This month's column is written specifically for building owners who are interested in procuring commissioning services. A lot of organizations and institutions are trying to get a handle on how to "buy" commissioning services, and there is a small, but growing, group of owners who believe (or are at least wishfully thinking) that commissioning has reached "commodity" status. That is, if they say "commissioning," they will get the same thing regardless of who the providers are.
Unfortunately for those owners, the design and construction industry is still trying to decide on a standard definition of commissioning and is a long way from having any two providers who do it exactly the same way. Therefore, commissioning cannot be lumped in with commodities such as corn, beans, and pork bellies.