Tracking Green Building Certifications in obi ESG

Learn how to track certifications to ensure coverage across assets and portfolios

The certifications module in obi ESG provides a central location to track existing certifications, collect and store certification documents, and add tasks to complete new certifications as required. This article will walk through the main workflows in the module, and provide an overview of how tracking certifications can ensure asset compliance and accountability is maintained.

Adding an Existing Certification

Adding an existing (already completed) certification is used to track the existing progress of assets. This information allows informed decisions about certification targets to be made, and for the date of expiry to be easily tracked. These certifications do not have any actions to be taken in the ESG tool. Assets that are being onboarded into obi ESG, or current assets that are beginning to use the certifications module, will likely have existing, active certifications that can be added to the system without needing any further actions taken. Track existing certifications with the following process:

1. Select "Add completed" from the add certifications menu.
2. Select a certification from the list.
   
3. Fill in the certification details. Note that it is compulsory to select the certification level achieved and either a date of expiry or "Lasts forever". All other fields are optional, but should be filled if data is available.
4. The completed certification will appear on the dashboard

Note that if the expiry date is set to a past date, the certification will go straight to the expired tab.

Adding an In Progress Certification

Assets that already exist in obi ESG will require certifications to be added to the asset over time; either new certifications to meet new investment/fund goals, or renewed older certifications. These new certifications can be added by using the "Add in progress" feature, allowing tasks for submitting and reviewing the certification documents to be assigned. This allows asset managers to delegate certification tasks while ensuring deadlines are still met. The process is as follows:

1. Select "Add in progress" from the add certification menu.
2. Select a certification from the list.
3. Fill in the desired certification details. Due date is the only compulsory field. Note that if a submitter is not entered, the certification will not be able to be completed until one is assigned. Also note that if a submitter is added without a reviewer, the certification will become complete as soon as the submission is completed.
4. The in progress certification will appear on the dashboard.

Submitting to an In Progress Certification

If a user is assigned to an in progress certification, they will be able to submit to it at any time. They can submit either via the certifications dashboard, or through the "My Tasks" screen. This submission must only be completed once the certification itself has been completed and certified by the relevant authority. The process is as follows:

1. Action the task, either from the "My Tasks" screen:or from the dashboard:
2. Fill in the submission details. Level achieved and date of expiry are compulsory fields. Note that if the certification documents are available they should always be uploaded here. The date certified will default to the current date. A comment explaining why some info has been chosen can be helpful to the reviewer.
3. The submission will be shown on the dashboard.
4. (Optional) The submitter can edit the submission up until the point of review by selecting "Edit your submission" from the three dot menu on the certification card.

Reviewing an In Progress certification

If there is a reviewer assigned to an in progress certification, completion of the submission will start the review process. The review can be actioned from the dashboard or from the "My Tasks" section. The purpose of the review step is to verify that all evidence uploaded is correct and valid, and also that the entered fields such as level achieved and expiry date are also correct. Reviewers should carefully inspect each document uploaded as well as all of the fields and comments entered by the submitter. The process is as follows:

1. Action the task, either from the "My Tasks" page:or from the dashboard:
2. Carefully evaluate the info entered and the evidence uploaded. Choose to either accept or return the submission
   If returning, you must give a reason for the return:
3. If accepted, the certification will move to the Completed and valid section. If returned, it will appear like so:

Re-submitting a Returned Certification

If a user's submission is returned, it indicates one of a few possibilities:

• The evidence provided was unsatisfactory, incomplete, or incorrect
• The evidence does not match the provided information (level and expiry date)
• The certification was submitted prematurely
• Other asset-specific reasons

The task will be returned to the original submitter. They should now assess the comments given by the reviewer and they evidence and info that they submitted, and decide what needs to be updated or changed in order for the submission to be accepted. Once this has been corrected, they can re-submit the certification. This re-submittal follows almost the same process. See the re-submittal screen below:

Note that the comments from the reviewer are clearly displayed at the top. Note also that the previous submittal information is pre-filled, making changes easier. It is a good idea to alter the original comment to describe what has changed and the reasons why this re-submission should be accepted.

Expired Certifications

Once a certification expires, it will move from the "Completed and valid" section to the "Expired" tab.

In this tab, every expired certification on the asset is displayed in a list, allowing for quick comparisons. There is also a search bar to look up specific certifications. This page serves to:

• Allow users to access the evidence for expired certifications
• Keep a history of certifications for record purposes
• Compare and contrast old certifications to make decisions about new certifications

Below is a screenshot of the page with some example expired certifications:

Note that the DGNB certification at the top contains an evidence file that is able to be downloaded with the button on the right of the row:

The LEED certification below did not have evidence uploaded, and hence does not have the download available.

Editing or Deleting a Certification

Existing certifications can be edited or deleted by an admin user. This functionality allows for mistakes to be corrected or for incorrect certifications to be deleted. It should be used with extreme caution, as changes made are not reversible.

The edit and delete options are available on both the dashboard cards:

And on the expired certifications list:

The edit page for a certification will look like so:

Note that this certification is from the expired tab and displays the expired warning below the expiry date field.