Informed by client and project team feedback, we’ve made a series of updates in 2025 to help improve the process of maintaining your WELL at scale achievements. Our main goals were to: 

• Simplify and streamline your renewals experience for location achievements and documents 
• Recognize and reflect the unique ways that teams maintain WELL strategies 
• Track meaningful information on the value of WELL over time

WELL Certification and WELL Rating achievement dates

The biggest update we’ve made is in response to feedback about how challenging it can be to manage multiple renewal deadlines. So, going forward, we are streamlining the renewal process by aligning ALL achievement renewal dates to the end of your subscription year. This will occur for already-achieved location achievements and any new achievements:

•  WELL Ratings; due dates will be the next WELL at scale subscription renewal date following a year from the location achievement. For example:
  • WELL at scale subscription renewal date: 08/15/2025
  • WELL Rating achievement: 11/12/2025 - 11/12/2026 
  • WELL Rating achievement with date alignment to the subscription date one year from the rating achievement date: 11/12/2025 - 08/15/2027
• WELL Certifications due dates for recertification will be the next WELL at scale subscription renewal date following 3 years from the location achievement.
  • For example, a certification achieved in November 2025 for a WELL at scale that is due for subscription renewal in August each year; the updated rating due date will be August 2029.

This change means that you will always have at least one year and three years to complete Rating and Recertifications respectively for locations, but depending on your WELL at scale subscription renewal date, you may have additional months before those location achievements are due. 

Approved document validity

For simplicity and to honor feedback about how WELL is maintained within organizations, we’ve made updates to document validity.

• Ongoing documents continue to be valid for a minimum of one year from the date of document approval, expiring on the subsequent subscription renewal date.
• Performance test documents are valid for a minimum of 3 years, expiring on the subsequent subscription renewal date.
• All other previously approved documents remain valid in perpetuity, unless you make updates to documents or location assignments in your WELL account.

Here’s what project teams need to do to renew their WELL achievements due in 2025 and 2026

On a regular basis

1. Organizations are responsible for ensuring that achieved WELL strategies remain in place at assigned locations and make updates as needed (for example, as needed: replace a document, unassign locations, archive a document). If there are no changes, approved documentation does not expire and will continue to be valid (except ongoing reporting and performance test data, which require actions explained below).

On an annual basis

2. Complete the Goals/Renewal Module before your subscription renewal date. This module is now mandatory as it explains how you're maintaining the WELL strategies and whether there have been any changes to the subscribed locations. Project teams cannot initiate a review cycle for that subscription year until the module is completed. (For WELL at scale accounts with subscription renewal due dates in Q1 2025, the module is due by March 30, 2025).

3. If applicable, upload your ongoing documents to your digital account, including ongoing data and maintenance reports for all achieved features. Ongoing documents should be approved in a review round by the next WELL at scale subscription renewal date, following a year from the location achievement. 

On an as-needed basis

4. For any approved feature parts requiring performance test data, including locations due for recertification, complete retesting and upload new performance test data. Note that performance test documents are valid for a minimum of 3 years, expiring on the subsequent subscription renewal date. Retesting may be subject to a reduced scope; use the recertification tool to evaluate if the location is eligible for reduced PV sampling. 

After your organization has achieved a feature with a verification method of On-going maintenance report or on-going data report, you must upload ongoing documents to your digital account and have them approved in a review round by the next WELL at scale subscription renewal date, following a year from the location achievement.  

Frequently asked questions

• Project teams should use the recertification tool to evaluate if the location is eligible for reduced PV sampling during the recertification process based on any changes that may have occurred within the WELL project boundary. Additionally, WELL at scale administrators can share the recertification tool to the individual location POCs who can then provide details on any updates that may have occurred in that location.This can inform the admins to document these changes in the goals/renewal module that teams are required to complete before the start of every subscription year.

• For v2 pilot and v2 locations recertifying under the same version as the initial project:

  • If the team is pursuing recertification under the same version as the initial project, project teams are no longer required to create a new project to complete recertification. For uploading updated documents (performance test documents and any other documents if changes to previously achieved features have been documented), project teams can simply archive previously approved documents and upload the new documents. More details on how to replace/archive a document and unassign a previously approved document from a location is also outlined in our knowledge base. 
  • IWBI will also share additional performance test document upload guidance in the next few weeks.

  For v1 and v2 pilot locations upgrading to v2 at recertification:

  • If the team is upgrading a location to v2 during the recertification process, IWBI will support the team with creating a new v2 project. Please submit a ticket using the support tab within your WELL at scale account to inform IWBI which location you wish to upgrade and pursue recertification for. Once the new v2 project is created, the project team can continue to upload the updated performance test documents and any other documents if changes to previously achieved features have been documented.

  For v1 locations:

  • IWBI strongly recommends that v1 certified locations upgrade to the version of the WELL at scale account at the time of recertification. If the project team does not wish to upgrade during the first recertification, IWBI will support the team with creating a new v1 location for recertification. Once the v1 project is created, the project team can continue to upload the updated performance test documents and any other documents if changes to previously achieved features have been documented. NOTE: Locations must upgrade to WELL v2 at the six year mark (or for the second recertification).

• IWBI is in the process of finalizing the WELL v2 recertification tool and the timeline for publishing the tool is end of Q1 2025. In the meantime, project teams can still make progress with the recertification process by reaching out to IWBI via the support tab under your WELL  digital account. IWBI will then provide step-by-step instructions on what documents should be uploaded and the scope of performance test relevant to the project. This will support the project to move forward with the recertification process.