GSAS Certification Management

Design Phase

Obtaining a Letter of Conformance (LOC) from GORD 1. Assessment Stage: This initial assessment is used to determine how the Concept Design of the building compares with the GSAS requirements. A preliminary scorecard (GSAS Toolkit) will be established to set a goal of certification targeting the required star rating. 2. Registration/ Preliminary Review Stage: In this phase the GSAS-PM registers the project and assigns criteria to design team members, and the team members submit documentation the GSAS-PM for Preliminary Review. The GSAS-PM will then submit the completed documents to GORD. 3. Preliminary Verification: During Preliminary Verification, the Certifying Authority (GORD) reviews all resubmitted criteria and assigns the project an overall score. For any requirements not adequately met during Preliminary Verification, the credit for that criterion will be revoked and the score will be recalculated. 4. Preliminary Certification: Upon the Certifying Authority’s completion of Preliminary Verification and final project score assignment, the project enters the Preliminary Certification Phase. Based on the submitted documents and the results of the verification, GORD will issue a Letter of

GSAS Certification Management

Construction Phase – GSAS

5. Construction Inspection (Conformance to Design Audit) Upon receiving Letter of Conformance, QGL shall coordinate with the construction team to collect and prepare relevant data from the construction site. During construction, GSAS Trust shall conduct a number of routine and random inspections which shall be facilitated by United Architects. 6. Final Submission After construction is complete, project will resubmit certain requirements to ensure the initial criteria submittals are consistent with the final built environment. All criteria labeled “Resubmit” will require new file submissions in addition to documents that may have changed after the issuance of the LoC. 7. Final Verification During Final Review, GSAS Trust (the reviewing authority) reviews all resubmitted criteria and assigns the project an overall score. For any requirements not adequately met during Final Review, the credit for that criterion will be revoked and the score will be recalculated. 8. Final Certification Upon successful completion of design inspection & final submission, completion letter and plaque of recognition shall be issued to the project, for having conformed to the performance set forth in the GSAS design assessment manual and the final GSAS star rating achieved by the project.

LEED Certification Management

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a voluntary, consensus-based, market­-driven program that provides third-party verification of green buildings. From individual buildings and homes, to entire neighborhoods and communities, LEED is transforming the way built environments are designed, constructed, and operated. Comprehensive and flexible, LEED addresses the entire lifecycle of a building. LEED provides building owners and operators the tools they need to immediately impact their building’s performance and bottom line, while providing healthy indoor spaces for a building’s occupants.

LEED Certification Process

The entire process of certification is managed by GBCI (Green Business Certification Inc.) through a web interface portal known as LEED Online. All communication with GBCI occurs through this online portal. There is no in-person meetings/reviews/inspections scheduled for the LEED rating system. Project teams are expected to use LEED Online to compile all documentation information, which can then be submitted to GBCI for certification reviews. The certification process is administered by GBCI through an independent 3rd-party submission & review process. However, all communication and approvals occur via LEED-Online with GBCI directly.


The scope of services that can be provided is dependent on many aspects and shall be considered on a case-by-case basis.