Enlisting effective and efficient support of our Vendors is a critical success factor on many of our projects. Vendors assist in the commissioning of our compressor, refrigeration and many specialist package equipment’s, they are key to our overall success but are we ready for their assistance?

Once contractually bound to give commissioning support we must engage with the vendor well in advance of the actual commissioning period so both your and their schedules can be aligned, typically this must be at least 4 weeks, maybe longer. Have outstanding actions from perhaps a Factory Acceptance Test been organised for prompt close out, are all the quality manuals in place and up to date, have simple items like labelling been checked and confirmed acceptable, have you punch listed the equipment, especially if it’s been sat around for a while?

Are there any specialist arrangements that need to be put in place for the initial Vendor commissioning, any additional plant items such as drain receptacles, additional first use chemicals, equipment and piping for initial use, (vent stacks etc.) is a change out scheduled for oil or filter media, do you need to organise temporary power supplies, how about controlling the equipment, all these additional steps need to be considered and correctly organised.

The final appreciation should be to getting the vendors onto the jobsite and to work, hence have all contractor requirements for your workplace been met, have all inductions and training been considered, (please refer to your company and project procedures for contractor management), how about getting the team a permit to work including provision of acceptable risk assessments and method statements for the work to be performed, is a plan in place? If the vendors documentation is being used in lieu of a commissioning procedure, has the Setting to Work, or Site Acceptance Test documentation been approved by the commissioning team?

So much to think about to enlist the invaluable assistance vendors give to the commissioning team and one matter to think carefully about.

Safe and successful commissioning always…