THESIS RESEARCH

Commissioning Survey Sent to Approximately 1000 Industry Members
            My name is Travis A. Smith. I am an Architectural Engineering student at The Pennsylvania State University, researching the construction industry’s building commissioning process. Attached is a short Word Doc. survey created to assess commissioning experience, success and failures. The survey is currently being released to all regions of the United States and will be answered by Owners, Architects, Engineers, Commissioners and Construction Managers and Contractors. Your responses will be kept confidential and all information obtained will be utilized solely for academic purposes. Please feel free to answer any questions that your experience permits.

Your assistance on this survey will be greatly valued. Responses can be emailed to tas317@psu.edu. You may also mail your responses to Travis A. Smith, 338 Reynolds Ave. Bellefonte, P.A. 16823. Handwritten or typed responses on the survey or separate sheet are perfectly acceptable. Results will be analyzed in late February. Your expedited reply to the survey is most appreciated.

Sincerely,
Travis A. Smith
Pennsylvania State University
Architectural Engineering Graduate Student
Construction Management
President of D.B.I.A. Penn State Chapter
Vice President S:P.A.C.E.
Architectural Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Intern

1. 1. Your Name:
2. 2. Current Company (optional):
3. 3. Commissioner, Engineer, Designer, Construction Manager, General Contractor, or Owner:
4. 4. Have you been involved with commissioning before on a project?
5. 5. What is the approximate number of projects with respect to commissioning that you have been involved with?
6. 6. Public or Private Project experience with commissioning:
7. 7. Type of project(s) commissioning was implemented on (can be multiple):
8. 8. What was the approximate total cost of each project?
9. 9. Based on your experience, who should hire the commissioning agent and why?
   1. o Owner contracted commissioning agent
   2. o Contractor contracted commissioning agent
   3. o Third party commissioning agent agreed upon by o/a/c
   4. o Owner and Contractor each hire a commissioning agent
10. 10. What is the best time to get a Commissioning Agent involved with the construction process?
11. 11. What is the best method to utilize a Commissioning Agent during the construction process?
12. 12. Based on your experience, should the Commissioning Agent be involved with the specification writing, and if not, which project types and why?
13. 13. Do post occupancy reports convey any trends with respect to commissioning?
14. 14. Based on your experience, do buildings perform at a higher level when commissioned at different times in the building process?
15. 15. Are there trends in the number or type of callbacks in commissioned or non-commissioned building?
16. 16. Who should decide the percentage of system checks for passage during the commissioning process (i.e. how many faucets/toilets/lights operate correctly?)
17. 17. Does commissioning directly effect the as-built drawings turned over to the owner?
18. 18. Are warranty costs lower with different commissioned buildings?
19. 19. Should Operations & Maintenance be outsourced to the Commissioning Agent, and what is your experience with such occurrences?
20. 20. Should a permanent member of the O&M team be on the commissioning team, and what is your experience with such occurrences?
21. 21. Should General Contractor warranties begin at substantial completion or when a Commissioning Agent recommends they begin (to assure systems are at 100% before the start date?)
22. 22. Is commissioning fiscally responsible for all buildings types and sizes, and if not why?
23. 23. What are your positive experiences with commissioning?
24. 24. What are your negative experiences with commissioning?