How We Work
Project handover and closeout
A smooth transition from construction to operations takes planning months in advance. We coordinate the final inspections with the building, fire and health departments, train your team on the equipment they will run, and hand over an operations manual your team can use from day one.
The opening date
Your opening date depends on more than construction
By closeout, your team has made commitments against the opening date: staff are hired, a lease has started and the opening has been announced. Several of the final steps depend on agencies we do not control, including the building, fire and health departments and the utility.
What we control is having the building ready when they arrive and booking their visits early enough, so the final inspections are on the master schedule as milestones from the start.
The sequence
The closeout process
- 01
Closeout planning
We lay out the closeout plan months before turnover: the final inspections, commissioning, owner training and the documents each trade owes, each with a date on the master schedule. We review it with you and your design team at a closeout meeting, so the full team is aligned on the deadlines and on what will be handed over.
- 02
Punch list
Quality is checked with you and your design team as the work goes in, so the punch list stays short. Each item gets a responsible trade and a due date, and it comes off the list only after we reinspect it. Additions you have asked for and the wish list are kept on lists of their own, so the punch list can close. Maintaining an end date means we cannot compress the finishes into your training week.
- 03
Commissioning
Permanent power comes first. The mechanical systems are then started, tested and balanced, and the fire sprinkler, fire alarm and elevator recall are tested once the systems they depend on are running. Each system has to work on its own before the life safety systems can be tested together.
- 04
Title 24 and green building sign-offs
The installing trades complete the certificates of installation, and a certified acceptance test technician completes the certificates of acceptance for lighting controls and mechanical systems (California Energy Code, Title 24, Part 6, sections 10-103, 10-103.1 and 10-103.2). In the City of Los Angeles the green building forms are collected with them. We collect these through the job, because a missing form can hold up a final inspection.
- 05
Final inspections
The building final follows the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire finals, and the fire department witnesses the fire alarm and sprinkler tests. On a restaurant, the health department final is required as well. Before the walls close we walk a rough-in checklist, and before the city walks the job for occupancy we walk a readiness checklist by trade, covering items like the restroom clearances and HVAC shutdown.
- 06
Owner training
Your operations team is trained on the equipment they will run before opening. Every session has an agenda and a sign-in sheet, and the option to record so the team can reference back to this.
- 07
Financial closeout
We track payment documentation through the job and identify what remains outstanding for final closeout. The releases from the trades and suppliers go into the operations manual with the warranties.
- 08
Handover
You receive the keys and access credentials, the attic stock, the operations manual and a contact list for every trade and supplier.
Handover
The operations manual
Everything your team needs to operate and maintain the building is handed over as one operations manual, organized in a folder structure your facilities team can follow long after the job is finished. We collect the documents as each trade finishes, so the manual is complete at handover rather than months later.
Warranties are saved one file per warranty with their start dates, and the manuals are organized by trade and specification section, so your team can find the rooftop unit’s manual without needing to know who installed it.
- 00 Summary and contactsProject directory, warranty log, attic stock log, permit set, certificate of occupancy
- 01 WarrantiesOne file per warranty, with its start date
- 02 Design documentsFinal drawing set and the RFI log with responses
- 03 As-built drawingsStructural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, fire alarm, low voltage
- 04 Operation and maintenanceManuals, product data and startup reports, by trade and specification section
- 05 Testing and inspectionsFinal sign-offs, test and balance, commissioning, fire department and agency approvals
- 06 TrainingAgendas, sign-in sheets and recordings
- 07 Attic stockWhat was turned over, with the inventory
- 08 Payment documentationReleases from the trades and suppliers for final closeout
Operations manual / 01 Warranties
Warranties
- General contractor - Warranty letter - 2027-03-15.pdf
- Roofing - Membrane - Manufacturer warranty - 2027-03-15.pdf
- Mechanical - RTU-1 - Manufacturer warranty - 2027-03-15.pdf
- Plumbing - Water heater - Manufacturer warranty - 2027-03-15.pdf
- Electrical - Lighting controls - Trade warranty - 2027-03-15.pdf
- Doors and hardware - Trade warranty - 2027-03-15.pdf
Each file is named by trade, system, document type and the date the warranty starts.
Collected as each trade finishesDelivered digitally, with printed copies of the key documents
Questions
Closeout, asked plainly
When does closeout start?
During the job. The requirements for as-builts, manuals, warranties and attic stock go into the trade contracts before work begins, and the documents are collected as each trade finishes.
Who trains our staff?
The installing trades provide training to the team on how to operate the equipment, with our team facilitating the training session.
What happens after move-in?
When something needs attention after you move in, you contact our team directly and we will assist where needed.
Start with a conversation
Let’s talk about your project
Tell us what you are planning, where the design stands and the date you are working toward. We will call to talk it through.