Green building rating tools provide a framework to assess the environmental performance of a building throughout their lifecycle. They are applicable to new constructions, major refurbishments, and fit-out projects, and cover a wide range of building types including commercial, residential, institutional, and industrial facilities. While they share the goal of reducing the built environment’s carbon footprint, their application varies by region and specific project goals:

• Green Star: Developed by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). It is the primary tool used in Australia and New Zealand. It focuses heavily on holistic outcomes, including indoor environment quality and material transparency.
• BREEAM: (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method). Originating in the UK, it is the oldest and most widely used system in Europe. It uses licensed assessors to verify evidence against weighted categories.
• LEED: (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it is the most recognised global standard. It uses a points-based system and a centralised review process via the Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI).

Certification is often mandated by local planning authorities, required by institutional investors to minimise “stranded asset” risk, or used by developers to command higher rental premiums (often 7–15% higher than non-certified stock).  The decision to invest in and incorporate a green credentials into a building design is normally at the briefing and concept stage.  This ensures that all design elements are holistically included into the design and not bolt / afterthought on elements.

Process Overview: Design to As-Built

Achieving certification is a multi-stage process with initial input from the design team, moving to the contractor’s role to provide evidence based reports to prove the transition from design intent to as installed reality:

1. Concept & Design Phase:
   • Establish sustainability targets
   • Identify applicable credits and prerequisites within the Credit Score Card or Matrix
   • Integrate requirements into architectural, structural, and MEP designs
2. Construction Phase:
   • Implement design specifications on site
   • Track and collate evidence for material, system, and installation compliance
   • Conduct testing, commissioning, and site inspections
3. As-Built / Handover Phase:
   • Verify that constructed facilities meet certified performance targets
   • Submit documentation for formal review by the certifying body
   • Receive certification and associated ratings

Each stage requires traceable documentation, ensuring that sustainability claims are fully supported by verifiable evidence.  Without the contractor’s evidence reports and submissions, the final certificate will not be issued.

Contracting Team Responsibilities

As part of the contract documentation, the Head Contractor and Services Contractors will be allocated credits they are directly responsible for, ranging from provision of O&M Manuals / Commissioning Plans to providing an evidence report to prove 80-90% of waste was diverted from landfill.  Each credit is accompanied by detailed requirements for submission and approval as part of the Green Building rating tools process, if these requirements aren’t met, the credit cannot be achieved which may risk the building rating.  Attention to detail is key at this point, as missing information or reports lacking in detail could compromise the building’s certification.

As the project progresses on site, the contracting team will be required to provide submissions documentation for each credit, such as:

• Evidence Reports: Verification of installed systems, material certifications, commissioning reports, testing results, and product declarations
• Marked-Up Drawings: Annotated plans showing installed systems, modifications, and sustainability features
• Dockets / Delivery Notes: Proof of procurement and installation of certified products or materials such as recycled content/fly ash, timber showing FSC certification, and steel.
• Materials Logs: such as a comprehensive register of all paints, adhesives, sealants, and carpets, supported by Technical Data Sheets (TDS).
• Waste Management Records: Evidence of on-site recycling, disposal, and diversion from landfill, including monthly reports from waste contractors including weight dockets and certificates of recycling.
• Water & Energy Usage Records: Metering, testing, and commissioning data demonstrating performance
• Operational Manuals / O&M Documentation: Clear instructions to ensure building systems continue to meet sustainability standards post-handover
• Third-Party Certificates: Accredited product certifications, emissions data, or lifecycle assessments

All submissions must be collated, technically authored, structured, and clearly referenced, enabling the certifier to efficiently verify compliance with sustainability credits and prerequisites.

Expected Qualifications and Expertise

The rating bodies (GBCA, BRE, USGBC) have high standards for data integrity and authoring, managing this requires experience and detailed knowledge of the rating tools and their application.

All projects require an Accredited Professional to lead the Green Building rating process, this is usally on the design team side of the project. A GSAP (Green Star Accredited Professional) or BREEAM Associate on the team ensures documentation is pre checked and structured correctly, prior to submission to the Building Assessor.

The Contracting team should also ensure that supporting documentation and submissions are being authored and compiled by trained teams with direct experience in the subject area and the rating tool / credit requirements.

D&A Support for Contractors

Collating “Green” documentation is notoriously time consuming and technically demanding, requiring the coordination of inputs from multiple trades, suppliers, and stakeholders, each providing information in varying formats and levels of quality. The process extends beyond simple document gathering, demanding verification, cross-referencing, and alignment with specific credit criteria under each certification scheme. In many cases, site teams are required to retrospectively chase information, resolve inconsistencies, and reformat submissions to meet auditor expectations, placing additional strain on programme and resources.

D&A removes this burden from the site team through our specialised compliance services, taking ownership of the end-to-end documentation process, from early-stage planning of evidence requirements through to final submission.  We ensure that all documentation is complete, compliant, and audit-ready, allowing site teams to remain focused on delivery while maintaining confidence that certification requirements are being fully satisfied.

Our in house, engineering and technical writing team provide structured, end-to-end support for contractors and project teams in preparing documentation for Green Star, BREEAM, and LEED certification:

• Integrated Documentation: We don’t treat Green Star/BREEAM as a separate “extra”, green rating principals are integrated into all our documentation from O&M Manuals to Commissioning Pans, Building User Guides and Apartment User Guides.
• The nucleus Portal: We use our bespoke online portal, nucleus, to support our team in collating, checking and track sub-contractor submissions in real-time, flagging missing dockets or non-compliant materials early in the build.

• Engineering Led Quality Assurance: We are not just administrators; we are engineers and technical writers. Our team are experienced and knowledgeable in the review of Technical Data Sheets (TDS), Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), certificates and test reports to ensure they actually meet the credit requirements before they are submitted. 

• Proven Track Record: With over 50 years of combined experience and team members who are Chartered Professional Engineers, we provide the technical weight needed to satisfy even the most rigorous BREEAM or Green Star assessor.

• Expertise Across Rating Schemes: Direct project experienced in BREEAM and Green Star assessments across a range of industry sectors.  Our Client Coordinator team has formal Green Star and BREEAM training to ensure they understand your requirements and that of your project.

Conclusion

For Green Star, BREEAM, and LEED certification, the risk to contractors is not in the delivery of sustainable measures, but in the failure to evidence them in a compliant, auditable, and certifier-ready format.

Submission requirements are detailed, prescriptive, and often fragmented across multiple trades and suppliers, creating a significant coordination and quality assurance burden.

Dewick & Associates experienced and knowledgeable team provide a structured, technically rigorous approach to the capture, validation, and collation of supporting documentation, ensuring that all evidence (dockets, marked-up drawings, commissioning data, or certification records) is complete, traceable, and aligned to scheme-specific credit requirements.

This reduces the risk of rejected submissions, lost credits, and programme delays, while enabling contractors to meet their contractual obligations with confidence and demonstrable compliance.