to develop procedures on:
Commissioning
User Requirements Specifications
Impact Assessment
Functional Requirements Specifications
Safety Risk Evaluation
Factory Acceptance Tests

Practical Applications:
How We Did It
Procedures officially “died on the vine”
Mass training attempted
Lackluster support for procedures at Director level
However, baseline established
Selectively followed procedures anyway
Determined what worked / what didn’t
Helped support improvements in Plant Services performance, which enhanced overall credibility

Practical Applications:
How We Did It
Two years later, the company was ready
Finance & Operations aligned to support
Procedures are tested, refined, & improved
“Ideal Project Timeline” developed
Multiple training programs provided
Program successful, but much practice needed

Practical Applications:
Program Overview
Ideal Project Timeline

Practical Applications:
Program Overview
Project Scope of Work
Project Background
Scope of Work
Personnel Requirements
Project Priorities
Documentation Requirements:
Regulations that apply
Engineering Design Documents
Validation Documents
Financial Documents
Quality Assurance Documents

Practical Applications:
Program Overview
Requirements Specification
One per system
Defines user, functional, and detailed design requirements
Impact Assessment & Calibration Classification

Practical Applications:
Program Overview
Safety & Environmental Risk Evaluation
One per project
Covers broad areas of S&E interest, as well as typical Maintenance safety requirements

Practical Applications:
Program Overview
Commissioning Plan
One per system
Work required for
Engineering, Calibration,
Maintenance, and Safety
Review and approval before and after work is complete
Good Documentation
Practices required

Practical Applications:
Program Overview
Other templates developed include:
Component List
Provides data required for Maintenance and
Calibration personnel to enter data into CMMS
Reconciles differences between Engineering drawings & CMMS data
Vendor must provide this information in advance of
Factory Acceptance Test
Factory / Site Acceptance Test Plan
Format similar to Commissioning Plan, but tests developed by equipment vendor
Good Documentation Practices required

Practical Applications:
Controversial Concepts
Document information once, if possible
Push documentation upstream if possible
Significant portions of IQ can be implemented at
FAT – spend more time if necessary
Significant portions of OQ can be implemented during SAT
Commissioning documentation can help minimize IQ

Practical Applications:
Controversial Concepts
Tie payments to documentation, if possible
Require vendor to provide 4 weeks before FAT:
FAT Plan
Component list
Component data sheets
Component manuals
Require vendor to provide at FAT
Skid specific calibration procedures
Completed equipment manuals
If they can’t provide, they’re not ready
If the equipment is not on their floor, they lose their incentive

Practical Applications:
Controversial Concepts
Who is best equipped to do Qualification and/or Cycle Development?
Must understand how individual controls work
Must understand control system works
Must understand technical concepts
Must understand quality assurance concepts
Understand where this talent is and use it, regardless of which department it is in

Practical Applications:
What is Commissioning?
Boundaries of Commissioning defined by:
Level of Resources available to you
Relative skill levels of:
Project Management Staff
Validation / Quality Assurance
End User
Stakeholders Staffs

Practical Applications:
What is Commissioning?
At BIVI, Commissioning started at earliest stages of design and was typically the last task complete before Qualification was accepted
By applying C&G Baseline ® Guide:
Design / Project Management process was completely overhauled
Communication in Project Team, especially support departments, was enhanced
Overall perception of Project Management team was enhanced

Practical Applications:
Take Home Message
Take time to digest C&Q Guide, but don’t be so intimidated that you never start
Know your process! Eliminate duplicate work where you find it
If possible, obtain high-level support to implement your program
Sample documents are available for review during break
Questions?