Auditor Q+A: Summary

This is a summary from the ‘Auditor Q+A’ Member Event hosted by Living Future® on October 30th, 2024 that covers application best practices, how to make the most of  documentation, and what auditors look for in a great submission. For the full conversation, check out the video in the Resource Library on the Member Dashboard. 

What are three words you would use to describe a successful audit submission?

1. ‘Clear narrative accounts’
2. ‘Consistent, judicious, and correlated’
3. ‘Organized, transparent, and inspiring’

When should teams start working on documentation?

ASAP! Living Future building certifications require a string of history that shows how project teams arrive at their particular decision-making points. Teams should complete a rough draft much earlier in the process so they can “test drive” narratives and see what is missing well before submission.

When submitting construction documents, what are the most important pieces of information that need to be shared?

A full set of CDs that are organized like a ‘paint by numbers’ for the auditors. Project teams should call out the exact imperative requirements and annotate for the auditor wherever possible. Some common sticking points are: site plans, exhaust fans, and windows (for site lines).

How can a team best orient/lead an auditor through an Imperative's worth of documentation?

• Pay close attention to the documentation requirement numbering
• Folders, files, and documents names must correlate with what’s in Portal
• Narratives help guide the auditor and flag where teams exceptions will be used
• Notify the auditor if there were any pre-approvals with Living Future staff prior to the audit; teams are responsible for pointing this out to auditors, not Living Future staff

What sections of the documentation do you wish project teams had more organized?

• The data-heavy parts 
• Formatting, naming convention, etc.
• Receipts and legal documents 
• Waste receipts and balance sheet (teams often use incorrect categories)

If a project has documentation from another certification, like LEED, can that documentation be used for a Living Future certification? If so, how?

The short answer is ‘no’. There are some areas that overlap and play into each other, but auditors would caution against this. 

What is the best way to respond to auditor clarification requests?

The biggest mistake teams make is explaining why they didn’t do something instead of providing what is needed/being asked for. If the team didn’t get pre-approval from Living Future, the auditor does not have the power or ability to make exceptions and will therefore deny it. 

During a virtual site visit, what will the auditor need to be shown and who needs to be present?

• Auditors are mainly looking for MEP systems, electrical, sensors and controls, primary finish materials, and educational signage.
• Folks familiar with the project and the areas that are going to be viewed (ideally it’s not the architect/engineer) and folks familiar with areas of the building that may have connectivity issues (like rooftops).

Questions about Living Future’s building certification audit process? Reach out to certification@living-future.org