an Overview of Green Technologies ‐ Questions to Consider
Designing or managing a mission critical facility is not a role to be taken lightly. As technology continues to develop and advance, critical data centers, hospitals, disaster recovery sites, and other mission critical facilities are only going to become more complex.
I’ve included some questions in this section of the chapter to help you assess the status of your facility. Take care when answering these questions and use them as a guide to improve your operations.
INSTALLATION
1 Is your organization sure that there is diversity in the labor pool of the primary and backup sites, such that a wide‐scale event would not simultaneously affect the labor pool of both sites?
2 Do you routinely use or test recovery and resumption arrangements?
3 Are you familiar with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1600 – Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs, which provides a standardized basis for disaster/emergency management planning and business continuity programs in private and public sectors by providing common program elements, techniques, and processes?
4 Has the owner, working with an engineering professional, developed a Design Intent Document to clearly identify quantifiable requirements?
5 Have you prepared a Basis of Design document that memorializes, in a narrative form, the project intent, future expansion options, types of infrastructure systems to be utilized, applicable codes and standards to be followed, design assumptions, and project team decisions and understandings?
6 Will you be provided the opportunity to update the Basis of Design to reflect changes made during the construction and commissioning process?
7 Are the criteria for testing all systems and outlines of the commissioning process identified and incorporated into the design documents?
8 Have you identified a qualified engineering and design firm to conduct a peer project design review?
9 Have you considered directly hiring the commissioning agent to provide true independence?
10 Have you discussed and agreed to a division of responsibilities between the construction manager and the commissioning agent?
11 Do you plan to hire the ultimate operating staff ahead of the actual turnover to operations so they will benefit from participation in the design, construction, and commissioning of the facility?
12 Have you made a decision on the commissioning agent early enough in the process to allow participation and input on commissioning issues and design review by the selected agent?
13 Is the proper level of fire protection in place?
14 Is the equipment (UPS or generator) being placed in a location prone to flooding or other water damage?
15 Do the generator day tanks or underground fuel tanks meet local environmental rules?
16 Does the battery room have proper ventilation?
17 Has adequate cooling or heating been specified for the UPS, switchgear, or generator room?
18 Are the heating and cooling for the mechanical rooms on the power protection system?
19 Have local noise ordinances been reviewed, and does all the equipment comply with the ordinances?
20 Are the posting and enforcement of no‐smoking bans adequate, specifying, for example, no smoking within 100 feet?
21 Are water detection devices used to alert building management of leak or flooding issues?
Procurement
1 Is there a benefit to using an existing vendor or supplier for standardization of process, common spare parts, or confidence in service response?
2 Have the commissioning, factory, and site testing requirement specifications been included in the bid documentation?
3 If the project is bid, have you conducted a technical compliance review that identifies exceptions, alternatives, substitutions, or non‐compliance to the specifications?
4 Are the procurement team members versed in the technical nuances and terminology of the job?
5 If delivery time is critical to the project, have you considered adding late penalty clauses to the installation or equipment contracts?
6 Have you included a bonus for the early completion of the project?
7 Have you obtained unit rates for potential change orders?
8 Have you obtained a GMP (Guaranteed Maximum Price) from contractors?
9 Have you discussed preferential pricing discounts that may be available if your institution or your engineer and contractors have other similar large purchases occurring?
Construction
1 Do you intend to create and maintain a list of observations and concerns that will serve as a checklist during the acceptance process to ensure that these items are not overlooked?
2 Will members of the design, construction, commissioning agent, and operations team attend the factory acceptance tests for major components and systems such as UPS, generators, batteries, switchgear, and chillers?
3 During the construction phase, do you expect to develop and circulate for comment the start up plans, documentation formats, and pre‐functional checklists that will be used during startup and acceptance testing?
4 Since interaction between the construction manager and the commissioning agent is key, will you encourage attendance at the weekly construction status meetings by the commissioning team?
5 Will an independent commissioning and acceptance meeting be run by the commissioning agent, ensuring that everything needed for that process is on target?
6 Will you encourage the construction, commissioning, and operations staff to walk the job site regularly to identify access and maintainability issues?
7 If the job site is an operating critical site, do you have a risk assessment and change control mechanism in place to ensure reliability?
8 Have you established a process to have independent verification that labeling on equipment and power circuits is correct?
Commissioning and Acceptance
1 Do testing data result sheets identify expected acceptable result ranges?
2 Are control sequences, checklists, and procedures written in plain language, not technical jargon, that is easily misunderstood?
3 Have all instrumentation, test equipment, actuators, and sensing devices been checked and calibrated?
4 Is system acceptance testing scheduled after balancing of mechanical systems, and are electrical cable/breaker testing complete?
5 Have you listed the systems
