This article explains audit documentation for WELL at scale, the WELL Equity Rating and WELL Health-Safety Rating. Audit documentation does not apply to WELL Certification or the WELL Performance Rating.
What are audited documents?
Some features within your WELL at scale or WELL Ratings scorecards require audited documents for verification. Audited documents allow you to provide documentation for a reduced number of locations rather than for all locations pursuing a feature. To learn more about how we calculate audit requirements, which verification methods are audited and where to find your audit list, watch the video below or keep reading.
How are audit requirements calculated?
The number of audited locations is equal to the square root of the total number of locations pursuing an option, rounded down. This calculation will be completed automatically. You can find the number of audit locations required in the Tasks section of the option on your Scorecard, as shown below.
M05.1 Option 1 requires a professional narrative–an audited verification method. If 10 locations are pursuing this option, you must provide documentation for 3 of them (√10=3.16, rounded down to 3).
Which verification methods are audited?
The verification method determines if the WELL feature is subject to audit. The following verification methods are subject to audit:
- On-going Maintenance Report
- On-site Photographs
- Professional Narrative
- Technical Document (except WELL AP credential for feature I02)
- WELL Strategy
For WELL at scale and WELL Equity, as well as WELL Health-Safety projects created after April 18, 2023, you can also use filters within your Scorecard to see all features that require audited documentation.
- Click the ‘Filters’ button on your scorecard.
- Expand the ‘Document Scale’ section.
- Choose ‘Audited’.
- Click ‘Apply’.
Health-Safety projects created before April 18, 2023 can filter by verification method to find features that require the audited methods listed above.
How do I see my audit locations?
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These instructions apply to WELL at scale and all WELL Ratings projects except Health-Safety Rating projects created before April 18, 2023.
After you have indicated which locations are pursuing an option, the locations selected for audit will display under the Tasks section on the feature’s Verification page.
- Open your Scorecard.
- Click the applicable feature.
- Go to the Verification section.
- Scroll down to the Tasks section.
- Next to the upload button, you will see the number of locations selected. Click this text to see the audit locations.
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These instructions apply to Health-Safety Rating projects created before April 18, 2023 only. All other Health-Safety Rating projects should use the WELL Ratings instructions.
- Open your project's Documents Library.
- Find the audit list on the General tab.
What happens if my audit documentation isn't approved?
All audit requirements must be fulfilled before any non-audited locations can achieve the feature part. For instance, in the example above, there are 10 total locations pursuing the feature with 3 audit locations. If the 3 required audit documents are not approved, the 7 locations that were not audited cannot achieve the feature.
If some but not all audit documents are approved, only the audit locations assigned to the approved documents will achieve the feature. For example, if the documents for location 1 and 2 are approved but not location 3, only location 1 and 2 will achieve the feature. Location 3 and the rest of the non-audit locations will not achieve the feature.
Adding new locations to a previously achieved audit option
In some situations, assigning additional locations to an audited option may not change the number of audit documents required.
In a previous review, you achieved feature M05.1 Option 1 at 10 locations within your subscription. Option 1 requires a professional narrative–an audited document type. To achieve this option, you had to provide audit documents for 3 locations. (The number of required documents was √10 = 3.16, rounded down to 3).
Later, you decide to pursue M05.1 Option 1 at 3 more locations. The total number of locations assigned to this feature is now 13. You will not need to provide any additional documentation for the 3 new locations because the total number of required audit locations has not changed. The number of required documents is √13 = 3.6, rounded down to 3–the same number of documents required previously.
In this situation, the Tasks section will display ‘0 locations pursuing’ as shown above because you do not need to provide any additional documents for this option. However, the new locations will show as Pursuing in the Option section. After your next review, these 3 new locations will achieve this option.
Where can I find additional guidance on audit requirements?
Check out the WELL Program Guidebook for additional guidance on the auditing requirements.