Project checklist
Once benchmarking helps you understand how your building is performing, you need to determine your performance goals. Goals can be based on regulatory requirements, such as DC’s BEPS legislation; investor pressure; tenant demand; market trends; or internal company targets. You need to consider your most important immediate and long-term goals and create a comprehensive plan to meet them. The questions below can help you determine your next steps.
Which of the following goals are you interested in achieving?
Compliance with local regulation
- Meeting the short-term, minimum requirements for compliance with BEPS?
- Aiming for long-term compliance with BEPS?
Environmental considerations
- Achieving company- or organization-wide sustainability targets?
- Looking towards the future of DC’s climate-related policies and goals?
Economic considerations
- Completing the lowest-cost option available?
- Receiving the best value for your budget?
- Increasing your property value?
- Lowering your utility and other operating expenses?
- Generating additional revenue?
Building enhancements
- Increasing your tenant satisfaction or retention rates?
- Meeting new market demands for healthy spaces?
- Improving indoor environmental quality for building occupants?
- Eliminate the use of fossil fuels in your building?
- Improving overall building operations?
External market leadership and corporate social responsibility visibility
- Increasing brand recognition?
- Improving brand image?
- Certifying your building under LEED, WELL, Fitwel, or any other program to receive recognition?
- Reporting to GRESB, Global Reporting Initiative, CDP, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board), Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, or other organizations to have your business or building(s) assessed by a third party?
- Committing to use your economic power to hire small, minority-owned, women-owned and other historically disadvantaged business enterprises?
- Leveraging your building or project to support the local community?
Internal company goals
- Establishing a culture around sustainability?
- Improving the knowledge, skills, and capacity of current staff members?
Use the answers to these questions, alongside an understanding about your building’s performance, to inform project scope.