System providers are organisations that design, operate and own the rights to sustainable building assessment systems as programme owners within the meaning of ISO/IEC 17030.
Responsibilities and actors
Planners are responsible for ensuring that the previously agreed quality standards are achieved and for closely cooperating with sustainability consultants and developers with respect to any deviations from the same.
The owner and issuer of the Certification with final decision-making authority for all questions concerning QNG-PLUS and QNG-PREMIUM is the Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB). The BMWSB grants certification bodies licences for awarding the QNG-PLUS and QNG-PREMIUM Certifications to applicants subject to the conditions of these Certification Specifications upon presentation of an accreditation certificate in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065 for the scope of QNG-PLUS and QNG-PREMIUM.
Within this process, the developers are responsible for commissioning the sustainability assessment, arranging any additional planning and verification services to the extent previously agreed and for formally applying for certificates and, where relevant, subsidies.
The Department for QNG (GS-QNG) is the central point of contact for system providers interested in participating in the certification award process. The GS-QNG provides a list of the registered assessment systems at www.qng.info. It also supports the Certification owner and the DAkkS with their activities.
The certification bodies (e.g. STI, BiRN, DGNB, NaWoh) are the developer’s contractual partners, answers questions about certifiability and are responsible for checking the certification documents. There are no requirements regarding the services to be provided, hence they must be agreed by the parties involved on a case-by-case basis.
Sustainability consultants are listed with the respective certification bodies (e.g. STI, BiRN, DGNB, NaWoh) and help applicants with the selection of the relevant systems, the performance of the certification process and the achievement of the various quality standards with the aim of ensuring that projects qualify for QNG Certification. Sustainability consultants are not affiliated with the certification bodies and act on the applicant’s behalf. There are no requirements regarding the services to be provided, hence they must be agreed by the parties involved on a case-by-case basis. The certification bodies can also provide more information on this.
The certification process
1. Applying, registering and planning
Following an analysis of the relevant requirements, the submitted concepts will be reviewed at the start of the planning phase as part of the ‘pre-check’ assessment and the desired quality standards defined in a target agreement. The specifications based on these should set out the required verification services, as well as the associated responsibilities and deadlines. The target agreement and specifications will subsequently form the basis for the project’s quality management during its planning and execution phase. The planners will be responsible for the achievement of the desired qualities and can, in individual cases, be supported by the sustainability consultants. Typical services include e.g. the preparation of life cycle assessments (LCA) and life cycle cost calculations (LCC), as well as helping with the selection of environmentally friendly building materials.
Requirements analysis
Developers
Commissioning the sustainability consultants
Sustainability consultants
Generally:
- Provide advice about assessment systems, quality levels and required services
- Liaison with the certification body
- Draw up and agree the pre-check/target agreement with the developer and planning stakeholders
Certification body
Will provide help and support concerning any additional questions concerning certifiability
Planning
Developers
Register the project with the certification body and apply for QNG
If relevant, commission planning stakeholders (e.g. Architects) with additional planning verification services as agreed with the sustainability consultants
Sustainability consultants
Generally:
- Create and agree the specifications
- Perform the life cycle assessment and life cycle cost calculation
- Evaluate QNG Certification types with respect to the certification
- Obtain and evaluate relevant evidence
- Provide advice about building products
Certification body
Register the project and arrange the certification contract
2. Commissioning construction work and building phase
Commissioning and performance of construction work
Developers
Sustainability consultants
Generally:
- Formulate requirements for awarding contracts, e.g. schedules of services (in particular to avoid harmful and hazardous substances)
- For QNG-PREMIUM: Review product and safety data sheets and any other documents prior to the installation of building products
- For QNG-PREMIUM: Create approved product lists and perform random checks of the building products used
Certification body
3. Completion and certification
Once the construction work has been completed, all of the documentation has to undergo a final review, and the verification documents have to be compiled and submitted to the certification body. When working with a temporary planning certificate, applicants may also optionally submit any existing evidence to the relevant certification body as early as the certification’s planning phase.
The certification body will subsequently award a certificate in line with the degree to which the required criteria have been met. If, in addition to this, the building also fulfils the requirements for QNG Certification, it will also award the QNG Sustainable Building Certification QNG-PLUS or QNG-PREMIUM depending on which of the two requirement levels have been met.
Documentation / Certification
Developers
Sustainability consultants
Generally:
- Obtain, update and assess evidence
- Compile and submit the documentation
Certification body
- Checks the documents
- On fulfilment of the requirements: Awards the QNG Sustainable Building Certification and notifies the Department for QNG of the Certification award
