The importance of an integrated project team

MORE ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR: Build for the end user, not for the developer; Out of sight

In this age of high-quality comfort cooling, the installation of the systems needed to provide that cooling should be within the capability of all appointed HVAC contractors, shouldn’t it?

But how do we know whether the job has been done correctly? Surely the systems are commissioned, aren’t they? Apparently not always, and those that are may not be commissioned correctly. Take this real-life example. A contractor installs a chilled water system in a six-storey residential building.

Outwardly everything looks fine. On the inside though, the system is suffering, even before handover. What could possibly be wrong with a brand-new chilled water system?

How about no facility to vent air from the system? Certainly the designers intended to provide this necessary function as the installing contractors have installed a manual valve at the highest point of the water circuit near the rooftop air handler. Great, yes? Sadly, not …

Unfortunately, the valve is inoperable, jammed solid, and this is at handover. There is air in the chilled water system. Not only can it be heard, it can be felt through the vibration it is causing. There is visual evidence, too, at the pressure gauges with their fluctuating pointers. And let’s not forget the noise that’s transmitted to the apartments below, making it difficult for occupants to sleep through what should be a quiet night.

Supervision

Are the installing technicians at fault? Maybe they could have done better, but where was the supervision on this contract? Where was the commissioning team? Almost one year on, the problem remains, because the technicians lack the knowledge and skills necessary to correct it, and their supervisors lack the skills needed to supervise correctly.

And then there are the smells to consider! Do installing technicians actually know how to trap a condensate drain? Judging by the smells, it would appear not. Or maybe the installers did what was asked of them by the designers in this case, and it’s the designers who got it wrong?

One of the key design checks on an HVAC system should be to ensure that the responsibilities of the designer and the commissioning agent are clearly defined. If we don’t do this, those all too common ‘grey areas’ start to creep into the project. Ultimately it’s the owner/occupier that suffers and, let’s face it, we’ve all had enough of listening to “It’s not my job, sir” haven’t we?

And if the owner is dissatisfied, what happens to the contractor’s reputation? It doesn’t take long to damage a reputation that has taken years to build up, and recovery is not easy. The next contract is of a smaller value, margins are lower, etc. Surely a confirmed and well-protected reputation for quality is a better tool to bargain with?

Commissioning

And just who checks the commissioning sheets? Does anyone? Or do we wait until a problem occurs?

Maybe the contractors are long gone by then so who cares if there is a problem that should have been corrected before handover? Certainly the owner will. Caution – steep downhill reputation gradient ahead...

On the plumbing side, who does an owner call to have a problem with a badly-installed toilet corrected? Remember that many owners know little about construction trades, so quite possibly they will call a plumber. The plumber will call and say it’s a civil problem. The owner calls the civil guys. They take a look and apologise, “Sorry sir, you need a plumber”!

After weeks of screaming down phone lines, the owner finally gets the plumber and civil people together and watches over them until they correct the problem. Then there are the ablution faucet connection taps that seem to leak endlessly. We can’t hang this one on the civil guys, can we?

And, of course, there are the drains in the kitchen and bathroom floors. Just who is responsible for scraping the construction debris out of them? Aha! Must be the civils; certainly no one from the MEP side, is it? OK, we’re off the hook on this one. But after the civils have cleaned the visible debris from the drain, does anyone actually test that water runs down it?

But wait, all is not lost. When the going gets tough, maybe we can all blame the project managers and hang everything on them? They’re the ones who will sign off on completed work so that contractors can get paid, aren’t they?

What’s the point of all this? Simple. We need to get the designers, constructors, the MEP contractors, the commissioning team, the project managers, the owners, the facilities managers – indeed, everyone with a stake in the final product – around the table at concept stage. All too often projects are started without the right people in place. It might cost a bit more up front, but an integrated project team can pay handsome dividends downstream, not the least of which can be on-time or early delivery of a quality project, within budget.

Alan Millin is a Chartered Engineer and LEED Accredited Professional. He has over 35 years’ experience in the HVAC industry. Contact Alan at akmillin@hvacandr.com for more information on his upcoming seminar on ‘Get Clients Now! The Effective 28-Day Marketing Programme’.