Alabbar Energy and Sustainability Group (AESG), a leading consultancy in the Middle East, has expanded its portfolio of services with the setting up of a commissioning division.

The new division will provide independent commissioning services that are in line with Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and Estidama requirements for both new and existing developments, said the UAE-based company.

These services will help increase safety and reduce capital and operational expenses while improving building efficiency by five to 10 per cent, it added.  

“Over the past few years, projects in the region have grown in terms of scale and technical complexity. Commissioning is arguably the most critical aspect of the development cycle as it ensures that a building is handed over to operate safely, efficiently and in accordance with how the owner intended,” said Saeed Al Abbar, the director of AESG.

"Proper commissioning is not just a testing and verification process, but must start early in the project and continue until a comprehensive handover to the operations and maintenance team is achieved," he stated.

“Furthermore, it is necessary to look beyond simply commissioning individual systems as complex buildings of today require very careful integration of numerous interdependent systems,” said Al Abbar.

With a team of fully qualified and experienced engineers and technicians, AESG said it offers third-party commissioning verification and commissioning management services throughout a project's life-cycle, from pre-design through to retro commissioning.

The firm’s services include commissioning authority (CxA), commissioning management, Leed and Estidama commissioning (ICA), re commissioning (RCx) and specialist testing (Hepa filter, indoor air qualty and room integrity).

Gary Williams, who recently joined AESG as director of commissioning, will oversee its commissioning consultancy and commissioning management services. A fellow of the CSA (Commissioning Specialists Association) and member of BCA (Building Commissioning Association), Williams brings with him 30 years of industry experience, 20 of which relate to commissioning projects in the Middle East.

“I am extremely excited about this opportunity. In the past 12 months, AESG has seen tremendous growth both in terms of revenues and staff. By offering commissioning services to our clients we continue to round out our portfolio and establish ourselves as a leading consultant in the region,” he stated.

Even prior to establishing the formal division and standardising its services, AESG said it had gained an impressive amount of experience and expertise in the area of commissioning, having successfully completed more than 50 projects in the GCC including airports, commercial towers, government buildings, industrial facilities and residential developments.

Most notable among these were the Standard Chartered Bank headquarters, Al Forsan Hotel, the 500,000-sq-m RLCC residential development in Abu Dhabi and a number of government projects for the police and UAE armed forces.  

“At AESG, we are committed to providing the best-in-class service. We follow CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) and Ashrae (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers) standards for commissioning and our team of experienced engineers and commissioning managers provide assurance to clients that when they appoint AESG, they will have a partner that will ensure that their buildings will operate as they intended,” stated Al Abbar.

The company said it will initially focus on the delivery of its commissioning services within the GCC before expanding its reach across the globe.

These plans are in line with its aggressive growth strategy which enabled it to see a 70 per cent increase in revenue in the last 12 months, it added.-TradeArabia News Service