The Technical Manual sets out the evidence required for each issue, indicating which evidence is deemed to satisfy the evidential requirements and demonstrating that the criteria have been met. Each applicable evidence item is expected to be provided by the Client and submitted to QA by the Assessor as part of the certification process.
However, the Schedules of Evidence only provide a guide to help the assessor identify what types of supporting evidence are deemed acceptable for each issue or criterion.
Alternative evidence may be submitted without engaging the BREEAM Technical team via a Technical Query, provided it:
• clearly demonstrates compliance
• is referenced appropriately
• supports the assessor’s justification for awarding the credit
Where alternative forms of evidence are submitted, the assessor must be satisfied that they meet the BREEAM Evidence Principles and are credible, robust, and traceable to the same assurance level as, or better than, specified evidence types defined in the technical manual. Where this is not the case, the Quality Assurance audit will identify it as a non-conformance, and a certification decision will be delayed until such time as the non-conformance is addressed.
