I recently challenged a LEED reviewers interpretation of the total material default value. They used the total cost of construciton including the electrical and mechanical costs to deny the project 3 LEED MRc4 points. The following is their response:

"The default value to determine the value of building materials to be considered in MR credits 3, 4, 5, and 6 is 45% of total construction cost. The review team explained this in the construction final review comments. A default value cannot be adjusted by specific project circumstances, such as an unusually large proportion of mechanical and electrical equipment. "

My understanding is that, according to page 372 of the 2009 Edition of the LEED Reference Guide for Green Building Design and Construction, to determine the default total cost of materials:

"Determine the total materials cost for the project by multiplying the total construction cost (hard costs only in CSI MasterFormat 2004 Edition Divisions 03 -10, 31 (Sections 31.60.00 Foundations) and 32 (Sections32.10.00 Paving, 32.30.00 Site Improvements, and 32.90.00 Planting) by 45%."

The total construction cost are not to include:

Division 00 Procurement and Contracting
Division 01General Requirements
Division 02 Existing Conditons
Division 11 Equipment
Division 12 Furnishings
Division 13 Special Construction
Disivion 14 Conveying Equipment
Division 21 Fire Suppression
Division 22 Plumbing
Division 23 HVAC
Division 25 Integrated Automation
Division 26 Electrical
Division 27 Data Communications
Division 28 Electronic Detection and Alarm

Is my understanding incorrect?