Project Management in the Oil and Gas Industry

7.7.2 Design 
Stage
Design Stage commissioning activities serve to assure that the owner’s proj-
ect requirements for items such as energy efficiency, sustainability, indoor 
environmental quality, fire protection and life safety, etc. are sufficiently 
defined and adequately and accurately reflected in the contract documents.
The Design Stage is the commissioning team’s opportunity to assure that 
building systems and assemblies as designed will function according to 
user expectations.
Further, specific tests and procedures designed to verify the perfor-
mance of systems and assemblies are developed and incorporated into the 
contract documents.
7.7.2.1 Incorporate Commissioning into A/E and CM Scope 
of Services
GSA commissioning activities may be more rigorous than A/Es and CMs 
typically included in their scope of services.
Design, construction, and post-construction commissioning activities 
must be defined and written into the architect/engineer and construction 
manager scopes of work and executed contracts.

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By this stage of project development, the GSA project manager must 
have an awareness of how commissioning services will be delivered. GSA’s 
preferred method for engaging a commissioning agent is to arrange for 
the construction manager to contract directly with a commissioning agent. 
However, there will be exceptions based on project specific drivers. Should 
the project team determine that the CM will contract the commissioning 
agent, this must be written into the CM’s scope of work.
Commissioning services for design and construction management pro-
fessionals shall minimally include, but are not limited to, the items listed 
on the following page.
7.7.2.1.1 Design 
Professional
1. Participate and aid in the documentation of the owner’s 
project requirements.
2. Document revisions to owner’s project requirements and 
obtain GSA approval.
3. Document the basis of design.
4. Integrate Cx process requirements and activities provided by 
the CxA into the contract documents.
5. Attend commissioning team meetings (three design review 
meetings and monthly construction stage Cx team meetings).
6. Specify and verify that the operation and maintenance of the 
systems and assemblies have been adequately detailed in the 
construction documents.
Figure 7.3 Relationship between the commissioning cost and the building area.
50
$0.00
$1.00
$2.00
$3.00
Specialty
Complex
Moderate
Simple
100
200
300
Estimates of construction phase commissioning costs