The clock is ticking. You've planned your project's opening ceremony, with important guests expected to attend, for just a few weeks from now. It must receive EDGE certification before this important event.
Achieving EDGE Certification before an upcoming conference or celebration can be critical for your project. In other cases, an incentive or bank loan may require that you achieve certification by a specific deadline. By planning ahead and clearly communicating with all project stakeholders, you can not only ensure your certification deadlines are met, but you can also achieve certification without breaking too much of a sweat.
Tips for meeting a project’s certification deadline
- Ensure all project stakeholders understand each step of the certification process and when they must complete their responsibilities.
- If a project has a deadline for certification, share that with the EDGE Auditor and GBCI.
- Pay the GBCI certification fee and Auditor fees at least three weeks prior to the project’s Initial Audit submission.
- Provide all required information and documentation clearly and concisely within the project’s Initial Audit submission.
- Plan ahead: Anticipate when clarifications will be requested and have time set aside so that you can respond to those requests quickly.
The standard process includes two rounds of audit and GBCI Quality Checks (i.e., Initial and Final) when pursuing EDGE Preliminary Certification or Final EDGE Certification. If the information or documentation previously requested by a project’s Auditor is not submitted as part of the Final Audit submission, it may result in the project failing to achieve certification. It is therefore critically important to address all issues raised within the Initial Audit review comments within a project’s Final Audit submission.
Each step of the audit and GBCI Quality Check process are detailed below. There are many opportunities for a project team to reduce a project’s certification timeline.
EDGE Preliminary Certification
Design Audit + GBCI Quality Check: Estimated at 31–40 business days or more
Once a project team submits for Design Audit, a project typically undergoes two rounds of audit, each requiring a GBCI Quality Check:
Please contact your Auditor for your project-specific timeline. The timeline above is illustrative of the process for achieving EDGE Preliminary Certification; however, your project timeline may be materially different, given project-specific factors such as submission quality and Auditor experience.
Opportunities to achieve EDGE Preliminary Certification more quickly:
- After the Initial Audit and GBCI Quality Check are completed, the project team must provide any additional information or documentation requested by the Auditor. In the timeline above, this step of the process is noted as “Project Team Clarifications.” How quickly this step is completed is entirely up to the project team. GBCI strongly encourages project teams to have time blocked off so that they are prepared to provide required clarifications as quickly as possible.
- Project teams that provide all required information and documentation within their Initial Design Audit submission may skip the Final Design Audit and Quality Check, achieving their EDGE Preliminary Certification in as few as 15 business days.
Final EDGE Certification
Site Audit + GBCI Quality Check: Estimated at 42–70 business days or more
Once a project team submits for Site Audit, a project must host the Auditor for an on-site assessment and typically undergo two rounds of audit, each requiring a GBCI Quality Check:
Please contact your Auditor for your project-specific timeline. The timeline above is illustrative of the process for achieving Final EDGE Certification; however, your project timeline may be materially different, given project-specific factors such as submission quality and Auditor experience.
Opportunities to achieve EDGE Final Certification more quickly:
- The timing of the on-site portion of the Site Audit can substantially impact a project’s certification timeline. For example, some project teams schedule their audit for the day after the Site Audit Checklist is approved by GBCI. Other project teams don’t schedule the audit until more than a month after the checklist is approved. GBCI strongly encourages project teams to schedule their on-site Audit as quickly as possible.
- If the project is in a different city than the Auditor’s office, schedule the on-site Audit at least three weeks in advance. This will allow the Auditor to arrange travel. In addition, the project team should reimburse the Auditor for any travel expenses as soon as reimbursement is requested.
- After the Initial Audit and GBCI Quality Check are completed, the project team must provide any additional information or documentation requested by their Auditor. In the timeline above, this step of the process is noted as “Project Team Clarifications.” How quickly this step is completed is entirely up to the project team. GBCI strongly encourages project teams to have time blocked off so that they are prepared to provide required clarifications as quickly as possible.
- Project teams that provide all required information and documentation within their Initial Site Audit submission may achieve Final EDGE Certification in as few as 15 business days after their Site Audit is conducted.
Expedited GBCI review (Quality Check)
Expedited Reviews reduce the GBCI Quality Check timeline to five business days for a fee.
GBCI highly encourages project teams to plan ahead so that they can meet their certification deadline without any added fees or stress. If this is not possible, project teams may choose to pursue an Expedited Review when seeking EDGE Preliminary Certification or Final EDGE Certification for an additional fee of $2,999.
Expedited reviews reduce GBCI’s Quality Check timeline from an estimated 10 business days to five business days. It’s important to note that as with any Quality Check, the review timeline may be longer if more clarifications than are typical are required from the Auditor and/or project team. Expedited Reviews require that
- A $2,999 Expedited Review fee be paid to GBCI prior to the project’s Initial Audit submission.
- The project team notifies GBCI that they would like to pursue an Expedited Review 15 business days prior to submitting the project for design or Site Audit.
- GBCI confirms its review team has the capacity to expedite the review.
- The project team notifies the Auditor that they would like to pursue an Expedited Review prior to submitting the project for design or Site Audit.
- The project’s Auditor confirms they have the capacity to expedite the review.
GBCI discourages the use of Expedited Reviews. They may not be possible if GBCI’s review capacity is limited at the time of the project’s targeted certification. Additionally, Expedited Reviews add $2,999 to certification costs that could otherwise be avoided with some planning.