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Assure that your data center operates as it was designed by comparing the actual performance following construction to the engineering specifications.  The commissioning process can start in the early stages during the design phase to help identify owner's requirements and to identify system-related problems early in the project to save you from unexpected costs or delays during the construction phase. 

Service Overview

 

Commissioning follows a traditional process. Our role is to ensure that all systems are complete and functioning properly upon owner’s acceptance,  review and verify that documentation such as test reports and as-builts reflect the completed systems while formalizing and accelerating the training and familiarization of operating personnel with the building infrastructure.

 

Part of this role is to systematically document that specified components and systems have been tested in the factory,  started up properly when installed at the data center or critical facility and then functionally tested as an integrated system to verify and document proper operation throughout all modes and conditions including documenting baseline information and demonstrating the capacity and fault tolerance of systems.

 

 

How can we help?

 

To facilitate that process and to ensure that all stakeholders have real-time visibility into each aspect of the commissioning, we use the latest integrated system testing tools and dashboards is a critical step in the process. We have learned this by commissioning over 50 million square feet of data center and critical facilities space around the world. Our commissioning team operates as a separate entity within EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll providing consulting, commissioning, and technical documentation services to building owners and managers in any geographic location. Customers can be assured of their independent perspective.

 

The extensive data center & critical facilities commissioning experience of EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll’s staff, coupled with our facilities management experience and support of a full-service MEP design firm, gives EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll a unique advantage in commissioning a facility. The vast experience in commissioning includes decades of work with various flywheel technologies, all types of UPS designs, optimized mechanical plants for maximum efficiency and other green technologies.

 

We have members of our firm who are solely dedicated to building diagnostics, focusing on our commissioning, and testing services. This specialized group provides services throughout the world and is organized to spend weeks or months at a time (if required) at specific site locations to perform these critical services. This group has vast experience commissioning data centers and other critical facility types for service providers, technology companies, pharmaceutical laboratories, financial institutions, and the federal government (with top level clearances in place).

 

EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll has chosen to use CxAlloy as our tool for testing, communicating, and reporting on commissioning projects.

 

CxAlloy is a cloud-based web application for managing project quality during the design and construction phases of a building. It provides one interface for all team members to perform their job functions efficiently and collaborate effectively. Using CxAlloy streamlines EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll’s already time-tested processes and allows for instantaneous communication and resolution.

 

Key Differentiators

 

  • Our commissioning team includes members with diverse expertise, led by PEs, and backed by design experts.

 

  • We provide a flexible and scalable approach to commissioning with proven staff and methodologies

 

  • Our proposed resources are engineering professionals who have significant experience in completing complex commissioning projects and providing operations documents

 

  • We provide guidance and testing programs to enhance the operational functionality, efficiency, and overall reliability of existing mission-critical infrastructures. We do so using existing monitoring systems or by implementing standalone equipment.

 

  • We understand that each client is different. We emphasize on providing excellent verbal and written communication skills. 

 

  • We actively engage with client management, operational staff, and trade contractors at the earliest stage possible to integrate them into the commissioning process.

 

 

Case Studies

 

 

 

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Digital Realty

Digital Realty was looking for a Commissioning leader to become a responsive partner with global experience to provide commissioning and site acceptance testing of their 200 sites. The project included the structure to fine-tune operations to improve efficiency and reliability of electrical and thermal systems. Load testing to create baseline for future maintenance testing and design and commissioning power and cooling capacity upgrades in live environments.

 

The project was completed without impacting the on-operation equipment, it improved the efficiency and reliability of all systems and reduced or prevented the probability of downtime.

 

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Confidential Colocation

This Co-Location provider wanted a "massively modular" design for its new data centers.  It was super-sizing its approach to colocation facilities with the development of a 700,000 sq. ft. building in the Dallas market, and seeking to position modularity as an approach to a phased deployment of space using highly standardized elements. EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll was selected as the design and commissioning partner who could work through the engineering and design issues associated with this new concept. 

 

EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll developed the standard MEP designs, as well as the commissioning plan and test scripts to be used for future projects based on this data center design. In addition, EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll performed multi-level commissioning for additional projects from this client.

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Confidential Hyperscale

EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll worked with the General Contractor team providing commissioning support and quality management for five greenfield data centers (+35MW) in Boydton, VA.  EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll performed receipt inspection, ensured that all equipment had been properly started up, all inspections and tests had been completed, all issues resolved and closed out and all inspections, tests, startup forms and documentation had been filled out, complete and uploaded into the commissioning data base so that each data center buildout could move into the Acceptance Phase. 

 

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Citigroup 

EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll was first selected by this client as the design engineer for a greenfield data center in Roanoke, TX. The facility was a ‘ground-up’ single-story, 243,000 sq. ft Tier IV facility with 100,000 sq. ft of raised floor computer environment.

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The Commissioning for this project included factory witness testing, developing scripts for startup, commissioning, and integrated system testing. The commissioning team provided oversite of construction and startup and performed functional and integrated system testing. Testing progressed from components of the systems and sub-systems to the systems that made up the electrical and mechanical infrastructure for these projects. Testing demonstrated to the Owner that the Data Center operated as designed.

 

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France Telecom/Orange

EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll was selected to design and provide commissioning services (MEP, FP, BMS, CCTV) to multiple data centers. Including 2 campus of 2 buildings each. Each building is 10 MW IT HQ host 4 Data Halls of 10,000 SF @ 250 KW/SF

 

The project was designed with a data center standard modern for future constructions: 1 building to be cloned 4 times, using the latest technologies including Direct Air Free Cooling for low. 30% energy savings versus a standard design. Flexibility to adapt to next 10-20 years technologies.

 

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Confidential Hyperscale

EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll performed startup and commissioning of approximately 100 units (400 sq. ft at 800-1000 W/per sq. ft). The prefabricated and prepopulated containerized solutions were modular and included a mix of adiabatic and chilled water cooling. The electrical solution included a mix of central UPS and in-rack critical power battery backup.

 

EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll installed 45 units (30 EcoPODs and 15 Water Cooled 40’ PODs) in six months to support the deployment of 130,000 servers in the largest of four similar waves of deployment. The EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll solution consisted of design, project management oversight of sub-contractors, and Commissioning.

 

The deployment met or exceeded very aggressive installation schedules to recover losses to the overall timeline after site construction delays, allowing the client to meet its financial obligations.

 

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Confidential Colocation

EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll was selected to support one of the leading co-location providers to develop a working set of deliverables for future data center expansion and maintenance CapEx and associated OpeX expenditures. This plan will include benchmark against appropriate external peers (COLOs both wholesale and retail) in Americas, APAC and EMEA. Comparables across the client's facilities (+12 countries). Analyze key drivers of any differences in the fit-out and maintenance CapEx data. Identify gaps where benchmarking indices differ between the client and external peers. Recommend remedial actions for a selected subset of projects.

 

EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll’s commissioning plan allowed the client to plan their expenditures more efficiently.  With less troubleshooting and repairs, retention improved, as well as the staff’s quality of life, and expenses were lowered.

 

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Confidential Colocation

EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll provided construction phase and acceptance phase commissioning services for the electrical and mechanical infrastructure of a new building at a data center campus in East Wenatchee, Washington. 

 

The CA performed peer review on BIM documents and sequence of operations. The Commissioning team prepared scripts and a detailed commissioning plan. The commissioning schedule was accelerated to meet an aggressive completion schedule to recover losses to the overall timeline after delays, allowing the client to meet its financial obligations.

 

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Confidential Co-Location

The Client was seeking to position modularity as an approach to a phased deployment of space using highly standardized elements.

 

EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll was retained to perform design, multi-level commissioning, and construction administration services for the mechanical and electrical infrastructure of two colocation facilities in San Antonio, TX and Chandler, AZ, with data hall builds of two 40,000 square foot pods.

 

 

EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll provided a standard Cx Plan for future projects, allowing the Client to plan their expenditures more efficiently. The Client was able to complete the first phase of the Carrollton project in record time, bringing 5 MW of raised floor space online in just 14 weeks.

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BBVA

 

New DC highly available Tier IV by the Uptime Institute Design (1st Spain) and Construction (Europe 1st). BBVA’s Tres Cantos facility is the first DPC in Europe and the fourth anywhere in the world to receive this double certification, which the Uptime Institute assigns to data processing centers that feature optimal levels of reliability and safety. 

 

The Group’s targets for expansion in coming decades and BBVA’s firm commitment to information technologies were the two main drivers convincing the bank of the need to build a new DPC in Tres Cantos, adjacent the lender’s original facility. BBVA’s new DPC, which spans 20,000 square meters, doubles and has room to triple the density of equipment the previous facility was able to house. Indeed, the new DPC hosts equipment consisting of up to 10,000 high-end processors, vs. 4,800 at the old center.

 

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Confidential Technology Company

EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll was selected to design and commission two Tier III data centers.  Commissioning services included Factory witness testing, developing scripts for startup, and integrated system testing

 

The mechanical cooling design utilized indirect evaporative cooling units on the roof for the technology building and VRF (variable refrigerant flow) system for the administrative areas.  Electrically the design had rotary style UPS units along with outdoor generators. 

 

The team was very interactive with design and heavily engaged in construction administration.  BIM360 was used as the commissioning software tool.

 

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National Institutes of Health (NIH)

A portion of an existing office building (approx. 5,400 SF) was repurposed into a new data center facility or Consolidated Computational Research Facility (CCRF). Work included extensive coordination with mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, landscaping, vibration, and technology consultants. Mechanical systems work includes construction of a new bidirectional fault-tolerant chilled water distribution system teamed with in-row type chilled-water cooling units situated on the raised data floor. New heat exchangers, redundant chilled water pumps, chilled water storage tanks and controls, along with a local low ambient emergency air cooled chiller will be installed to support the data center cooling needs. Systems to include new interior and exterior distribution gear, automatic transfer switches, uninterruptible power supplies, transformers, power transformers, and remote power supplies. Special systems include fire alarm systems, access control, video surveillance, and paging.

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EYP MCF, Part of Ramboll commissioned the new data center facility, wrote complete operational procedures for all components and systems, and worked with the client to vet those procedures.

 

 

Services

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Pre-Design Phase

  • Milestone Development

  • Assist in Identifying Owners Requirements

  • Assist in Developing Pre-purchase Specifications

  • Assist in Basis of Design (BOD) Development

 

Design Phase

  • Commissioning Design Reviews

  • Submittal Reviews

  • Construction Phase

  • Factory Witness Testing

  • Commissioning Kickoff Meeting

  • Commissioning Meetings

  • Commissioning Schedule

  • Receipt Inspection Log

  • Construction Checklist Completion & Startup Reports

  • Site Acceptance Testing Procedure Development

  • Integrated Systems Testing Procedure Development

  • Construction Inspections & Reports

  • Punchlist Development & Closeout

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  • Acceptance Phase

    • Daily Commissioning Meetings

    • Daily Commissioning Reports

    • Site Acceptance Testing

    • Integrated Systems Testing

    • Punchlist Development & Closeout

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  • Reporting Phase

    • Preliminary Report

    • Final Report

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  • Occupancy and Operations Phase

    • LEED Documentation Period

    • Training Period

    • Warranty Period

    • Recommissioning Plan

COMMISSIONING

Description
Case Studies
Services
Webinars
Podcast

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Webinars​

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Podcasts

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       Special Guest: Kevin Sanders

       Managing Principal, Data Center Consulting & Strategy EYP Mission Critical Facilities, Part of Ramboll

 

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