Stage 01
Design Review & Cx Plan
We start before the concrete is poured. The commissioning plan defines scope, responsibilities, testing milestones, issue log procedures, and deliverable requirements. It's issued for owner and GC review before construction starts — not at substantial completion. Design review runs concurrently: we review 60% and 100% construction documents for coordination conflicts, specification inconsistencies, and missing commissioning requirements, and issue formal comments for the engineer of record.
Deliverables
- Commissioning Plan (issued for review, issued for construction)
- Design review comment log (60% and 100% CD)
- Cx specification gap analysis
- Kickoff meeting minutes
- Preliminary commissioning schedule
Stage 02
OPR / BOD Alignment
We verify the design reflects what the owner actually needs. The Owner's Project Requirements and Basis of Design are the technical foundation of commissioning. We review OPR and BOD documents to confirm they're complete, current, and consistent with the construction documents. Discrepancies between what the owner specified and what's on the drawings become issues before they become change orders or deficiencies.
Deliverables
- OPR/BOD review memo
- Discrepancy log (OPR vs. CD)
- Confirmation that OPR and BOD are signed and dated
Stage 03
Submittal Review
Equipment that doesn't match the spec shouldn't be installed. We review submittals for major equipment against the specification requirements and the OPR. This isn't full shop drawing review — that's the engineer of record's responsibility. We focus on commissioning-critical parameters: nameplate ratings, relay settings, firmware versions, SCCR ratings, and anything that will affect testing.
Deliverables
- Submittal review log with commissioning comments
- Red-flag items flagged to owner and EOR for resolution
- Equipment commissioning data requirements checklist
Stage 04 — L1
Level 1: Factory Witness Testing
Equipment leaves the factory verified, not assumed. We attend FWT at the manufacturer's facility for major long-lead equipment as specified. We review the test procedure before the test date, witness execution step by step, and maintain an independent witness log. Equipment that fails FWT is logged and does not receive our acceptance until re-tested and passing.
Deliverables
- Factory witness test reports (independent, not manufacturer-issued)
- Equipment-specific FWT checklists
- Photograph documentation
- FWT issue log
- Acceptance certification per equipment item
Stage 05 — L2 / L3
Level 2 / Level 3: Field Verification
Installation verification before energization. Level 2 receiving inspection is conducted at delivery. Level 3 pre-functional testing and installation verification runs through construction, tracking installation completion by system as each area becomes ready. We're in the field — not waiting for the GC to issue a notice of readiness.
Deliverables
- Receiving inspection reports with damage documentation
- Level 3 pre-functional checklists (system by system)
- Megger/hi-pot test record review log
- Torque verification inspection log
- Pipe flush and cleanliness verification documentation
- Point-to-point control wiring verification log
- Level 2/3 issue log with open items
Stage 06 — L4
Level 4: Functional Performance Testing
Every system tested against your sequence of operations. FPT scripts are written and issued for owner/GC review at least two weeks before the test date. Scripts define pre-conditions, expected system response, acceptable tolerance, and pass/fail criteria. We execute FPTs with field instruments and load bank equipment as required. All failures are logged in real time.
Deliverables
- FPT scripts (pre-execution, issued for review)
- Completed FPT scripts with as-found and as-left results
- Load bank test data (generator, UPS)
- TAB spot verification report
- Level 4 issue log with responsible parties and resolution status
- Level 4 commissioning summary report
Stage 07 — L5
Level 5: Integrated Systems Testing
Full-facility stress test. No shortcuts. IST is executed after all Level 4 tests are complete and open issues are resolved to a pre-agreed threshold. The IST test plan is issued for review and approval a minimum of three weeks before execution. Test day is coordinated with the utility, operations team, GC, and major subcontractors. Every IST scenario is executed in sequence, results are logged in real time, and any failed scenario is re-executed after root-cause resolution — before the IST is considered complete.
Deliverables
- IST test plan (issued for approval)
- IST execution log with scenario-by-scenario results
- Power quality recorder data at utility service entrance and critical distribution points
- Waveform captures at ATS transfer events
- Generator step-load data log
- IST commissioning report
Stage 08
Issue Log Closure
The issue log doesn't close until the work is done. All open issues from every commissioning level are tracked in a single issue log maintained on Procore or the owner's project management platform. We don't maintain a parallel spreadsheet — the owner platform is the record. Each issue has: description, date found, commissioning level, responsible party, required resolution action, and status. Contested issues are escalated to the owner's project manager with our written position. We don't negotiate deficiencies away.
Deliverables
- Running issue log maintained on owner platform
- Milestone issue log status reports
- Root cause documentation for every issue
- Written disposition for any issue closed as "accepted as-is"
Stage 09
Turnover Package & Systems Manual
You're inheriting a complex facility. The documentation should match. The turnover package is built throughout commissioning — not assembled in the week before beneficial occupancy. The systems manual is a working document. If we can't explain a system to a qualified operator in writing, we don't understand it well enough ourselves.
Deliverables
- Final commissioning report with Level 1–5 test results
- Systems manual: equipment descriptions, sequences of operations, operating setpoints
- O&M manual index with location references
- Spare parts list with vendor contact information
- Recommended preventive maintenance schedule
- Closed issue log (final)
- Training session record
Stage 10
Warranty-Phase Support
The facility is occupied. The commissioning authority stays engaged. Warranty-phase support typically runs 10–12 months post-beneficial occupancy. This is when seasonal performance deviations appear, when first-year maintenance events reveal sequence issues, and when the operations team encounters conditions that weren't tested during commissioning.
Deliverables
- Warranty-period issue log (new deficiencies discovered post-turnover)
- Seasonal testing results (where in scope)
- Warranty claim support documentation
- Final warranty observation report at period close