Key WELL team members

WELL project teams should include the following key team members, described below:

• Project administrator/WELL consultant
• Project owner
• Mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineer
• Architect
• Contractor
• Facilities manager and/or operations team
• HR professional and/or workplace wellness staff
• WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP)
• WELL coaching contact support
• WELL Reviewer
• WELL Performance Testing Agent

Project administrator

The WELL project administrator acts as a project manager to oversee the WELL process. The project administrator coordinates communication among the team and serves as the primary point of contact on the project. This individual may reach out for WELL technical support and is copied on all correspondence with IWBI and the Green Business Certification, Inc. (GBCI).

The project administrator is often a WELL AP, a WELL consultant, the owner (see below) or another designated representative of the project team. This individual is responsible for the quality control of all submitted documentation and forms for review and performance verification. They will receive a comprehensive WELL report and the WELL award package following review.

Project owner

A project owner is responsible for authorizing registration of the project, signing legal documents and validating various documents used to demonstrate that WELL feature requirements are satisfied. An owner can be an individual property owner or a representative who is delegated responsibility by an entity that owns the property. Owners have the authority to hold and control project-relevant property and to authorize decisions pertaining to that property. In circumstances where multiple owners hold rights over a property, a single owner must be identified as the authorized decision-maker for WELL purposes.

Executive team member

A member of the executive team who may be leading the charge around pursuing WELL at an organization can serve to bolster the commitment to prioritizing the health, safety and well-being of their staff, visitors and other stakeholders.

Practitioners & signatories

Due to the holistic nature of WELL, many features will require the expertise of various professionals overseeing the relevant aspect of design, construction or operations. Architects, contractors and MEP engineers are required to provide specific declarations and/or calculations pertaining to the project.

Where specific expertise is required for implementing WELL criteria, the feature verification method will require a Letter of Assurance (LoA) from an architect, contractor or MEP. IWBI has template LoAs that may be signed and submitted by the appropriate professional to affirm compliance with feature requirements.

• • Contractor
  • Engineer
  • Designer
  • Owner
• • Contractor
  • MEP
  • Architect
  • Owner
• • Contractor
  • MEP
  • Architect
  • Owner

WELL AP

There is significant value in having one or more WELL APs working on the project team. The WELL AP credential recognizes building industry professionals who are knowledgeable about the conceptual and applied frameworks of WELL. Their knowledge is helpful in many aspects of the WELL Certification process. While project teams are not required to have a WELL AP, having one as part of your project team qualifies your project for a pre-approved innovation feature.

Facilities manager and/or operations team

The facilities management team is responsible for implementing many of the ongoing maintenance and operations criteria in WELL. It is best practice to include facilities management professionals early in the WELL process so that they can analyze the building’s existing operations and evolve these practices to meet WELL requirements as necessary. These team members need deep knowledge of the requirements to uphold WELL certification and meet ongoing requirements of WELL.

HR professionals and workplace wellness staff

HR professionals and workplace wellness staff can provide invaluable insight into an organization’s current policies and mission. They may be able to conduct a WELL ‘gap analysis’ based on the current policies, and they can serve as ‘WELL champions’ to promote the well-being offerings to occupants once WELL Certification is achieved. They are uniquely qualified to ensure that organizational policies and offerings–a key component of WELL Certification and the WELL Health-Safety and WELL Equity Ratings–are in accordance with the WELL criteria, such as providing sick leave and health benefits.

WELL coaching support

Upon registration for WELL Certification, all projects gain access to WELL coaching support. This includes a suite of resources, tools and webcasts to guide projects through the certification process. You'll have the ability to ask questions or share challenges with our global WELL coaching team in the Support tab in WELL online.

Note: The WELL coaching team does not approve submissions from projects or certification rulings, as these activities are strictly managed by GBCI.

WELL Reviewer

After a project team submits their documentation, GBCI will assign a WELL Reviewer. This person is the third-party individual responsible for reviewing a project’s documentation and performance testing results for compliance with WELL requirements.

WELL Performance Testing Agent

WELL Performance Testing Agents conduct performance tests on-site, handle test samples and submit performance test results to the WELL Reviewer. Performance tests are carried a WELL Performance Testing Organization that employs trained WELL Performance Testing Agents. WELL project teams may contract services from any of the approved WELL Performance Testing Agents on our website or work with IWBI to coordinate testing.

Customize your team according to your WELL project

Depending on your health goals and the features your project pursues, the following professionals can provide invaluable expertise that could benefit you on your journey:

• Lighting consultant
• Acoustical consultant
• Current or future occupants
  • Including occupants in early WELL discussions, such as the stakeholder charrette required for WELL v1 Feature 85: Integrative Design, WELL v2 pilot or WELL v2 Feature C02: Integrative Design can prove valuable in aligning project goals and plans with occupant needs and expectations. Occupants may include employees, building management staff, residents, students, teachers or athletes — whoever is using the building.
• Human resources representative or workplace wellness staff
  • These representatives provide insight into an organization’s current health policies and mission. They may be able to conduct a WELL ‘gap analysis’ based on the current policies, and they can serve as ‘WELL champions’ to promote the well-being offerings to occupants once WELL Certification is achieved.
• Approved third-party survey provider
  • For more information, read Why should I use a third-party survey provider for my WELL project?
• Food vendor representative
  • If food or beverages are provided on a daily basis in the project, the food service provider will need to incorporate the WELL nourishment criteria into their operations, policies and offerings.

We welcome you to invite additional stakeholders based on your project needs. We also recommend adding all of your team members to the WELL online portal to grant them access to these resources:

• Project account: Specifically designed to link teams to key resources that are most helpful based on the project’s stage in the certification process.
• Digital scorecard: An interactive tool for project management and communication. Any team member can add notes within each feature part, track progress toward implementation, reference alternative strategies and upload documentation.
• Profile tab: Find prompts to help the team collaborate on important goals and milestones. Building this dialogue can prepare you to market and share your WELL story once the project is certified.
• Support tab: Connect the WELL project administrator with the WELL coaching team when technical support is needed. This tab tracks a record of communication for any team member to reference in the future.