Commissioning Manager
Bring structure and confidence to hyperscale data centres, mission-critical electrical systems, and complex MEP programmes. 20+ years in commissioning, quality, and programme management across £2B+ in delivered infrastructure.
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Structured authority at every stage — from Factory Acceptance through Integrated Systems Testing to operational handover.
Disciplines Covered
L0 through L5 commissioning authority. IET, IST, PVT and operational readiness gate management. PDU/RPP testing, EPMS witness, cooling loop balancing, fire suppression validation. Commissioning as verification, not discovery. Governance structured against ISO standards for data centres and aligned with sector requirements increasingly visible at Data Centre World.
Safe energisation readiness structured as programme milestones. Permits-to-work, isolation plans, protection relay settings verified pre-power, in line with HSE electrical safety regulations. VLF/tan-delta testing, primary injection, switchgear commissioning.
SIPROTEC 5 7UT87 relay coordination. CT verification, protection grading studies, isolation strategy. SAP boundary management. Grid interface risk managed as a programme deliverable from design freeze, against Energy Networks Association grid code requirements.
Full-scope QA governance from design review through installation sign-off. ITP enforcement, inspection hold points, NCI tracking. Installation quality verified at workface before any system is released for commissioning, aligned with CIBSE commissioning codes.
Switchgear, UPS, generators, chillers, AHUs, busbars. FAT witness through VLF and primary injection to IEC switchgear standards. Protection relay settings verified. Manufacturer punchlist closed before shipping release.
Point-to-point verification across building management, electrical power monitoring, and supervisory control. Alarm philosophy, trending, operational dashboard configuration through IST, in line with BCIA guidance on building controls integration.
Cooling loop balancing, chiller commissioning, AHU performance verification. Direct-to-chip liquid cooling for AI-ready halls designed to ASHRAE thermal guidelines for data centres. Fire suppression validation. HVAC controls integration with BMS.
Physical interface mapping between trades before mobilisation. Scope boundary tracing on drawings with both supervisors present. Direct subcontractor management through to practical completion — trade sequencing, resource levelling, real-time progress. 12+ parallel trades against a single critical path.
Float Bank Method: systematic float identification, banking, surgical deployment. PEP structured for delivery reality. EPC packaging against supply chain capacity. ITP and QA gate structures. Binary progress: inspected and accepted, or not counted — consistent with APM programme management framework.
Binary-only progress reporting. Work is inspected and accepted at workface, or it doesn't count. No percentage-complete guesswork, no optimistic forecasting. Payment authorisation tied to verified installation, structured around NEC contract payment provisions — subcontractors paid for what's physically confirmed, not what's claimed on a timesheet.
Daily constraint logs replacing weekly report cycles. Field data captured at workface and escalated same-shift. Hold points, NCIs, and test failures surfaced to site leadership within hours, not buried in a Friday pack. Decisions made while the trade is still mobilised.
Foundation set-out for plant bases, riser openings, cable trenches. Utility diversions and new service connections coordinated with statutory undertakers. Penetration schedules, fire stopping, structural openings — closed out before finishes.
Leading quality and commissioning on hyperscale data centre programmes. L1-L5 commissioning, IST scripting and execution, integrated systems testing across HV/MV/LV, cooling, BMS, fire suppression, security.
L1-L5 commissioning on mission-critical facilities. Progressive IST scripts execution, witness/hold points validation, failure-mode scenarios on UPS, ATS, generators, chillers. Cx coordination across multiple trades to programme.
End-to-end MEP project delivery. Budget, programme, risk, client reporting. Procurement of M&E packages, subcontractor management, supply chain coordination.
Running M&E installation on live sites. Subcontractor management, trade sequencing, real-time clash resolution. Quality control, progress tracking, safety.
CSA, PUF coordinated across mechanical, electrical, public health, fire, BMS, security and ELV disciplines. Clash detection, BIM coordination, builder's work drawings, design-stage problem solving.
LV/MV distribution design, cable sizing, protection coordination, lighting layouts, small power, containment routing. Technical foundation built through formal commissioning training before moving into governance and delivery roles.
Notable Projects
QA/QC and commissioning management across phased 11MW data hall delivery. Gate-by-gate commissioning from FAT through operational readiness — HV switchgear witness testing, utility substation safe energisation, BMS/EPMS integration, mechanical plant commissioning. £6.2M+ cost avoidance through early identification of protection coordination gaps and installation non-conformances.
Inherited a stalled programme — safe energisation blocked by unresolved protection coordination issues and incomplete punchlists. Mapped every constraint against the critical path, re-sequenced commissioning activities, drove targeted punchlist closure. 70% reduction in outstanding items pre-power. Predictable IST entry delivered on a revised programme.
Programme management across TfL and GLA operational estate. Transitioned capital works from external consultancy dependency to in-house PM delivery. Stood up progress reporting frameworks, standardised project controls and embedded governance across a multi-site portfolio.
UK-side M&E coordination on VINCI's £200M D&B hotel refurbishment. Localised European design packages to UK Building Control, BS/EN and HSE standards. MEP interfaces across seven disciplines — HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire, BMS, lifts, security — in a live five-star hotel environment.
Built in-house MEP design team and mechanical/electrical fitout capability to accelerate delivery against a compressed programme — permitting delays and investor-driven design changes. Full MEP delivery on a constrained central London site, zero laydown. 12+ trade interfaces coordinated to a single critical path.
MEP technical services lead across four residential blocks up to 54 storeys. Developed M&E design packages across all disciplines and structured procurement sequencing against supply chain lead times and programme constraints.
End-to-end M&E design and commissioning across three residential towers. MV/LV, ELV, BMS and mechanical services from detailed design through fire brigade witnessing, metering, SCADA commissioning and handover to building management.
M&E design and commissioning for a 35-storey bespoke residential tower. Full-scope MV/LV distribution, ELV, BMS, mechanical services, fire alarm and suppression — design through metering, SCADA integration and handover.
MEP delivery for ultra-prime residential estate. Full M&E scope — bespoke home cinema, structured cabling, lighting control (DALI/DMX), environmental monitoring, HVAC zoning. Coordinated specialist AV, security and automation integrators.