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Last edited 27 Jan 2021

Emma Houston Other Consultant Website

BREEAM Evidence referencing

BREEAM Good practice (efficient!) evidence referencing

Clear evidence aids both the assessor in writing up the report and the QA auditor in reviewing the evidence and report to ensure the building is fully compliant.

The Assessment Evidence Reference should clearly identify as best possible where the required information is found in the evidence document.
- For example – Energy folder/ Ene 3 folder/ Ene 3-1 Thermal comfort report/ Section 2.0/ Section 2.1.1/Paragraph 3
If a report is being used then it is easy to identify the relevant section, but if there are no sections then pages numbers are best with the paragraph, if information is only in one paragraph.
Where information is found in multiple places then multiple places should be listed e.g.
- Energy folder/ Ene 3 folder/ Ene 3-1 Thermal comfort report/ Section 2.1.1/Section 4.3/ Section 6.9.4
- It will assist the QA auditor and yourself if you need to revisit information
It is important that each criteria is addressed, it should be easy to see in the report that each criteria has an evidence document assigned to it.

When forwarding evidence to the assessor it is beneficial to provide guidance on where the appropriate information is in the document as it may save questions from the assessor and ensure nothing is missed.
Each credit has criteria and to achieve the credit all applicable criteria must have evidence to support it. Review compliance notes as they will likely contain additional explanation on what is required and how to demonstrate it.
If providing evidence via email, ensure that the credit number and name as well as the project name are included within the title. Send evidence relating to one credit only per email. This makes it easier for the Assessor to locate when trying to reference.

Can someone who has never seen this document find the required information?
Does this document show the criteria indicated?
Is the author of the document clearly identified (architect, environmental team, principal contractor)?
Is the date clearly marked?

Reference and report as you review and you will save a lot of time. If you go on a sabbatical or maternity leave good referencing helps your colleagues while you are away. Additionally, if you leave a company it means things are in order.
Consider highlighting in the evidence especially when report is used in pdf format. For example using ‘sticky notes’ to highlight each BREEAM criterion for the credit.