Forum discussion
NC-2009 MRc4: Recycled Content
Hi everyone,
I am wondering where I could find the justification for the following:
- A manufacturer letter about recycled content and regional material must be signed
- The letter must include the cost of materials.
I'm getting push back that this is not needed and that the general contractor has the responsability to tallied the costs and therefore it's no needed to be shown on the manufacturer letter.
Thanks
LEEDuser is supported by our premium members, not by advertisers.
Go premium forTo post a comment, you need to register for a LEEDuser Basic membership (free) or login to your existing profile.
The recycled content percentage on the product data sheet is given as a range. What should I do?
Is the default average recycled content value of 25% for steel still allowed?
Can site materials, such as soil, be included in the MR credit calculations?
Are there recycled content claims that I should be wary of?
Hernando Miranda
OwnerSoltierra LLC
344 thumbs up
January 23, 2018 - 9:36 pm
Benoit—
You cannot find such justification. Manufacturers do not provide material costs. The reason is that if they provide such costs then the firms they sell their products to would know who gets special discount deals.
The correct cost is the cost that the installing subcontractor is selling a product to the building owner, via the cost the general contractor pays without any further markup. General contractor (GC), on the LEED projects I have documented for the last 20 years, have never had an issue having the subcontractors provide the cost of a material (material, plus shipping, plus sales tax, plus subcontractor's markup). I do provide a form to the GC to supply the subcontractors which requires a signature, printed name, date, and title of of the person signing the document. The GCs like that method because it gives a standard documentation process that makes it easier for their project engineers to manage. I also provide a detailed list of the specific materials I want the GCs to collect data for. I don't leave up to them to figure out on their own.
Imagine what would happen if you asked Amazon.com to provide with their actual cost of something you purchased. It will not happen.
Benoit Leclair
January 24, 2018 - 7:52 am
Sorry I think I didn't explained well.
We are a manufacturer of Steel Joists. I always provided our customer with the costs (which is our contract cost) since our finished good is a Building Material. I also always signed our LEED document (letter stating the recycled content of our assemblies as well as distance calculation of raw materials) when providing them.
A coworker of mine is arguing with me that we do not have to put the $$$ amount and neither do we have to sign these letters.
I am trying to prove him wrong and finding out where I saw such requirements.
Thanks
Hernando Miranda
OwnerSoltierra LLC
344 thumbs up
January 25, 2018 - 12:15 am
In your case you should provide signed statements for the materials you are using to make the joists (recycled content and regional materials because only you know where those are coming from), and also for the cost of a major off-site assembly. For most materials those are separate claims. Major off-site assemblies are different.
For the last 20 years on my LEED projects I have always asked for signatures for costs from assemblers and subcontractors. The reason is that it makes it easy to get through a LEED review because those documents show I did not make up any numbers out of thin air. If good supporting documents (a signed letter or a website link or a product data sheet) are not obtained, and they are requested during a LEED review it is likely the owner would have to remove the claim. It is best to have good documentation when the work is done, and not to go look for it years later during a LEED review.