Commissioning is the final phase in project execution, the primary goal of which is to ensure that the project has been completed and to set the operating team up for success. When sustainability has been integrated into a major project, success also means that the operation has been set up for the best possible environmental and social performance.

During commissioning the project team should focus on coordinating a smooth transition with the operations team to:

• Protect and continue the strong stakeholder relationships that have been developed.
• Maintain commitments to sustainability, environmental and social management systems, and monitoring programs (modified accordingly for operations).
• Ensure that construction work is finished properly to minimize environmental damage.
• Maximize the benefits of local capacity building by continuing to employ as much of the trained local employees and utilizing the local supply chain for operations.

Several factors are required to achieve a successful transition to operations. Commissioning must include systems to ensure that the facility will have sustainability built into its core operational procedures and processes. The investments and resources allocated to optimizing social and environmental performance during project execution phases will be lost if the commissioning strategy does not address the conscious transitioning of sustainability systems over to operations. This will provide operations with the ability to reach its targets and generate the greatest return on investment for the organization.

In this chapter, we explore the key resources and systems needed to preserve the project's sustainability systems through commissioning and into operations. We start with the sustainability expertise needed on the commissioning team, explore the transitioning of management systems, and look at the sensitive approach needed to hand over stakeholder relationships, particularly with the local community. We also felt it important to highlight that there is a significant reduction in local employment and local procurement as construction winds down. This can create a significant challenge for the commissioning team and requires preparing local stakeholders in advance to minimize the risk of losing community support for the operations.

13.1 Commissioning Team 

The commissioning team will typically include representatives from project management, construction management, and the operations team. It is important for the team to be brought together as early as possible in the initial planning stages of commissioning to ensure that everyone understands the sustainability successes that have been achieved during project execution, and the value that sustainability can add to commissioning and to operations.

The commissioning team will include a broad range of skills and responsibilities, and should include:

• Members of the project team who can help preserve knowledge and experience gathered during project development, including from engineers, procurement, and construction teams
• Operations staff who will need to understand the history of the project and know the sustainability requirements
• Sustainability-related resources, including sustainability management, human resources, local procurement, communications, regulatory affairs, and stakeholder engagement
• Representatives from major original equipment manufacturers (OEM)
• Contractors involved in commissioning

All team members should be provided with training on the main sustainability documents and systems so that everyone understands their responsibilities. As discussed earlier in the book, sustainability is a team sport, and everyone has a role to play in creating a better project. The training should include:

• Commitments that apply to commissioning and operations
• Community agreements and economic development plans
• Major permits and approvals
• Stakeholder engagement plans

13.2 Management Systems

During commissioning, most of the project management systems will be transitioned to support operations. Examples include health and safety, and environmental management systems that are required for running a smooth operation. Some management systems, like the construction management plan, will need to be significantly modified to shift from major construction activities to ongoing maintenance activities during operations.

Sustainability management systems, including stakeholder engagement and economic development plans, will all need to be modified appropriately for the operations phase. Sustainability management tools developed during project execution, such as the commitments register, permit register, and complaints mechanism, also must be transitioned carefully during commissioning.

The environmental and social monitoring programs will also need to be transitioned to operations. The amount of monitoring will likely decrease, and the metrics tracked will change as the project moves to operations. However, there should be consistency between baseline studies, construction monitoring, and monitoring during operations.

Each department lead should work with the relevant internal stakeholders from the broader project team, members of commissioning, and future operations teams, to coordinate the necessary modifications to their respective management systems.

13.3 Stakeholder Engagement

Over the course of project execution, local stakeholders and community members can become accustomed to dealing and working with the project team – for example, getting project updates from the project director and the project's community relations team or community liaison officers. Typically, once the project is completed and handed over to the operations team, these project team members leave and a new team arrives with a new general manager and, sometimes, new community relations team members.

If the transition is not managed well, the nurtured relationships and trust that were built over time could exit with the project team. It is important to transfer stakeholder relationships with care and sensitivity. The outgoing and incoming teams should set up meetings with key stakeholder groups and individuals to consciously introduce the new general manager or community relations manager. Handing over relationships is far more complex and unpredictable than handing over physical assets. One simple way to help the transition is to mark the project's end with a celebration to show appreciation to local communities, businesses, and other stakeholders for their support.

13.4 Communications

Preparing local communities and other key stakeholders for commissioning and the transition to operations is important in order to manage expectations and prevent speculation. There are many ways to let people know that project construction is approaching completion and that the facility will be ready for use or operations very shortly. Some tips on managing communications during commissioning include:

• Prepare standard project messaging related to commissioning that is communicated to the commissioning team and other project employees to ensure consistent communications.
• Keep the project website updated on project progress. It should also have contact information, a community hotline, and an email inquiry account for community members to ask for more information.
• Prepare specific newsletters or brochures to highlight the upcoming shifts in project activity, such as the decrease in construction activity and reduction in employment.
• Keep social media accounts updated with real-time information.
• Issue media statements proactively to address any changes in the commissioning schedule.

13.5 Completion and Demobilization

There are many other aspects of commissioning that major projects incorporate into the commissioning plan, including demobilization of equipment and facilities like camps and equipment, cleanup and waste removal, and progressive reclamation (discussed in Chapter 14). Integrating sustainability into project delivery can help ensure that there are plans and systems in place to track and manage the environmental and social impacts of demobilization.

The use of a Permit to Work (PtW) system that tracks how each construction scope of work is executed and completed helps ensure that construction does not leave unfinished work or messy construction sites. The completion portion of the PtW system should include an inspection of the work site to confirm that the work is completed, and that the area has been left in a clean and safe condition. By maintaining clean work sites throughout the construction process, the level of effort to clean up the site before demobilization will be reduced.

The demobilization of construction infrastructure, including camps, temporary utilities (power, water, and waste water), construction equipment, and excess warehouse and maintenance space, needs to be completed in a sustainable manner. Waste and sewage should be treated and disposed of responsibly at approved facilities. Equipment and facilities that will not be needed by the operation should be dismantled and the area reclaimed or, if possible, transferred to a local community that may be able to use the facilities for their own purposes. For example, road building equipment no longer needed by the project could be transferred to the community to support their infrastructure development and maintenance needs.

The demobilization and shift to operations will also create changes to traffic patterns and access roads, which can have an impact on safety in local communities. There should be clear communication regarding the timing of these changes, what the community can expect to experience, and how the impacts will be managed.

13.6 Summary

Commissioning a major project is a complex process. Ensuring that all the good work achieved up front to integrate sustainability into the project is continued through to the operations phase is important to the operation's success and to protecting the project's community support and capital investment.

Effective stakeholder engagement is as important at the end of the project as it is at the beginning of the project. It is critical to engage with the local community to review project impacts, revisit economic development plans, and manage the associated impacts on local employees and local businesses.

This chapter has provided a very broad overview of key issues for integrating sustainability into the commissioning of a major project. The right sustainability expertise on the commissioning team and collaboration between members of the project and operations teams help to ensure that sustainability efforts are transitioned effectively. The commissioning team must also manage the demobilization, cleanup, and reclamation of construction areas so that environmental damage from the construction is minimized. Treating the land around the facility with respect will not only help to maintain community support, but it can also help the facility operate safely and successfully, as will be discussed in Chapter 14, addressing progressive reclamation and closure activities.