At Henderson Building Solutions, mission critical technical commissioning is about more than checking another box on the checklist, it’s about making sure essential facilities work exactly as intended, especially when it matters most. While standard process-based commissioning is a valuable approach, our technical commissioning takes it a step further with team engagement through each commissioning level. This collaborative method carefully evaluates and tests for optimal performance at each of the following levels:  

• Level 0: The Design Phase – Aligns systems design with project goals.
• Level 1: Factory Witness Testing – Verifies equipment works as intended before being shipped. 
• Level 2: Site Acceptance Inspection – Confirms equipment is accounted for and ready to be installed.
• Level 3: Pre-Functional Commissioning – Inspects installation for design compliance.
• Level 4: Functional Performance Testing – Confirms system performance.
• Level 5: Integrated System Testing – Ensures system fully operates and remains reliable.  

BUILDING THE FOUNDATION

Before any physical work begins, a successful mission critical foundation must be established at Level 0: The Design Phase. While this is an integral part of the commissioning process, it’s common for only certain steps of this level to be performed. During this process, the commissioning team will review documents to ensure functionality and create a quality commissioning plan to help clients maximize the performance of their spaces. The review focuses on critical commissioning operations such as fault tolerance and reliability, maintainability, and optimization to confirm that the proposed design supports the facility’s long-term operational needs. Similarly, the commissioning plan outlines every step for the project ahead, detailing documents and checklists for Levels 1,2, 3, 4, and 5. 

With the design plans setting a strong foundation, the process moves on to Level 1: Factory Witness Testing, where equipment is evaluated to verify it’s built correctly and operates as expected before it’s shipped to the site. Equipment testing will often occur at the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) facility or a third-party testing location, with attention on major system components such as engine generators, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, chillers, switchgear, and more, bringing what’s on paper to life. While Level 1 might not significantly differ from Level 0, every piece of equipment is thoroughly reviewed and optimized to have a seamless transition into the next phase.  

EVERY STEP OF THE WAY 

Once equipment arrives onsite, Level 2: Site Acceptance Inspection begins to assess each shipment for damaged, missing, or mismatched equipment. This step will confirm that every piece outlined in the initial plan is accounted for and ready to be installed to prevent delays, therefore keeping the project on schedule and preventing costly disruptions. After shipment is inspected, equipment will be installed and functionally verified in the Level 3: Pre-Functional Commissioning phase. At this stage, static checks are performed to ensure the installation aligns with the design documents, follows the manufactures recommendations, and meets accessibility, maintainability, and compliance with local code requirements. Additionally, contractors and OEM startups are overseen, building management systems are activated, and testing, adjusting, and balancing (TAB) processes are performed to ensure all systems operate as designed. 

As equipment is installed and verified, we’ll begin to test individual systems such as chillers and pumps to confirm they function correctly, follow their sequence of operations, and meet performance standards in Level 4: Functional Performance Testing. We’ll also verify alarms and setpoints to ensure systems respond appropriately in different scenarios. During this detailed phase of testing, precise measurements and engineering analysis are used to evaluate how well the equipment is running. This interactive approach verifies everything operates smoothly and reliably, setting the stage for seamless system integration.  

SEAMLESS INTEGRTION 

With all the individual components tested and verified, it’s time to bring everything together in Level 5: Integrated System Testing, making it the final step in the commissioning process. This phase prioritizes overall system performance and observes how equipment operates under real-world circumstances and extreme conditions. During Level 5, dynamic testing is carried out by our commissioning team to stimulate failure scenarios, such as power loss or equipment failure to evaluate how the system responds and evaluate whether the system will operate efficiently. By the end of this process, clients will have a fully tested optimized integrated system that’s ready to meet the demands of their mission critical operations.

HENDERSON KNOWS COMMISSIONING

Allowing our team to take the lead in creating and executing inspections builds trust, knowing the equipment has been thoroughly reviewed to maintain quality and reliability. This hands-on approach gives clients the confidence that every part of their facility, down to the smallest detail, will work as intended even in the most challenging scenarios. Whether your building is brand new, in need of an upgrade, or looking for better days, Henderson Building Solutions is here to help. It’s right there in our name—we’re a company of problem solvers and innovators who are known for finding solutions to the toughest challenges.