Reliability SimplifiedReliability Simplified
05 · Commissioning & Startup

Start it up
once.

New equipment rarely fails because the design was wrong. It fails because the checks were rushed, the loops were never proven, and the paperwork arrived after the plant was already running. We run commissioning and startup as a sequence, so the handover to operations is clean.

Startups and commissioning led, Alaska to Azerbaijan
Who runs it
Rocky DeMelloRocky DeMello

Rocky DeMello

Principal · Commissioning & Startup

Rocky brings extensive global experience in the oil and gas sector across onshore, offshore, greenfield and brownfield projects, with a background in team leadership, operations excellence, operations management, project management and regulatory compliance.

Before joining Reliability Simplified he founded and led CxSO-OGMP, where he ran commissioning, startup, debottlenecking and full facility operations on projects valued over $40 billion. He also serves as President and Founding Director of Renewable Power Energy Innovators Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit delivering solar projects in minority and disadvantaged communities across the United States.

$40B+
In projects Rocky led before RS
4
Onshore, offshore, greenfield, brownfield
PB → AZ
Prudhoe Bay to Azerbaijan, plus renewable fuels
Experience spans
Upstream onshoreUpstream offshorePipelinesGas compressionLNGCO₂ captureHydrotreatingRenewable fuelsPetrochemical and refiningPower generationManufacturingFood and animal processing
Capabilities

What this team can take on.

01

Commissioning and startup leadership

Full-scope planning, system walkdowns, turnover and startup execution.

02

Operational readiness and ramp-up

Procedures, training, staffing plans and optimization to reach steady state sooner.

03

System walkdowns

Post-construction inspection for completeness and readiness.

04

Owner’s representative

An extension of your team, holding contractor performance to the scope.

05

Control of work

Permit-to-work systems, isolation procedures and safe work practices.

06

QA/QC oversight

Quality assurance aligned to your standards and specifications.

07

Startup risk management

Identifying and closing the risks that stall a startup before they surface.

08

Technical training

Training for operations, maintenance and construction teams on the real equipment.

09

Regulatory compliance

Local and international code adherence through commissioning and handover.

10

Leadership coaching

Mentoring, competency assessment and technical leadership development.

When you need this

Three times a plant starts something new.

A

New plant

Nothing has run yet and there is no history to lean on. Every register, PM and spare list starts from vendor data and the commissioning record.

B

New line or expansion

The new equipment has to tie into a plant that is already running, and into a maintenance program that already exists. The join is where things get missed.

C

Restart after a turnaround

Hundreds of jobs closed in a few weeks, then everything comes back at once. The restart sequence decides whether the work holds.

The sequence

Eight phases, in order.

Each phase has an entry condition and a written exit. Nothing moves forward on a verbal confirmation. Scroll the sequence.

Phase01/ 08
01

Mechanical completion and punchlist

Construction declares the system complete against the drawings, and it gets walked. The punchlist is split by what must be cleared before energising and what can wait for the first outage.

ExitSystem boundary agreed, A/B punch items assigned
02

Pre-commissioning checks

Static verification before anything turns: alignment, grouting, lubrication, torque, cleanliness, rotation, flushing, instrument installation. Work found here is still cheap to fix.

ExitSigned check sheets per asset, punch items raised
03

Loop checks and functional testing

Every instrument proven end to end, from the field device to the control room tag. Interlocks, trips and permissives exercised and recorded.

ExitLoop folder complete, trip settings witnessed
04

Turnover packages

The record for each system assembled once, not reconstructed a year later: drawings, test records, vendor data, nameplate data, certifications.

ExitPackage accepted by operations and maintenance
05

Operator readiness and training

Operating procedures walked down on the real equipment with the crew who will run it, including abnormal conditions and the first shutdown.

ExitProcedures signed off, crew walked down
06

Startup readiness review

One review before energising: are the procedures written, the operators trained, the spares on the shelf, the punch items cleared, the utilities available.

ExitWritten go, hold or conditional decision
07

Performance and acceptance testing

Equipment run against the design intent and the vendor’s guarantee, with results documented while the contractor is still on site.

ExitAcceptance test record, vendor punch closed
08

Spares and data handover

Asset register, criticality, PM tasks and critical spares loaded before the warranty period starts, so day one of operations has a maintenance program behind it.

ExitCMMS populated, critical spares stocked
At handover

Operations gets more than a running plant.

01

An asset register that is already right

Tags, hierarchy and nameplate data captured from the commissioning record instead of rebuilt from memory.

02

A PM program on day one

Vendor requirements filtered into tasks worth doing, at intervals the equipment justifies.

03

Critical spares on the shelf

Long-lead items identified during commissioning, while the vendor is still engaged.

04

A defensible startup record

Test results, punch history and acceptance data in one place for warranty claims and future troubleshooting.

Got a startup on the calendar?

The earlier we join, the more of this we can sequence instead of chase. Tell us the date and the scope and we will tell you what the first step is.

Start the conversation →
Rocky DeMello · Principal, Commissioning & StartupRockyDeMello@ReliabilitySimplified.com(206) 518-8517