As today's laboratories and laboratory animal facilities become increasingly complex and demanding, a proven commissioning process is becoming more common in the construction of these facilities because of the short and long term benefits commissioning offers. One of the major benefits is the documentation of the Project Intent used to verify the facility?s functional and operational needs. Once documented, the design, construction, and acceptance phases of the commissioning process can be more effectively executed to give an owner the best possible facility for their investment.

This article covers three topics on the commissioning process for laboratory animal facilities:

1 Obtaining Project Requirements

2 Identifying Unique Issues

3 Maximizing Results

Obtaining Project Requirements

Proper documentation of the project requirements begins with input from key people, important references, an effective process, and a focus on teamwork.

Key People

The individuals key to this task include:

* directors (usually a veterinarian)

* consulting veterinarians (typically regarding regulatory issues)

* researchers or a liaison for them

* laboratory animal managers / technicians

*maintenance personnel

*experienced design professionals (architects and engineers)

Exclusion of key personnel from this fact-finding process inevitably results in a facility that fails to provide an owner with all of the functional performance required to conduct research.