With LEED 2009 came mandatory online signatories for Owner, CxA, Contractor, etc. Now that we are in version 4.0 and 5.0 forms, many of those signatories remain on the credit forms but are no longer designated "mandatory" nor do they indicate who is supposed to sign them.
When I queried GBCI about these new form signatory blocks, I received the following response: "If there is a signatory box on a prerequisite or credit form, you need to have a project team member initial it. If the role of the project team member is likely to raise questions among the review team, you should explain the rationale."
EApr1 is one of these forms. It has three signature blocks on it. Historically, two of them were assigned to the CxA and one of them was assigned to the Owner. The Owner was signing off that they had actually reviewed the OPR document. Many of my CxAs tended to sign off all the boxes, even when one of them was clearly marked for the Owner. That was easy enough to fix.
So now is it okay for the CxA to sign this block affirming that the Owner reviewed the OPR? Or not? Would the CxA initials "raise questions" in this case? And how would you define a situation where the team member initialling would raise questions?
Scott Bowman
LEED FellowIntegrated Design + Energy Advisors, LLC
LEEDuser Expert
519 thumbs up
July 9, 2013 - 6:03 pm
I was hoping that some of the GBCI that haunt the forum would answer you. I have not used the v4 forms yet, so took a look at the sample. In my opinion, as a CxA, I am supposed to be seeking this document from the Owner and making sure that it represents their goals and criteria for the project, so I would be willing to initial that box in our process. I could also see the LEED Administrator or Prime initially that block, as they are typically heavily involved in the OPR development as well.
Now, on projects where we are the EOR, I would sure think the owner should initial this, or at least the prime. That is my opinion.
Michelle Rosenberger
PartnerArchEcology
519 thumbs up
July 9, 2013 - 6:14 pm
Thanks, Scott. I appreciate the response. It is a little aggravating to have to use a trial and error approach to things like this to find out what will work and what won't, especially after a direct question to GBCI. We very much prefer to get things right the first time, and clear direction is obviously a big part of that equation. I'll post what happens on the next project going thru review.
Sara Heppe
ArchitectPF&A Design
19 thumbs up
October 23, 2013 - 9:32 am
I'm also finding that I am questioning exactly who is supposed to sign their initials in the template. Did you ever figure out what was acceptable?
Scott Bowman
LEED FellowIntegrated Design + Energy Advisors, LLC
LEEDuser Expert
519 thumbs up
October 23, 2013 - 7:44 pm
Sara. I answered your other question as well (see http://shar.es/ImcX3), but to me it is pretty straight forward. The person that signs should be the one that is required to answer the question. I am guessing you are wondering if someone other than the owner can answer the approval of the OPR, and that is an open question. The Owner would be for sure, but the question of if the LEED Administrator or CxA can initial that is probably still open. With the new option to gain that approval using a separate document, it seems like you should be able to get the Owner without requiring them to log on and do it themselves (which I understand could be an issue with some clients).