Tracking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits requires software functionality similar to that required for more traditional construction project management. Consequently, a few leading vendors have re-purposed their technology to make this possible; others have customers who have developed their own work-arounds. A lot more software development is expected as the number of annual LEED projects continues to grow. Here is some information on what is available, how it works and how one can benefit from it.
Tracking LEED credits is a document-intensive process. Just ask any experienced LEED Accredited Professional (AP). Submittal documentation includes drawings, receipts, product spec sheets, photos, commission plans and more. Adding to the clutter, numerous project members will access and edit these documents.
Project management software, especially Web-based systems, act as a repository for the storage and retrieval of critical project documents. One must simply upload a document into the system, then attach it to the appropriate LEED-credit log. From there one can track the history of a document, see every change that has been made and who made it. These files provide a paper trail for proof of compliance.
Tracking Credits with Reports by Category
Digging in one level deeper, project management software provides category-level reports on credit requirements. For example, consider Materials and Resources (MR) Credit 2. To comply, contractors need to recycle and/or salvage 50 percent to 75 percent of nonhazardous construction debris. LEED detail tracking pages (in project management software) include a brief description of the credit and a table with the requirements. Users can upload related documents (in this case a disposal ticket from the waste management company), then log specific details in each column (weight of material disposed).
Using construction project management software, contractors can track credits on a per-project basis. After selecting which LEED version the project is working toward (e.g. v2.1, v2.2 or v3), the software returns a dashboard-view of all credits available.
From here, users can monitor the credits they are applying for and the corresponding documents. Clicking on a link takes them to the detail tracking page for that credit. Submittals can be e-mailed, faxed or uploaded into the system, then attached to the credit. This is especially handy for LEED APs and construction managers that need to log files from the field.
When it comes time to apply, all files will be safe and secure in a single place. Users can then generate PDFs to submit to the LEED-Online system.
Additional Software Benefits
Aside from the aforementioned benefits, project management software can be used to schedule and coordinate important project dates (e.g. commissioning sessions), it can give one a competitive edge to win more LEED projects and it provides the document tracking required to get AP accreditation.
Finally, project management software mitigates risk. There are big financial ramifications if one falls from LEED Gold to Silver, or off the podium entirely. Just as accounting software has become a “source of truth” for financial reporting, project management software is a source of truth for LEED certification.
In terms of development, we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. There is great potential for software vendors to create advanced features and functionality to make LEED tracking a less complicated process. Maybe we will even see a “click to submit” function for companies to submit electronically to the U.S. Green Building Council.
In the meantime, here are some software features to look for:
• Executive dashboard: Shows up-to-date LEED scorecard and latest project activity;
• Portfolio roll-up: Ability to look at a “portfolio” view of all past and current LEED projects;
• Resource database: Share best practices and case studies with other APs and contractors;
• ROI/IRR analysis: Calculate internal rate of return for a building based on discounted cash flows and investment costs; and
• Submittal templates: Use templates to generate indoor air quality (IAQ) plans, construction waste management plans, credit interpretation requests (CIR) and other submittals.
This article was originally published by Houston Neal on Construction Software Advice at: Track LEED v3 Credits in Project Management Software.
