Late Evidence on a BREEAM New Construction Office Project
A BREEAM New Construction assessor is finalising a mid-rise office project. The design-stage certificate was issued eight months ago. The contractor has now submitted final as-built drawings, commissioning records and post-construction energy modelling. Two credits relied on a fabric specification that changed during construction: the as-built glazing U-value is 1.4 W/m2K against a design value of 1.1 W/m2K, and the original glazing supplier has gone into administration. The client wants certification completed within three weeks to satisfy a lease condition. The assessor has the original design evidence, a revised specification sheet dated after practical completion, and a signed contractor declaration confirming the installed glazing. No third-party test certificate exists for the installed units.
1. Should the assessor accept the revised specification sheet as evidence for the affected credits? Set out the reasoning and what should happen next.
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No, the assessor should not simply accept it. The key issue is whether the evidence is contemporaneous, verifiable and traceable to the installed product. A specification sheet dated after practical completion describes intent, not what was installed; it is not a record of the actual product. The signed contractor declaration confirms installation but does not independently verify performance. The assessor should:
- Check the assessment tool's evidence requirements for the specific credit - most fabric credits need a manufacturer's declaration, a test certificate to a recognised standard, or a site inspection record, not a post-hoc spec sheet.
- Request the original order documentation, delivery notes or invoice that ties the installed units to a specific product and performance data.
- If no test certificate exists, consider whether a recognised alternative (e.g. a notified body opinion or a manufacturer's declaration of performance) is acceptable under the scheme rules, and record the gap.
- Where the as-built U-value is worse than design, recalculate the credit outcome rather than carrying forward the design value.
The assessor must not sign off on evidence that cannot be verified. The three-week deadline is a commercial pressure, not a technical justification. If the evidence cannot be produced, the credits should be recorded as not achieved and the client informed in writing.
2. The client argues that the design-stage certificate already awarded the credits, so the final certificate should simply repeat them. How should the assessor respond?
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The assessor should explain that a design-stage certificate reflects the design intent at the point of issue; it is not a guarantee that the as-built building meets the same criteria. BREEAM New Construction distinguishes between design-stage and post-construction certification, and post-construction assessment requires evidence of what was actually built and commissioned. Where a design change affects a credit, the post-construction assessment must reflect the as-built position.
The assessor should:
- Confirm which credits are affected by the glazing change and re-evaluate them against the as-built evidence.
- Document the change and the reason for any credit loss in the assessment record.
- Advise the client that the final certificate will show the actual performance, and that this is the correct outcome under the scheme.
- Offer a route to recover credits only where genuine, verifiable evidence exists - for example, if an alternative compliant product was installed and can be documented.
The assessor's professional duty is to the integrity of the certificate, not to the client's preferred outcome. Repeating design-stage credits without as-built evidence would be a breach of the assessor's quality obligations.
3. What quality-assurance records should the assessor keep for this project, and why?
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The assessor should keep a clear audit trail that would allow a third party (such as the scheme operator's QA reviewer) to reconstruct the decision. Records should include:
- The evidence submitted for each affected credit, with dates and sources.
- A note of what was requested and what was received, including any evidence that was missing.
- The assessor's reasoning for accepting or rejecting each item, referencing the relevant scheme requirement.
- Correspondence with the client about the impact on the certificate and the deadline.
- The final credit scores and the justification for any change from the design-stage assessment.
This matters because the assessor is accountable for the certificate's accuracy. If the project is later audited or challenged, the record shows that the assessor acted diligently and did not simply accept unverified claims. It also protects the assessor professionally if the client disputes the outcome. QA records should be retained in line with the scheme operator's retention requirements and the assessor's own professional obligations.