Commissioning is far from being “business as usual” in the design and construction world. I was reminded of this fact recently when a building owner expressed the expectation that the commissioning professional would be responsible for subcontractor coordination, workflow planning, and installation start-up scheduling. In normal project delivery processes, these activities are the responsibility of the general contractor or construction manager (GC/CM), with input and cooperation from all of the subcontractors. Many large GC/CMs employ mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) coordinators specifically to perform these tasks.
Never before had I run into a client who expected the commissioning professional to direct and coordinate the multiple trades responsible for the commissioned systems. This was not one of the myriad things I had on my list to clarify with clients when negotiating a commissioning scope and fee (but it will be now).