Owner Services Program
Overview
Since its successful pilot on the LEED Platinum certified*, Blackstone Office Renovation Project in 2006, OSP has been developed for six other capital projects, including: 23 Everett Street, Baker/Ukrainian House, Byerly Hall, Rockefeller Hall, Weld Hill and the upcoming Northwest Corner.
This new offering is available to all Harvard project managers and client teams. The following is a brief outline of the program, several additional OSP benefits, and some recent results.
To request a detailed presentation for a current or future project, contact Tony Ragucci at 617-496-3260, or email at tony_ragucci at harvard dot edu.
Program Outline
OSP can dramatically improve the value of any capital project by ensuring the following:
- proper installation, integrated testing, and operation of all primary building systems, including MEP, life safety, and access control.
- establishment of comprehensive preventive maintenance plans for all MEP and life safety equipment;
- full training of maintenance staff in building operating and maintenance protocols; and
- assistance with the development of building-specific emergency response procedures and Building Energy Management System (BMS) protocols.
OSP does not change any of the contractual or technical responsibilities for the Architects, Engineers, Consultants, or Contractors.
Program Objectives
- Ensure Harvard receives what was purchased under the MEP scope of the project, including quality of installation work and system performance/functionality.
- Ensure ongoing engagement of the design team throughout the project, including equipment start-up, problem-solving, and acceptance.
- Facilitate transition to the post-occupancy operations, including establishment of an ongoing preventive maintenance program.
Why OSP is Not the Same as Commissioning
Effective building commissioning is a critical part of any successful capital project… and OSP is not its replacement. Rather, OSP is a complementary suite of services and activities focused on early and meaningful engagement of the owner’s operations team … the folks who will be left to operate and maintain the building long after the designers, contractors, commissioning agents, and project managers complete their work.
A few of the differences between OSP and typical building commissioning services include:
Early Start
Optimally, an OSP starts with the initial design phase (even before the commissioning agent is typically involved) and works with the client team throughout the entire project. This early involvement helps assure program continuity and establishes buy-in by the design team as well as the eventual construction contractor and commissioning agent.
Weekly Reports
OSP representatives typically attend every weekly job meeting after the start of construction and produce a weekly report of findings and recommendations for the Project Team. Observations and recommendations — ranging from placement of equipment and access panels for optimal maintainability to considerations for code compliance — are documented with clear, digital photographs and produced in an electronic format that can be easily shared with all project contributors.
Investment in Staff
OSP not only trains the maintenance staff in the proper operations of specific building equipment, but also educates the staff on how the systems are designed to work. This crucial understanding of design intent can help avoid maintenance “fixes” — including overriding BMS controls or reconfiguring equipment settings — that actually hamper proper system operation, sustain chronic building complaints, and waste energy!
Optimizing Energy Performance
The OSP goes beyond the commissioning process by working closely with the building management team and maintenance staff to confirm that the building systems are truly optimized to meet the operational needs of the building and, most importantly, performing at the highest possible efficiency. OSP ensures that the Preventive Maintenance Programs are established early in the process.
Emergency Response Planning
Building commissioning, for all of its value, does not help prepare the owner’s team for daily operations once the building comes online ... or for response to emergency conditions. Put another way, consider yourself in the role of the building owner/manager and ask: What’s going to happen when something goes wrong and there’s no one around? Which systems and equipment are on emergency power? Who needs to be notified… of what… and when? What critical operations must be preserved during any building emergency? OSP works with the client team to develop protocols for these and other critical emergency response questions that can be initiated 24/7/365 by the University Operations Center. Experience has shown the difference between a temporary disruption and a prolonged building crisis is often rooted in the pre planning for communication, response and recovery efforts.
Additional OSP Benefits
OSP coordinates with all UOS groups to ensure optimal integration of project support services. By leveraging our broad organizational expertise, UOS can help any project achieve greater success. For example:
- Engineering & Utilities team members not only provide deign review, but also play a critical liaison role with the local Inspectional Services Divisions and Fire Departments on permitting issues.
- FMO Technical Maintenance teams develop detailed verification checklists and monitor start-up sequences of all critical equipment. All identified deficiencies are documented and tracked to a successful conclusion creating a valuable reference library for future projects.
- Environmental Health & Safety staff provide technical guidance and resources to help ensure that all compliance requirements — including necessary permitting, monitoring, and reporting — are adequately understood and addressed by the project design team as well as the building operations team. This understanding is vital to future planning of building operations and other key support functions.
- Green Campus Initiative staff provides specific support in LEED certification and training of project design teams. Drawing on the experience of more than 20 Harvard projects that have been registered with the US Green Buildings Council, the Green Campus professional staff can significantly streamline the LEED submittal and review process.
OSP Results
Blackstone Office Renovation Project - LEED Platinum certified*
- Identified more than 180 deficiencies not found by Contractor, Design Team, or Commissioning Agent
- Virtually no building problems encountered upon initial occupancy
- OSP currently or recently used at 6 other projects at Harvard
What Others Are Saying
The OSP contribution to the Canaday Solar Thermal & Steam Tunnel Heat Recovery Project were just outstanding! This project was very unique and quite challenging for many reasons but the OSP Team rose to the occasion, filled noticeable and substantial gaps and provided the FAS with a much needed technical resource. I look forward to working with OSP to execute many more exciting and unique projects within the FAS portfolio.
Jay Phillips,
Senior Director of Operations,
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
OSP has been a valuable service for the Divinity School Rockefeller Hall project…filling an essential gap between construction and commissioning. The weekly inspections identified work that needed to done during construction… and the reports were always very clear with straightforward narrative and photos of the conditions observed. The OSP staff has turned out to be an important part of our project team… as a result the transition from construction to operations will be successful!
Ralph DeFlorio,
Director of Operations,
Harvard Divinity School
The Rockefeller Hall project is an $18.5M gut renovation for the Divinity School. We engaged OSP during the design phase… and they acted as the clerk-of-the-works for the building systems during construction. The OSP team ensured all systems were installed according to the construction documents and to the university standards. It was a valuable check and balance… and they were great to work with. Thanks OSP, for being part of our team. By the way, the project is on time and under budget!
Cecilia Wan,
Assistant Director, Project Management Services
Harvard Real Estate Services
As we wrap up the Byerly Hall project I wanted to take a moment to let you know what a success the OSP has been for us. The work of the OSP team has added tremendous value to the process. I’m confident that the cost of the program will be offset by savings in operation costs many times over!
John Horst,
Director of Operations,
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
As construction activities close at the wood frame houses (Baker / Ukrainian), I want to let you know how well the OSP program went. I believe we have a better product and the OSP effort will assure a smooth transition from construction to occupancy. The OSP staff was terrific ... and documentation and follow up were excellent! Getting involved early was key and the organized tours through all phases of construction have provided us all with a better understanding of the building and systems. I believe we are well prepared to open... and I look forward to the same at Northwest Corner!
John Arciprete,
Director, Facilities Management
Harvard Law School
Owner Services Program Presentation
UOS is now offering a new program called the Owner Services Program (OSP) to all Harvard Institutions and Buildings. Watch »
* The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non profit organization that certifies sustainable businesses, homes, hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods. USGBC is dedicated to expanding green building practices and education, and its LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™. The Green Building Rating is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality rating system for construction of new and existing buildings. Projects are evaluated against technical standards and criteria for efficiency and certified accordingly. Successful projects are eligible for certification, as well as silver, gold, or platinum ratings. The Blackstone Office Renovation Project is the only building at Harvard ever to receive the platinum rating. To learn more go to: www.usgbc.org
