PURPOSE
The purpose of this Procedure is to provide an overview and guideline for the startup of a facility and/or the commissioning of equipment and systems in the facility on projects where startup is required. Facility startup is one of the services to be performed by the Contractor prior to acceptance of the facility. Close coordination between the Contractor, Project Manager, Construction Manager, Project Engineer, and the operations and maintenance groups is necessary to perform facility startup. On large or complex projects a Startup Team may be formed to facilitate the coordination of startup activities.
REFERENCES
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RESPONSIBILITIES
Project Manager (PM): It is the responsibility of the PM to make sure that each project has a successful startup. This includes the PM’s responsibility to ensure that language regarding the Contractor’s responsibilities for training, spare parts, personnel for repair and corrective work, equipment supplier availability and items to be provided by the Contractor are incorporated in the Specifications and Contract Documents. The PM should be available during startup to assist the Construction Manager with any design-related problems.
Project Engineer (PE): On large or complex projects the PM may bring on a PE to assist the PM with his/her responsibilities.
Construction Manager (CM): It is the responsibility of the CM to coordinate the startup process and to ensure that all parties involved with the startup are notified in advance of the scheduled startup and what is expected of each party. The CM should also coordinate with operations and maintenance staff to make sure that overall plant / facility / building operations are not compromised by the startup activities. In conjunction with the PM, the CM decides if a startup team is necessary and who should be included on the team.
Contractor: It is the responsibility of the Contractor to provide the necessary personnel to maintain the facility and to do required troubleshooting and repair work until the work is accepted by the City. The Contractor shall coordinate with his subcontractors and equipment suppliers and manufacturers to ensure they are available to correct all malfunctions of their equipment (24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays) during the startup period. The Contractor should also provide all fuel, oil, lubricants, spare parts, etc. to make all equipment or systems operable during startup with costs included in the Bid.
Bureau of Contract Administration: It is the responsibility of the Bureau of Contract Administration Inspector to witness the startup of the facilities. The inspector will ensure that all the requirements of the contract documents are complied with. Upon successful completion of the required testing final inspection, approval can be granted to the facility.
Startup Team: It is the responsibility of the startup team to help the CM to facilitate the startup of the facility. The startup team shall have expertise in the areas of control systems, electrical, instrumentation, mechanical and operations disciplines. The team shall use this expertise to facilitate the startup activities. The team may include representatives from the owner/client/operations groups as well as CM and field engineers. The startup team may also include an independent third party.
PROCEDURE
Depending on the type of project, the amount and complexity of work for startup can vary greatly. Some projects such as civil projects (i.e., a storm drain project) have little startup. Other projects, such as Municipal Facilities and wastewater treatment process projects may have complex startup requirements. Regardless of the project, the CM should monitor all startup processes and document all results.
Startup encompasses a number of closely related activities proceeding in a logical sequence. These activities progress from installation and testing of individual equipment components to the implementation and testing of functional sub-systems and the overall facility/system as a whole.
For stormwater and wastewater projects, startup is that stage of the performance testing during which the facility is operated with the actual process fluid or medium for a specified time of continuous operation without major interruptions.
For building projects, startup is the stage in which the building’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems (including HVAC) are turned on, tested, and operated for set durations.
Startup on all projects culminates in system integration and performance testing to demonstrate and verify that all systems are functioning as intended and are ready for continuous operation. This also includes operating the facility, troubleshooting deficiencies, repair and corrective work (if required), and training. Startup shall be completed prior to beneficial acceptance by the City. Some startup and testing must be done as part of the inspection of a project (i.e., fire alarm panel and device tests) and must be completed before final inspection approval is granted.
Once it is determined that construction is complete to a point where startup and commissioning can take place, the Contractor shall schedule the startup and commissioning. It is the responsibility of the CM to ensure that all parties involved with the startup are notified in advance of the scheduled startup and what is expected of each party. The use of Facility Startup Checklists will help with this task (See Links / Attachments Section). The CM should also coordinate with operations and maintenance staff to ensure that overall plant / facility / building operations are not compromised by the startup procedures.
The Contractor shall develop a startup plan early in the construction stage and submit to the CM for review and approval. The startup plan addresses all elements of the startup process including the mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and controls systems. The plan should designate the initial unit(s) and systems to be operated, the duration of operation, the equipment/system rotation, as well as the sequence of startup. The plan should contain vendor training and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) training schedules. It should take into consideration alternatives to deal with failed systems/equipment and emergency situations. And it should also identify required regulatory agency operating permits and certifications. City maintenance personnel will not troubleshoot or perform repair work during the startup period. Emergencies are an exception.
The actual startup takes place when construction is substantially complete and all project/building systems are fully functional using the specified service condition for which the equipment, system, or facility is designed to handle at normal operating conditions. The facility should be run for a specified length of time without major interruption. This specified time may be in hours or days but should be clearly stated in the contract documents. Only after the facility has been operated successfully during the specified period will the City accept the facility.
The Contractor is required to support startup activities with adequate staff to prevent delays, process upsets, or plant interruptions. The Contractor shall schedule any remaining work so as to not interfere with or delay the completion of the startup process.
RELATED PROCEDURES
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LINKS / ATTACHMENTS
Links
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