WELL Tip: A Guide to WELL Consulting
by Melanie Koch, IWBI Technical Solutions
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THE GUIDE TO WELL CONSULTING
REGISTER
The decision to pursue WELL Certification requires collaboration from many internal stakeholders throughout an organization. As a WELL consultant, you can play an essential role in establishing feasibility and identifying the steps they’ll need to get started.
During this stage, you may consider supporting your project team in the following ways:
- Share the benefits of certification to clients through marketing materials such as the Introduction to WELL presentation and
- Complete the online Explore WELL Survey to help your client determine how their project fits with WELL
- Generate a certification price quote based on your project information using the WELL Pricing Calculator
- Enter project details on WELL Online and assist with the registration process
- Update profile information in the project directory
- Plan for key milestones using the timeline estimator
- Customize press release templates to begin promoting your project's wellness commitment
Check out this new tool for WELL registration:
WELL Survey Questions: This template sorts the WELL features into project team roles, allowing you to quickly request information regarding feasibility or status of achievement to track in your WELL project checklist.
ASSESS
As you move forward towards WELL Certification, you will need to assess and confirm that each feature being pursued meets WELL’s requirements. During this stage of a project, a WELL consultant might:
- Plan an integrative design charrette to discuss wellness goals and educate all stakeholders on WELL
- Discuss certification goals (Silver, Gold, or Platinum)
- Evaluate the project’s alignment with preconditions and optimizations, tracking progress in a project checklist
- Familiarize the project team with AAPs, equivalencies, and FAQs located on the digital version of the WELL Building Standard
- Utilize any relevant crosswalks if the project is pursuing another building rating system
- Guide clients as they incorporate WELL requirements into new or existing policies and protocols
Check out these new tools for feature assessments:
Charrette Agendas: This template suggests a framework for an integrative design charrette agenda, allowing you to quickly plan and customize your meeting to include elements of WELL.
Policies and Protocols: This template compiles WELL features that involve personnel policies or protocol, allowing you to quickly incorporate WELL requirements into existing employee manuals, food service programs, or maintenance guidelines.
SUBMIT
Prior to certification, projects submit documentation to show how they are meeting feature requirements. At this stage, you might:
- Collect project drawings, cleaning protocols, operation schedules, annotated floor plans, and other relevant documents
- Review all documentation and confirm it is ready to submit via WELL Online
- Upload documents in the WELL Online project portal
- Notify your WELL Assessor when documentation is ready to be reviewed
- Respond to preliminary documentation review comments
- Discuss education and engagement opportunities for building occupants about the project’s WELL features, as well as project evaluation with the client
Check out this new tool for documentation submission:
Maintenance Logs: This template outlines the maintenance features of WELL, allowing you to quickly adapt or incorporate WELL requirements into existing operational protocols.
VERIFY
Once your documentation has been approved and you have achieved the required occupancy, it is time to schedule performance verification. During this stage of a project, you may:
- Confirm documentation has been approved and the occupancy requirements are met
- Conduct optional testing within the project boundary to prepare for the WELL Assessor’s official visit
- Complete a visual inspection of the project to confirm each feature is ready for review
- Review performance verification logistics with your WELL Assessor
- Schedule a stakeholder tour that highlights WELL features
- Prepare marketing resources to celebrate your achievement
- Finalize any educational and engagement planning for building occupants
Check out these new tools for documentation submission:
Cleaning Services Request: This template provides a direct overview of the cleaning protocols in the WELL Building Standard, allowing you to quickly share the scope of your cleaning service request to a landlord or vendor.
Operations Presentation: This template includes cleaning and maintenance features of WELL, allowing you to quickly educate and train project team members or facilities staff on WELL's requirements.
CERTIFY
Congratulations! You have made it to the final stages of your journey. It is almost time to celebrate your success and showcase your project.
During this stage of a project, a WELL consultant might:
- Review the WELL report prepared by the WELL Assessor
- Draft curative actions or appeals if necessary
- Coordinate annual submissions to IWBI
- Plan ahead for recertification (3 years after certification)
- Release prepared marketing materials to highlight your success
- Consider highlighting your project through tours, online profile, conference or educational sessions, or through other venues
- Work with your client to evaluate the impact of WELL Certification
- Update the project profile in the project directory
- Celebrate your achievement