Project Management in the Oil and Gas Industry

Benefits of Commissioning for GSA Buildings
• Improved facilities, productivity, and reliability
• Lower utility bills through energy savings
• Increased operations and owner satisfaction
• Enhanced environmental, health conditions, and occupant 
comfort
• Improved system and equipment function
• Improved facilities operation and maintenance
• Increased operations safety
• Better facilities documentation
• Shortened transition period from project to operation
• Significant extension of equipment/systems life cycle
• GSA defines the benefits in industry sources and indicates 
that, on average, the operating costs of a commissioned 
building range from eight percent to twenty percent below 
that of a non-commissioned building. This philosophy 
applies for the plant buildings only.
7.7.1 Planning 
Stage
Figure (7.2) presents the main steps in applying a building commissioning 
system in planning, design, construction, and post construction phases. 
These steps will be discussed in detail in the following sections.
7.7.1.1 Identify Commissioning Team
The first step in the commissioning process is for the GSA project man-
ager (GSA PM) is 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.
In general, the team will consist of the following:
• GSA Project Manager (Team Leader)
• GSA Operating Personnel
• Customer Agency Representative(s)
• GSA Technical Experts (i.e., Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, 
Fire Protection, Elevator, Seismic, LEED/Sustainability, etc.)
• Construction Manager (CM)
• Construction Contractor and Subcontractors
• Commissioning Agent (CxA)
• Architect/Engineer 
(A/E)

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The History of Graphene 253
The Responsibility Definition is presented in Table 7.4. The following 
definitions apply to the Roles and Responsibilities Matrix:
• Lead (L) = Direct and take overall responsibility for 
accomplishment
• Support (S) = Provide assistance
• Approve (A) = Formally accept either written or verbal, 
depending on the situation
• Participate (P) = Take part in the activity (i.e., attend the 
meeting, etc.)