What happens when there is a design change (change order) in the middle of functional performance testing? That late in the project, design changes are often a result of functional performance testing. When a system functions as originally designed (all the right components, all the right integration, all the right control sequences, etc.) but does not meet the owner’s project requirements (OPR) performance criteria, we have a problem.
A third-party commissioning professional can efficiently identify all of the “right” things executed by the construction team and engage the design team in the troubleshooting. Without third-party commissioning, system performance problems can quickly head into a death spiral of fingerpointing, stalled progress (because no one is claiming responsibility), and the looming probability of the owner needing to move into the building with a system not performing as expected.