Equipment tests for commissioning

Introduction

As a quality manager overseeing commissioning, you are responsible for making sure mechanical installations passes its required tests before the project handover. But coordinating tests across contractors, engineers, and third-party experts is difficult to manage with emails and paper protocols alone. With Dalux, you can plan, track, and follow up on equipment tests tied directly to each BIM object. This ensures that nothing gets lost and that every result is documented with a full audit trail.

The challenge

Before the project handover, mechanical installations undergo staged testing to confirm that they meets contract, insurance, and warranty requirements, standards and local building codes. These tests are carried out by contractors, engineers, and third-party experts. Regulated systems, such as fire alarms or sprinklers, often require an authority having jurisdiction, an insurer, or an independent commissioning authority to be present and approve the test results.

Without a shared system, it is difficult for a quality manager to oversee commissioning, coordinate tests, and track what is outstanding. Paper test protocols that are disconnected from the equipment itself make documentation difficult to find later. Failed tests must be resolved before retesting, and managing that process for hundreds or thousands of items via email and phone alone is nearly impossible.

How Dalux solves it

In Dalux, you can set up inspections for each piece of equipment and link all tests and their protocols directly to it. This is done in accordance with recognized commissioning methodologies, such as ASHRAE Guideline 0/1 or the CIBSE Commissioning Code. Each protocol can be standardized for a specific test type and reused across projects for consistent testing and documentation across your portfolio.

If a test fails or an issue is detected, a task goes directly to the responsible contractor, who is notified immediately. Where a test requires third-party witnessing or sign-off, you can add their signature as a requirement to the test protocol, so their approval is captured alongside the test result. You are notified once an issue is resolved, so you can schedule the retest.

With a clear overview per inspection plan, or across plans in a matrix, you always know the status and progress of equipment tests across your construction project.

The result

With Dalux you get:

• Organized equipment testing: Equipment tests are planned and structured per item, based on recognized commissioning practices.
• Full audit trails: Every test, including third-party witnessing and sign-off where required, is documented and traceable.
• Trackable outstanding tasks: Failed tests generate tasks with clear responsibility, for smooth rework.

Set up equipment testing across your project

Dalux inspection plans are ideal to set up your equipment tests across the project. Each inspection plan should include all equipment tests for one commissioning package, for example fire alarms, sprinkler systems, ventilation, or power supply. You usually determine who will lead and execute commissioning for each package and who will witness or sign off on specific tests. This may include an authority having jurisdiction or an independent commissioning authority.

You can set up checklist templates for each type of test protocol, so testing and its documentation stay consistent. Share these checklists with your other Dalux projects to establish consistent processes across your whole portfolio.

For each equipment type, you create a 3D object group. 3D object groups are based on BIM parameters and let you plan tests for all matching items at once.

You can create a new zone layer and structure your construction project into individual zones. Zones give you control over coordinating tests and are required for inspection plans.

You structure the tests in the inspection plan in their logical order. The matrix overview is based on this order and gives you a clear picture of where you are in the testing process.

Each test can include the method and acceptance criteria for when it counts as successful. You can link your checklist templates to individual tests.

Each inspection plan needs to be linked to a workflow that defines who performs the tests and who is responsible for fixes if a test fails. As the quality manager overseeing commissioning, you can keep at least viewing permissions on all these inspection plans, so you can see the progress.

You can create a matrix of your equipment tests that includes all tests and zones. This provides a central overview of the status of tests in each construction zone, ongoing tasks resulting from tests, and equipment that has passed testing and is ready for the handover documentation.

Full overview of equipment tests

Setting up your equipment tests this way provides a comprehensive view of all tests and related tasks throughout your commissioning process. These are directly tied to each BIM object and documented with a complete audit trail for each item, including third-party approval when necessary.

With Dalux, you get organized equipment testing.

• Organized equipment testing: All tests are linked to their BIM objects, so you never waste time searching for the correct documentation.
• Full audit trails: Third-party witnessing or sign-off, where required, is captured on the test record alongside the result.
• Trackable outstanding tasks: Each failed test is connected to a task with clear responsibility and is tracked the same way as any other outstanding task, including those scheduled after handover due to seasonal conditions.