The LEED Rating system requirements for Fundamental Commissioning include a note regarding Enhanced Commissioning: “Project teams that intend to pursue EA Credit Enhanced Commissioning should note a difference in the CxA qualifications: for the credit, the CxA may not be an employee of the design or construction firm nor a subcontractor to the construction firm.” The v4 Reference guide for Enhanced Commissioning also says: one CxA must oversee and coordinate all activities and deliverables provided by the commissioning team.”
What specific responsibilities does “oversee and coordinate” entail in a case where more than one CxA from separate companies are engaged to complete commissioning tasks?
The use of the phrase “oversee and coordinate” defines a high level of participation while providing some flexibility for fitting the process to the project.
Therefore, at a minimum, the lead commissioning agent should be participating in ALL commissioning activities including BOTH fundamental and enhanced commissioning activities. The exact level of leading, reviewing, and overseeing can vary based on individual project scenarios. However, for enhanced commissioning, the entity selected as the lead CxA must complete the following tasks at a minimum:
Fundamental commissioning tasks to be performed by lead CxA:
• Review owner’s project requirements and basis of design during the early design phase.
• Conduct commissioning design review prior to mid-construction documents.
• Confirm incorporation of Cx requirements into construction documents.
• Develop or approve construction checklists.
• Develop or approve system test procedures.
• Witness at least a portion of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and (if applicable) renewable system functional testing that verifies installation and performance of commissioned systems. Refer to ASHRAE Guideline 0 for additional guidance.
• Review an issues log throughout the Cx process. If the CxA does not directly update the log, the CxA must approve all updates to the log.
• Report findings directly to the owner throughout the process.
• Develop or approve the summary commissioning report.
Enhanced Commissioning Tasks to be performed by lead CxA:
• Review contractor submittals applicable to systems being commissioned.
• Develop or approve systems manual updates and delivery.
• Verify operator and occupant training delivery and effectiveness.
• Perform seasonal testing.
• Develop or approve an ongoing commissioning plan.
• Develop or approve a monitoring-based commissioning plan.
• Review building operation within 10 months after substantial completion.
For projects pursuing Option 2, envelope commissioning, the building envelope commissioning agent (BeCxA) may be completely independent of the lead CxA, and oversight of envelope commissioning activities by the lead CxA is not required. However, in this case, the BeCxA must meet all credit requirements for the Commissioning authority. Specifically:
• The BeCxA must have documented envelope commissioning process experience on at least two building projects with a similar scope of work.
• The BeCxA may be a qualified employee of the owner, an independent consultant, or a disinterested subcontractor of the design team.