Contractor Certifications for LEED Credits

Some of the LEED-NC 2.1 credits are not directly under the Architect/Engineers’ or Owner’s control. These are for procedures, activities, or materials that are usually delegated entirely to the Contractor. In order to achieve these credits, the Contractor must not only perform as required, but he must also submit the documentation necessary to show that the credit was achieved. For instance, if the waste management credits are to be achieved, documentation of the amount of waste removed, the amount delivered to the landfill, and the amounts recycled must be made all during the construction period — it’s way too late at the end to prove that any recycling or landfill diversion occurred. BSD SpecLink includes submittal requirements and forms for documenting many of these credits.

• SS Prereq 1 - Erosion and Sedimentation Control: Submittals in Section 01 5713 (01575) include the Contractor’s plan and inspection reports.
• MR Credit 2.1 & 2.2: Construction Waste Management: Submittals in Section 01 7419 (01732) include a Landfill Alternatives Proposal, the Contractor’s Waste Management Plan, and Waste Disposal Reports.
• IEQ Credit 3: Construction IAQ Management Plan: Submittals in Section 15 721 (01734) include the Contractor’s Plan, Interior Finish Installation Schedule, and Test Plans and Reports.
• IEQ Credit 4.1 - Low-Emitting Sealants and Adhesives: Low- VOC joint sealants are specified in Section 07 9000 (07900). However, adhesives are not typically specified for every application for which they are used and installers could use adhesives in applications where adhesives were not anticipated. So a project-wide requirement for low-VOC adhesives is specified in Section 01 6000 (01600). A special form is used to get the Contractor’s certification that none have been used on the project: Section 01 3516.07 (01363) LEED Prohibited Content Installer Certification. The specifier should ensure that any adhesives he does specify meet the low-VOC criteria.
• IEQ Credit 4.4 - Low-Emitting Composite Wood: This is a total prohibition on urea-formaldehyde-containing wood products and is specified in Section 01 6000 (01600). Since installers could theoretically use wood panel products even if not specified, a special form is used to get the Contractor’s certification that none have been used on the project: Section 01 3516.07 (01363) LEED Prohibited Content Installer Certification. In addition, the specifier should ensure that the composite wood products he does specify are ureaformaldehyde- free.