LEED 101: Required Signatories

A little mentioned aspect of the LEED application are the ‘Required Signatories’ (RS). Fourteen  of these digital signatures are littered throughout the O+M application. This strategy forces major  stakeholders and decision makers like the Owner, Property Manager, and Building Engineer to log in and make virtual promises. These mini-attestations can range from confirming that the ownership complies with MPRs to the Property Manager agreeing to implement sustainable policies and provide quality control checks on their service providers like pest control. For the NC rating system, required signatories rely more heavily on professionals like the Architect and Engineer confirming that calculations are correct.

Both rating system also provide documentation shortcuts with the Licensed Professional exemption (LPE). This is an optional compliance path, and when used as intended, builds in efficiency. Licensed Professionals must upload a copy of their professional registration to the team administration tab. Both of these paths, RS & LPE can be completed by initialing online the forms. LEEDonline (LO) verifies compliance by time stamping the initials with the name and role of whoever is logged on to the website form that computer. Work with your project administrator to ensure that individual team members are assigned accurate roles.

What if a major stakeholder can’t or won’t log onto leedonline? There is a paper workaround where that individual can sign a letter, upload to LO, and designate an ‘agent’ to perform the required signatories on their behalf. This should be the last option. I’m glad that LEED v3 forces the project team to be more active and involved in the application. It prevents consultants from falsifying data and supports the spread of knowledge.

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