Precertification in LEED Online

Each month we’re highlighting an interesting question you posed to LEED Coach Canada regarding LEED v4/v4.1. LEED Coach Canada is supported by a collaborative team of professionals with diverse technical backgrounds located across Canada. For insightful answers to your LEED questions, email LEEDCoach@gbcicanada.ca.

Question: What is precertification and why is this pathway selected in LEED Online?

Amanda Ashmore, LEED Reviewer, answers: The default selection in the Timeline tab of a BD+C project in LEED Online is to pursue the precertification pathway and this is taking some by surprise. Precertification is a review pathway available for an additional fee to all LEED v4 BD+C projects as well as O+M projects pursuing the performance path. This optional additional review stage helps project teams determine which credits and prerequisites are likely to be achieved during the full certification review. The results can be used to demonstrate a commitment to LEED and to help market the unique green features of a project to attract tenants and financiers. Precertification does not shorten the full certification review that is required in order to earn LEED certification.

LEED Canada projects were not offered the option of precertification and therefore this term will be new to many. Be sure to check that the certification pathway option reflected in the Timeline tab in LEED Online is correct for your project so the appropriate LEED forms will be available on the Credits tab. Teams can toggle the certification pathway option to change to the Design and Construction, or Standard review pathways as they apply to the rating system of the project. Please feel free to send any questions to: LEEDCoach@gbcicanada.ca.

If your project has elected to pursue precertification, in most cases the LEED forms will not be available in LEED Online. Instead, your project will complete and upload the Precertification Worksheet along with any supporting documentation, note the appropriate prerequisites and credits as ready for review on the “credits” tab, and then submit for review. Once achieved, precertification is valid for three years.