BD+C
Building Design and Construction
| New Construction (v4.1 and earlier) | | Core and Shell (v4.1 and earlier) | | | Schools (v4.1 and earlier) | | | Retail (v4.1 and earlier) | | | Hospitality (v4.1 and earlier) | | | Data Centers (v4.1 and earlier) | | | Warehouses & Distribution Centers (v4.1 and earlier) | | |ID+C
Interior Design and Construction
| Commercial Interiors (v4.1 and earlier) | | Retail (v4.1 and earlier) | | | Hospitality (v4.1 and earlier) | | |O+M
Operations and Maintenance
| Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (v4.1 and earlier – initial submittals only) | | Retail (v4.1 and earlier – initial submittals only) | | | Hospitality (v4.1 and earlier – initial submittals only) | | | Data Centers (v4.1 and earlier – initial submittals only) | | | Warehouses & Distribution Centers (v4.1 and earlier – initial submittals only) | | ### Connect Once you’ve confirmed your organization is eligible, with six certified projects within your chosen rating system, fill out the [online interest form](https://fs11.formsite.com/qOUDrr/Proven_Provider_Interest/index). This form can also be used to explain any unique circumstances that may impact your organization’s eligibility. GBCI will review these unique situations on a case-by-case basis. Please allow up to 10 business days for confirmation via email of your organization’s eligibility. *** ## Demonstrating excellence ### Training and participant agreement After GBCI reviews your interest form and confirms your eligibility, you’ll receive an email giving you next steps for enrollment. You’ll be asked to electronically sign the [participation agreement](https://fs11.formsite.com/qOUDrr/Proven_Provider_Interest/index) and then enroll all your organization’s registered, previously unsubmitted for review, projects within the applicable rating system families. You’re now ready to show your skills in the evaluation period. ### Evaluation Once you have received confirmation of your participation in LEED Proven Provider, your team will need to visit the LEED Proven Provider [online form page](https://fs11.formsite.com/qOUDrr/Proven_Provider/index) to request enrollment of your registered, unsubmitted, projects. It is highly recommended that you and your team members bookmark this site as it will serve as your main connection point to the program for resources, project enrollment, and call requests. During the evaluation period, LEED reviewers will assess your first few (usually five to six submissions) newly submitted LEED project applications and provide feedback on the quality of each LEED preliminary project submission. They'll also be available to discuss project specific issues during optional pre-submission and post-review conference calls. This two-way dialogue and information exchange between your project team and reviewers gives you the opportunity to continuously improve. By applying lessons learned from one review to subsequent submissions you can potentially increase the number of attempted credits and prerequisites your projects earn at the preliminary review. Note: if you’re pursuing LEED Proven Provider designations for more than one rating system family, an evaluation period will need to be completed for each system. To successfully complete the evaluation period, you must meet the following criteria: * At least three out of the most recent five to six preliminary project submissions (design preliminary, construction preliminary, and/or design-construction combined preliminary) must achieve a quality rating of “Above Average” or “Excellent” (see *Table 3. Submission Ratings*). While it is not necessary for all these new projects to complete their certification, the cumulative submissions must demonstrate a range of design and construction credits in the rating system(s). * None of the most recent five project submissions may have a score of Below Average. If a Below Average score is received during the evaluation phase, the project submission count is reset to zero and teams must comply with the requirements of the prior bulleted item. * Submissions must not demonstrate repeated documentation errors. It is also GBCI’s expectation that your organization is committed to ensuring that the building owner is aware of the requirement and prepared to share ongoing energy and water use data periodically in compliance with LEED. Your organization will earn the LEED Proven Provider designation once you have successfully completed the evaluation period. The following steps summarize the application and review process you’ll use for each project you submit for during LEED Proven Provider evaluation period. For projects that opt for a split review, you’ll need to repeat this process for both the design and construction reviews. 1. Identify and enroll the project in Proven Provider using the link on the LEED Proven Provider online form page. 2. If desired, request an optional pre-submission call to discuss tricky or unique issues. NOTE: All pre-submission calls are optional and at the project team’s discretion. 3. Prepare and submit the project application for preliminary review. 4. Examine the project review report and the preliminary review Proven Provider quality email from the reviewers. Request an optional post-review call, if needed, to discuss any unclear issues with the reviewers. NOTE: All post-review calls are optional and at the project team’s discretion. 5. Prepare clarifications, withdraw unachievable points/credits, and submit the application for final review. 6. Share lessons learned from this review within the organization and update your quality control tools and templates. LEED Proven Provider does not change the LEED rating system requirements, or the documentation required to demonstrate compliance with LEED credits and prerequisites. Additionally, LEED Proven Provider does not increase review scrutiny or stringency for project applications. You should continue to complete and submit all required LEED documentation within LEED Online for review while pursuing the LEED Proven Provider designation and after designation has been achieved. #### Step 1. Identify your project(s) After submitting the Proven Provider interest form, reviewing this handbook, and submitting your signed participant agreement your next step is to enroll any registered, un-submitted, LEED projects in which your organization is serving in the Project Administrator role using the link ont he LEED Proven Provider form page. Projects must meet the following guidelines: * Only projects that have not yet submitted for any phase of combined or split review are eligible. (Exception: Projects that have only completed LEED Pre-certification reviews for any Rating System are still eligible for enrollment.) * LEED v4.1 and earlier rating systems are eligible, per Table 1. * Campus Program Master Site and individual or multiple building submissions are eligible for LEED Proven Provider. It is highly recommended that all related projects are included and submitted for review. Master site submissions will be reviewed under Proven Provider but will not be provided with a Proven Provider quality ranking as they contain only a limited number of credits. Quality scores will be provided for each of the individual building project submissions within a campus or multiple building submission. The individual submissions will receive quality credit for points earned under the Master site review. * Pilots, expedited review requests, and LEED volume program projects are not eligible for LEED Proven Provider. Projects must be enrolled via the online LEED Proven Provider online form page after registration in LEED Online. The Proven Provider online form page can be accessed atEAp2 case 2
(Existing Buildings: O+M)
| Projects not eligible for ENERGY STAR rating | | Inexperienced project team | Projects in which key team members who are responsible for LEED documentation preparation have little or no experience with LEED | On an on-going basis, you must enroll all newly registered projects to submit them under LEED Proven Provider. **Projects are not automatically enrolled following registration in LEED Online.** You may also request to remove unsubmitted projects you’ve previously added with written explanation. **Projects should be added or removed at least ten business days before their preliminary review submission in LEED Online; a minimum of five business days is the minimum time between enrollment and submittal for review.** Projects must wait to submit for Proven Provider reviews in LEED Online until email confirmation of project enrollment is received. Participants can [request a list of enrolled projects](http://usgbc.wufoo.com/forms/proven-provider) to confirm project enrollment via a link on the LEED Proven Provider [online form ](https://fs11.formsite.com/qOUDrr/Proven_Provider/index)page. Your organization must submit at least one new project review (either a new project submittal or a subsequent phase submittal for projects that are in process) in LEED Proven Provider within a 24-month period to continue participating in the program. If you have no activity in the program during the noted period, you may be sent an email noting the inactivity and may subsequently be removed from Proven Provider. You may request to re-enroll in the program and begin the evaluation period again a minimum of six months following removal. #### Step 2. Request and hold an optional pre-submission call to discuss tricky or unique issues You may request a one-hour pre-submission call for each project to discuss any tricky issues prior to your preliminary LEED submission. **This call is optional**, but highly recommended for projects that will be submitted during the evaluation period. Typically, this call is held for projects that plan to submit an energy model. GBCI is also available to discuss other credits or prerequisites where you have been unable to find a solution within existing published guidance and standards, and to discuss any special circumstances that may apply to your project. If you’d like to discuss the energy model, we recommend scheduling the call before the energy model is finalized (i.e., after inputs are defined and the LEED application forms are partially filled out and have been internally reviewed for quality control) to allow for potential modification prior to submission. When you request a pre-submission call, you’ll be required to provide an agenda listing the details of the topics you’d like to discuss and attach appropriate supporting documentation. [Download a call agenda template](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/yme1sbzx82616mxnwml7t/GBCI-meeting-agenda-and-notes-template_12-2020.docx?dl=1\&rlkey=g45nauzqdp2aftd57ny8n3spo). The call should be requested a minimum of 10 business days prior to your desired call date to allow for coordination of schedules. While up-front communication with the reviewer is encouraged, you still must do your homework. For questions about a specific credit, the call will be much more productive if you know the relevant credit requirements and are familiar with LEED guidance published by USGBC in the LEED reference guides, LEED Addenda, and other published resources. Please note that pre-submission calls are not intended to be a pre-review of credit documentation, nor can credits be awarded or denied during a call. These calls are intended to provide clarification and guidance regarding LEED compliance and the associated credit documentation only. Following any call, GBCI will provide written notes detailing any discussions and/or decisions reached during the call. It is the responsibility of the project team to upload copies of the call notes within LEED Online for each applicable credit. Upload of the notes will help to ensure consistency between the call and the review. #### Step 3. Prepare and submit your project application for preliminary review Complete and submit all required LEED documentation within LEED Online just as you would for any other project. Your project review will follow GBCI’s standard review timeline during the evaluation period. Common characteristics of high-quality submissions include: * Relevant information that is clearly highlighted within the documentation. * File attachments that are clearly and intuitively labeled. * Only required documentation is provided (no unnecessary file attachments). * Only achievable credits or thresholds are attempted. * Narratives are used to clearly describe project-specific circumstances and unique approaches to document credit requirements. Successful organizations have well-developed, comprehensive, and robust quality control tools and processes that result in high-quality submissions. We have assembled a brief list of tips, best practices, and resources to help you get started. {% hint style="info" %} **Tips, best practices and resources** * **Stay current** with resources from USGBC and GBCI. * [Searchable database of Addenda and Credit Interpretations](http://www.usgbc.org/leed-interpretations) (Hint: filter by project registration date) * [Sample forms](http://www.usgbc.org/sampleforms) * [Credit Library](http://www.usgbc.org/credits) (Hint: check the “Resources” tab of each credit) * **Use our** [**LEED project submittal tips**](https://www.usgbc.org/resources?keys=project+submittal+tips\&Search+Library=%22submittal+tips%22) as you complete your application. The LEED project submittal tips are collections of informal advice from LEED reviewers about common issues they encounter when reviewing credit and prerequisite documentation and are available for each rating system. New Construction, Schools, Commercial Interiors, Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, Core & Shell * **Take advantage of expert and peer support** available in USGBC chapter forums and third-party resources like LEEDuser. * **Learn and improve** from your past reviews. Inventory past LEED project reports for the reviewer comments and education tips. Share these lessons within your organization and ensure that these are addressed in your ongoing project applications. {% endhint %} #### Step 4. Examine your project review report and hold an optional post-review call Once the preliminary review is complete you will receive an automated message from LEED Online. Within three business days of a preliminary phase review, you will also receive an email from the reviewer assigned to the project that will provide a high-level assessment of the quality of your overall submission and a brief summary of the review findings. *Table 3. Submission Ratings* outlines the possible ratings for a submission. Don’t forget, you’ll need to achieve a rating of “Excellent” or “Above Average” for three consecutive reviews to successfully complete the evaluation period. *Table 3. Submission Ratings* | Rating | Description | | ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Excellent | All documentation submitted for preliminary review is clear, well organized and consistent, demonstrating excellent overall understanding of credit requirements. Reviewers can easily confirm compliance for all or almost all credits and all prerequisites. | | Above Average | A majority of the documentation submitted for preliminary review is clear and consistent, demonstrating above average overall understanding of credit requirements. Reviewers can easily confirm compliance for most credits and prerequisites. | | Average | Most documentation submitted for preliminary review is clear and consistent, demonstrating an average understanding of credit requirements. Some errors and inconsistencies are present. Reviewers can confirm compliance for many credits and prerequisites. | | Below Average | Little documentation submitted for review is clear and consistent, demonstrating a below average understanding of credit requirements. Reviewers can confirm compliance for few credits and prerequisites. | If the project has achieved all the credits and prerequisites submitted in the preliminary review – congratulations! The preliminary review can be accepted as final in LEED Online. If, however, there are credits and prerequisites that require clarification, the team may elect to hold a one-hour post-review call to discuss any questions or confusing information. This call is optional for all projects and highly recommended for projects that receive a Below Average rating. The post-review call provides an opportunity to address any questions your team may have about the preliminary review comments prior to preparing and submitting your clarifications for final review. You will need to submit a detailed agenda outlining the items that you would like to discuss and questions that you’d like clarified. You should also indicate a few dates and times when your team is available for the call. Please select dates at least ten (10) business days from the date of the request to allow for schedule coordination. LEED reviewers will attempt to coordinate and schedule calls within three to four business days of receiving the request. All communication for scheduling of the post-review call should be conducted directly with the reviewer via email. The post-review call is not meant to be a “pre-final review” of your updated documentation, but rather an opportunity to ask questions about the review comments or the intended approach. The call is an opportunity for you to resolve any remaining issues before submitting for final review. As such, it is expected that there will typically be no need for reviewers to issue mid-review clarification requests during the final review, nor a need for you to file an appeal. Additionally, new credits should not be submitted for the first time during the final review since one of the primary goals of LEED Proven Provider is for projects to achieve their desired LEED certification threshold at the preliminary review phase. #### Step 5. Prepare clarifications, withdraw unachievable points/credits and submit your application for final review Once the optional post-review call is complete and meeting notes have been distributed, prepare documentation and submit any needed credit/prerequisite clarifications in LEED Online. Reviewers will not provide a quality evaluation email for final reviews as we want to evaluate the quality of submitall documentation prior to receiving any input via review comments. {% hint style="info" %} **Best practices for preparing your clarifications** * Provide a narrative response to each item of technical advice to explain how it has been addressed. * Label any new supporting document file names appropriately (e.g., “CLARIFICATION,” “FINAL REVIEW,” etc.). * Highlight or circle specific items that need to be brought to the LEED reviewer’s attention. * Withdraw any unachievable credits/credit thresholds from the LEED Online scorecard. * Perform an independent and comprehensive quality control check before submitting clarifications. {% endhint %} #### Step 6. Share lessons learned from this review within your organization and update your quality control tools and templates A continuous cycle of improvement is key to your success as a LEED Proven Provider. Your organization should apply relevant corrective actions from reviews to all future submissions and continuously update your methodologies and quality control tools/templates. ### Designation Once you’ve completed approximately five to six reviews that span both design and construction credits, GBCI will decide on whether your organization has successfully completed the evaluation period based on the following success criteria: * Three of your most recent five to six project submissions reviewed as part of the LEED Proven Provider in the evaluation period are rated “Excellent” or “Above Average”. * No projects in the most recent grouping have received a ranking of "Below Average." * Documentation errors have not been repeated in subsequent submissions. * Project submissions demonstrate consistent high quality across both design and construction phase credits. If your organization meets the criteria above GBCI will send you a congratulatory letter and marketing package via email informing you that you've received the LEED Proven Provider designation. If your organization does not meet the criteria above after review of the first six LEED Proven Provider submissions the following next steps may be taken at GBCI’s discretion: * At its discretion, GBCI may extend the evaluation period if there is significant evidence of improved submission quality. * GBCI may request and hold a feedback meeting with you to discuss your quality issues and provide best practices to help you improve. * After extended evaluation reviews with mixed improvement, GBCI may send a feedback email that provides one additional opportunity to complete the evaluation period within the next three submissions before removal from the evaluation period. If, after receiving the feedback email, your organization does not meet the evaluation period success criteria within the next three submissions, your organization may be removed from the LEED Proven Provider evaluation period for the selected rating system. You may submit a request to restart a new evaluation period after 12 months. *** ## Maintaining excellence After successfully completing the evaluation period, your organization will earn the LEED Proven Provider designation – congratulations! GBCI will notify you of your success and next steps via email. As a LEED Proven Provider you receive: * Recognition from USGBC. The LEED Proven Provider model was created to recognize organizations with a sustained track record of high-quality project submissions. The USGBC directory will reflect this accomplishment for current member organizations. * Use of the LEED Proven Provider mark. This mark, much like the LEED AP®, identifies you as a leader. * Streamlined and truncated LEED certification process for many of your future projects. High-quality submissions result in the ability to skip phases in the review process and can improve your projects’ chances of achieving LEED certification after only one review. ### Maintenance Earning the LEED Proven Provider designation isn’t the end of the story. To maintain your status your organization must continue to deliver high-quality submissions; GBCI will continue to evaluate the quality of your submissions through the abbreviated and evaluation (full) review process as described in the next section. The quality of your reviews may impact the rate at which your projects are subject to an evaluation review. Maintain your LEED Proven Provider designation by: * Submitting projects that are predominantly rated as “Excellent” or “Above Average” during an evaluation (full) review, and * Submitting at least one project phase review through LEED Proven Provider within a 24-month period. If two or more evaluation reviews are rated as “Below Average” within a 12-month period, GBCI may request a feedback meeting regarding your status to review quality issues, providing an opportunity for two-way dialogue and process improvement. If two additional evaluation reviews are rated as “Below Average” within 12 months of the quality status update you may lose your LEED Proven Provider designation and associated benefits. This means that you will no longer be eligible to submit for streamlined and truncated reviews, your LEED Proven Provider designation will be removed from the USGBC directory, and you must cease marketing your involvement with LEED Proven Provider. You’ll also automatically be moved into a new evaluation period. Once this additional evaluation period has been successfully completed your LEED Proven Provider status will be reinstated. #### Adding new projects On an on-going basis, you must add all of your newly registered projects via the LEED Proven Provider online form page (