The Contract should include a definition of the Commissioning Period. It will typically be the period from the time the facility is ready to accept waste for testing the facility and the date on which the Services commence. The beginning of the period is marked by successful completion of the Readiness Test and the end by the successful completion of the Acceptance Tests.
It is common for Contractors to refer to commissioning in relation to activities that occur before the facility is ready to accept waste. This normally relates to the testing of various elements of the machinery within the plant that can be done without waste. This "cold" commissioning should not be confused with the "hot" commissioning that is undertaken during the Commissioning Period as defined in the Contract.
The main concerns for the Contract Manager are to arrange for delivery of waste, and to pay for the waste treatment in line with the Contract and to be satisfied that the Tests have been completed satisfactorily to end the period and allow the project to move into the service period. There will be additional issues if commissioning is completed late. All these issues are addressed in more detail below.