This manual covers the four major and interlinked aspects of the commissioning process: Design, Installation, Commissioning and Documentation. These four areas are bound by the guidance given on the management of the process. The principal objective of commissioning management is to ensure that the division of responsibility at the interfaces of design with installation and installation with commissioning are clearly understood and specified for discharge under appropriate terms of engagement and conditions of contract.
How well systems are commissioned depends greatly on the designer. His perception and understanding of the design requirements of commissionable systems, together with his resourcefulness in helping to ensure that the total process is correctly managed, is of paramount importance. Setting up the environment for good management will enable the installer and commissioning specialist to contribute fully in achieving the designers' objective.
It is considered that for all but the simplest projects, designers and installers will benefit from the involvement of a commissioning specialist at an early stage. Engaged as soon as possible and given the appropriate authority and responsibility, the commissioning specialist can give assurance to clients that their air systems will operate satisfactorily.
The commissioning process does not include setting up the system to prove that the environmental performance criteria can be achieved because seasonal climatic variations make it difficult, and in some cases impossible, for specified conditions to be simulated at the time allocated for commissioning.
Designers may specify criteria for system proving at particular modes of operation but this is separate from the commissioning process and is not dealt with in this manual nor in the related one on The Commissioning of Water Systems in Buildings".
This manual is intended to be used in conjunction with the CIBSE's Commissioning Code, Series A "Air Distribution Systems". Procedures for commissioning variable air volume air conditioning systems are discussed in BSRIA Technical Memorandum 2/88 "A Procedure for Commissioning Variable Air Volume Systems".
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