Starting Point: Your immediate priorities

• Tell me briefly what prompted you to explore an energy or carbon reduction project now.
• How many facilities or buildings are in scope for this initiative? Options: 1 site, 2-5 sites, 6-20 sites, 21-100 sites, 100+ sites, Unsure
• Who on your team will sign off on a pilot and who will act as the day-to-day sponsor?
• Which reporting deadline or board milestone is the primary driver of your timeline? Options: Quarterly board update, Annual ESG report, Capital planning cycle, Utility incentive deadline, Other
• Do you already maintain a portfolio-level emissions or energy spend dashboard and where is that data stored? Options: Facility management system, Finance system, Spreadsheets, Commercial energy platform, Not tracked centrally

Where the numbers don't add up

• What forecasting miss or cost overrun would make your leadership cancel the project today?
• Describe the last time a projected savings failed to materialize, including the main cause and the consequence for the program.
• How often do operator overrides, occupant comfort complaints, or undocumented schedules reduce realized savings on past retrofits? Options: Almost always, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, Never
• Which systems or equipment types in your portfolio create the largest uncertainty for baseline modeling? Options: Central plant (chillers, boilers), Air handlers and controls, Lighting systems, Rooftop units, Process loads, Metering gaps/unknown
• If your team kept the work internal, what capability gap would still leave you at risk of missing the promised savings?

People and politics that move deals

• Who would lose budget, influence, or schedule if this project shifted funding or timelines?
• Walk me through who needs to see the assessment findings before any procurement or capital allocation begins.
• In what ways do your procurement and capital planning cycles constrain when fieldwork or procurement can actually start?
• What single stakeholder objection would block approval outright?
• When does your CFO or board expect to see payback or ROI reported after project completion? Options: Within 6 months, 6-12 months, 12-24 months, Longer than 24 months, No formal expectation

Where the project could fail, fast

• Name the one physical site or regulatory issue that would stop work before fieldwork begins.
• Are there permits, historical building reviews, or code reviews that typically add months to your schedule? Options: Yes, significant reviews required, Yes, minor reviews required, No formal reviews, Unsure
• List the systems, access limitations, or documentation gaps that technicians often encounter on site.
• If one dependency remained unresolved, would you cancel or delay the project, and which dependency would that be? Options: Data access, Site access/owner approval, Funding, Vendor exclusivity or warranties, Other
• Rate the accessibility and completeness of your utility and interval metering data for the last 24 months. Options: Complete and accessible, Mostly complete with some gaps, Sparse and fragmented, No interval data available, Unsure

What you are comparing us to

• Tell me which external firms, incumbent vendors, or internal teams you are seriously considering, and why.
• Under what conditions would you keep your current approach instead of changing providers?
• Have internal teams proposed conducting the audit or implementation without an outside partner? Options: Yes, fully internal, Yes, partial internal with contractors, No, not proposed, Unsure
• Would you walk away from an incumbent that cannot demonstrate model calibration within your target tolerance? Options: Yes, No, Depends on remediation plan
• Select the option that best describes the approach you currently favor. Options: External specialist firm, Equipment vendor-led solution, Internal team execution, Hybrid model, Undecided

Success signals that win budgets

• Assuming a pilot proves savings within your tolerance, what would have to happen for procurement to sign the full project that week?
• Choose the KPIs that matter most for awarding capital: verified energy savings, peak demand reduction, carbon avoided, utility rebates captured, or financial payback. Options: Verified energy savings (kWh), Peak demand reduction (kW), Carbon avoided (tCO2e), Utility rebates captured ($), Financial payback/IRR
• Name the roles or titles that must approve the measurement and verification plan before incentives are submitted.
• Identify the reporting outcome that would convince the CFO to reallocate capital immediately. Options: Guaranteed payback under target, Clear utility rebate recovery, Third-party verified M&V, Insurance of performance risk, Other
• Select the verification period you are targeting for measured performance. Options: 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, Longer than 24 months, Unsure

Practical readiness, data, and integrations

• Can your team provide BAS access, raw interval meter exports, and equipment inventories within two weeks if needed? Options: Yes, ready now, Yes, with short lead time (2-4 weeks), Needs coordination (4-8 weeks), No, not available
• List the systems or platforms that host your utility bills, interval data, building automation, and asset registers.
• Provide the role or title of the technical point of contact who can respond to API, BAS, or meter questions during assessment.
• Do any contractual, privacy, or vendor agreements prevent sharing the raw data required for model calibration? Options: Yes, data sharing restricted, Partial restrictions, need approvals, No restrictions, Unsure
• Choose the description that best fits your in-house technical capacity to support implementation. Options: Dedicated energy engineer(s), Facilities team with analytics capability, General facilities staff, limited analytics, Plan to hire or contract support, No internal capacity

Budget, timing, and acceptance criteria

• Describe a timeline slip or budget overrun that would cause you to pause or cancel the project.
• Pick the budget window you have set aside for assessment and initial design. Options: Under $50,000, $50,000 to $150,000, $150,000 to $500,000, Over $500,000, Undecided
• Indicate the role or committee that controls capital approvals and the approval thresholds that apply.
• Would you proceed if the total project cost exceeded your budget window by 15% but verified savings met targets? Options: Yes, No, Only with concessions or additional rebates, Depends on payback timeline
• Pick your preferred procurement structure for implementation contracting. Options: Lump-sum SOW, Time and materials, Design-build, Performance contract, Undecided

Commitments and next moves

• Assuming the pilot proves accurate, what obstacle would stop you from signing a master agreement within two weeks?
• Please enumerate the documents, data or internal approvals required to start fieldwork.
• Provide the role titles of those who will attend kick-off and weekly check-ins during assessment fieldwork.
• Could your organization commit to pilot funding within 30 days if we deliver a calibration within your tolerance and a clear SOW? Options: Yes, ready to commit, Yes, with CFO approval, No, need longer, Unsure
• Indicate the next step you prefer to move this forward. Options: Schedule technical kickoff, Share data access instructions, Internal budget alignment, Procurement review and SOW drafting, Other

• Solution Walkthrough, Audit → Measures → M&V

• Confirm the current state and its cost
• You confirm the restated current state and that its cost assessment matches your view.
• Deliver a calibrated sample audit model and prioritized measure list for the prioritized site within 7 business days.
• You confirm the prioritized success signals, budget window, and decision timeline any proposal must satisfy.
• Align priorities and success signals
• Provide 24 months of utility data and recent maintenance logs for the prioritized site within 5 business days.
• Walk through a calibrated baseline and measure portfolio using your example
• Confirm the decision timeline, target verification period, and the list of stakeholders who must sign off before SOW.
• You confirm that the demonstrated calibrated model, measure portfolio, and M&V plan would give the CFO and board confidence to approve the proposed capital.
• Demonstrate the M&V approach and verification plan
• You agree the specific evidence and dates required before authorizing an SOW.
• Schedule a technical review with verification and finance stakeholders within 7 business days.
• Show financial timeline and incentive capture implications
• Validate the future state
• Agree next evidence and decision milestones

• Solution Walkthrough Session
• Solution Walkthrough Deck
• Solution Brief — Audit to M&V

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Deliver ASHRAE‑Level Energy Audit
• Develop Calibrated Building Energy Model
• Design HVAC Efficiency Measures
• Design Lighting and Controls Upgrades
• Specify Building Automation Retrofit
• Prepare Investment‑Grade Financial & Payback Analysis
• Qualify and Prepare Utility Incentive Applications
• Provide Equipment Specification and Procurement Support
• Deliver Construction Administration and Oversight
• Commission and Retro‑commission Mechanical Systems
• Install Metering and Measurement & Verification Plan
• Operate 12–24 Month M&V and Savings Verification
• Design Renewable Energy Feasibility and Sizing
• Deliver Operator Training and O&M Documentation

Deliver ASHRAE‑Level Energy Audit

• Provide the building types and gross floor area that the ASHRAE‑level audit should cover (list building names and square footage per building).
• Which ASHRAE audit level do you expect (Level 1 walk‑through, Level 2 energy survey, Level 3 detailed analysis)? Options: Level 1 - Walk‑through, Level 2 - Energy Survey with ECM screening, Level 3 - Investment‑grade study
• How many months of utility billing and interval data can you provide for each facility (specify number of consecutive months and whether interval data is available)? Options: 12 months monthly bills, 24 months monthly bills, 12 months with 15‑minute interval data, Other / will upload details
• Attach the set of as‑built drawings and single‑line electrical diagrams (SLD) you can provide for the audit. Options: Will attach PDF drawings, Only partial drawings available, No drawings available
• List operational constraints or seasonal occupancy patterns that the audit must reflect (for example academic calendar, plant shutdowns, weekend operation windows).
• Specify items you consider out of scope for the ASHRAE‑level audit (for example capital procurement, construction supervision, renewable system installation).

Develop Calibrated Building Energy Model

• Identify the modeling engine preference, if any (for example EnergyPlus, eQUEST, or owner‑preferred tool). Options: EnergyPlus, eQUEST/DOE‑2, Owner preferred / other
• Provide the baseline period to be modeled including exact months and year(s) and specify if 15‑minute interval meter data is available for that period. Options: 12 months aligned with fiscal year, Most recent 12 months available, Custom period - will specify
• Confirm which measured data sources you will provide for calibration: utility interval data, building automation system (BAS) trends, chilled water meter, steam meter, and submeters. Options: Utility bills only, Utility + BAS trends, Utility + BAS + submeters
• Specify the calibration acceptance thresholds you require for the model using normalized metrics (for example NMBE ≤ ±5% and CV(RMSE) ≤ 15%). Options: NMBE ≤ ±5% and CV(RMSE) ≤ 15%, NMBE ≤ ±10% and CV(RMSE) ≤ 20%, Custom thresholds - will specify
• Describe any critical control sequences, schedules, or occupancy exceptions that must be represented in the calibrated model (for example lab exhaust schedules, weekend HVAC setback exceptions).
• List items you expect to be out of scope for the calibrated model (for example sensor recalibration, field sensor installation, or full transient CFD analysis).

Design HVAC Efficiency Measures

• Which HVAC systems are present and should be included in measure design (for example packaged rooftop units, central chilled water plant, VAV boxes)? Options: Packaged rooftop units, Central chilled water plant, Variable air volume (VAV) with reheat, Other - specify
• How many air handling units (AHUs) and rooftop units (RTUs) require detailed design drawings and sequence updates? Options: 1-3, 4-10, 11-25, 25+
• Specify the target performance improvements or constraints for HVAC measures (for example economizer operation restored, fan power reduction target in kW, or chilled water delta‑T improvement goal).
• Indicate whether replacement equipment must meet a specified efficiency standard or certification (for example minimum IEER, ASHRAE standard 90.1 requirement). Options: Yes - will provide standard, No specific standard, Discuss options
• Identify required coordination with facilities operations during HVAC install (for example permit needs, shutdown windows, lockout/tagout (LOTO) constraints).
• Specify items you consider out of scope for HVAC design (for example asbestos abatement, structural modifications, full equipment procurement if only design is requested).

Design Lighting and Controls Upgrades

• Provide the number of lighting zones, floor plates, and typical fixture types to be analyzed (for example troffer 2x4, PAR30, LED retrofit kit).
• Which control strategies do you want evaluated (for example occupancy sensors, daylight dimming, networked lighting controls, time‑of‑day scheduling)? Options: Occupancy sensors, Daylight dimming, Networked controls, Time scheduling, Other
• Estimate your procurement constraint for lighting hardware (for example must be stocked HVAC vendor parts, lead time < 8 weeks, or low capital cost). Options: Short lead time (<8 weeks), Standard procurement, Budget constrained
• Describe any illumination level or glare requirements driven by tenant standards or codes that the design must meet (cite the standard or lux footcandle target).
• Identify whether exterior and parking lot lighting are included and whether photocell or astronomical timeclock controls are required. Options: Interior only, Interior + exterior, All lighting including site
• Specify items you consider out of scope for lighting design (for example landscape electrical, pole foundation work, or tenant fit‑out fixtures).

Specify Building Automation Retrofit

• Which building automation system (BAS) protocols and vendor platforms must the retrofit integrate with (for example BACnet IP, Modbus TCP, LonWorks)? Options: BACnet IP, Modbus TCP, LonWorks, Other / will specify
• Provide the number of BAS points and typical point types to be migrated or added (for example temperature sensors, setpoints, binary commands). Options: <100 points, 100-500 points, 500-2000 points, 2000+
• Identify required cybersecurity or credentialing constraints for the BAS integration (for example firewall changes, VPN access, least privilege accounts).
• State the expected scope of control sequence updates (for example VFD fan control, cold deck reset, economizer reset) you want included in the retrofit design.
• Clarify whether historic BAS trend logs will be exported to support sequence tuning and fault detection during design. Options: Yes - full trend export, Partial trends available, No trend data available
• List items you expect to be out of scope for BAS retrofit specification (for example network switches, contractor PLC programming beyond listed sequences).

Prepare Investment‑Grade Financial & Payback Analysis

• Provide the discount rate, project term, and expected escalation assumptions to be used in payback and NPV calculations.
• Which cost categories must be included in the financial model (for example design fees, construction, contingency, owner furnished equipment)? Options: Design fees, Construction cost, Contingency, Owner furnished equipment, Other
• Indicate required financial deliverables (for example cashflow schedule, simple payback, internal rate of return (IRR), lifecycle cost analysis). Options: Simple payback, NPV / IRR, Lifecycle cost analysis, Cashflow schedule
• Estimate the capital budget envelope or maximum allowable project cost that the analysis should respect. Options: <$100k, $100k-$500k, $500k-$2M, >$2M
• Specify any lender or underwriting requirements that the investment‑grade audit must satisfy (for example audit format, documentation of assumptions).
• Identify items out of scope for the financial analysis (for example tax equity structuring, off‑balance sheet accounting advice).

Qualify and Prepare Utility Incentive Applications

• List the utility territories and account numbers for each facility so incentive programs can be screened.
• Which documentation will you provide to support incentive claims (for example historical bills, equipment specifications, measured savings reports)? Options: Historical bills, Equipment specs, Measured savings reports, Other
• Indicate whether incentive applications must follow a prescriptive path or require custom/custom‑measure technical review by the utility. Options: Prescriptive incentives only, Custom measures requiring technical review, Both
• Estimate the required application turnaround timeline to match program deadlines or rebate cycles. Options: Standard timeline, Need accelerated (within 2 weeks), Flexible
• Describe any landlord or tenant payment arrangements that affect incentive ownership and assignment.
• Specify what is out of scope for incentive work (for example direct payment processing, legal assignment of incentives).

Provide Equipment Specification and Procurement Support

• Specify whether you need full procurement support, bid package preparation, or only equipment technical specifications. Options: Full procurement and bid management, Bid package and RFP support only, Technical specifications only
• Provide preferred procurement constraints such as local vendor list, bundled suppliers, or required warranty terms.
• Identify mandatory equipment certification or efficiency ratings required (for example ENERGY STAR, specific IEER levels, ASHRAE 90.1 compliance).
• Indicate the level of evaluation needed for vendor bids (for example technical compliance review, price scoring, or post‑award negotiation support). Options: Technical compliance review, Price scoring and recommendation, Full negotiation support
• State items you consider out of scope for procurement support (for example owner negotiation on contract clauses, freight and crane services coordination).
• Estimate expected lead times and any hard project milestones that procurement must meet (for example equipment on site by project week X).

Deliver Construction Administration and Oversight

• Choose the level of construction administration required: periodic site observation, weekly site presence, or full time owner's representation. Options: Periodic site observation, Weekly site visits, Owner's rep / daily oversight
• Provide required deliverables during construction (for example submittal review, RFI responses, as‑built markups). Options: Submittal review, RFI management, As‑built markups, Other
• Identify coordination requirements with operations for shutdown windows, temporary services, and safety procedures such as lockout/tagout (LOTO).
• Indicate anticipated change order tolerance or contingency handling rules for the construction phase. Options: Fixed contingency, Change orders reviewed case‑by‑case, No tolerance - owner pre‑approval required
• List items you expect to be out of scope during construction administration (for example daily contractor supervision, material testing beyond spec).
• Specify required safety and compliance documentation to be collected on site (for example permits, LOTO logs, certified test reports).

Commission and Retro‑commission Mechanical Systems

• Identify which mechanical systems require commissioning functional test (CFT) reports (for example chilled water plant, boilers, AHUs, VAV boxes). Options: Chilled water plant, Boilers, AHUs, VAV boxes, Other
• Specify required acceptance evidence for commissioning such as signed CFT sheets, trending logs, and corrective action closure documentation. Options: Signed CFT sheets + trending logs, CFT only, Other - will specify
• Indicate whether witness tests must include owner/operator attendance and whether training must be delivered before sign‑off. Options: Owner attendance required, Training required before sign‑off, Optional
• Describe any seasonal commissioning constraints that require repeat tests (for example heating season checks separate from cooling season).
• List controls or instrumentation that must be verified during commissioning (for example BAS setpoints, VFD start/stop, sensor calibration).
• Specify items that are out of scope for commissioning (for example structural repairs, vendor warranty repairs outside commissioning scope).

• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Fee Schedule & Payment Terms
• Data Access Authorization
• Utility Incentive Agency Authorization
• Measurement & Verification (M&V) Agreement
• Change Order Agreement
• Insurance & Indemnity Rider
• Industry Compliance Addendum (conditional)

• Fieldwork Kickoff and Access Plan
• Site Walkthrough and Equipment Inventory
• Utility Data and Metering Validation
• Operator Interviews and Operational Profile
• Baseline Calibration Workshop

• List of pieces of equipment lacking sufficient data flagged for additional measurement
• Completed equipment inventory spreadsheet with nameplate and tag identifiers for each major system
• Photographic record and simple system sketches uploaded for modeling reference
• Present preliminary model vs observed comparisons
• Complete and submit the equipment inventory spreadsheet with nameplate data and tag IDs
• Upload labeled photographs and the site sketches for each inspected area
• List equipment and systems that require temporary metering or manufacturer documentation
• Review available historical billing and interval data
• Agreed set of utility files and date ranges to be used for baseline calibration
• Catalog of missing interval data and a plan for obtaining or substituting the data
• Decision on locations and durations for any temporary metering needed
• Provide meter-level interval data in the agreed CSV format covering the confirmed date range
• Deliver meter-to-building mapping and copies of applicable billing rate schedules
• Schedule deployment of temporary meters for identified circuits and specify required deployment duration
• Agreed set of baseline model inputs for the initial calibrated model
• List of outstanding measurements, their deployment schedule, and the acceptance tolerances for calibration
• Decision on next steps and timeline to deliver the calibrated baseline model
• Deliver updated model input spreadsheet reflecting agreed assumption changes
• Deploy agreed temporary meters and schedule the data capture period
• Produce final calibration acceptance checklist with numerical tolerances and validation metrics
• Capture daily and seasonal operating schedules
• Documented operational schedules and documented list of common manual overrides
• Record of recent maintenance events and operational constraints that affect baseline accuracy
• Priority list of operational behaviors to be modeled or measured
• Provide written shift schedules and staffing patterns for modeling
• Deliver records of recent maintenance or equipment replacements with dates
• Compile logs or examples of common manual control overrides for the last three months
• Confirm fieldwork scope and deliverable
• Finalized fieldwork schedule with access windows and onsite contact list
• Documented safety and security requirements needed before first site visit
• Agreed data file formats and secure transfer method for utility and equipment data
• Distribute the final fieldwork schedule with site contacts and access windows
• Provide required site safety documentation and any access badge or training prerequisites
• Share the secure data upload endpoint and the template for utility and equipment data
• Walk mechanical and electrical plant areas
• Capture nameplate and tag information
• Review and adjust critical model assumptions
• Document routine operator procedures and recent maintenance events
• Finalize site schedule and access windows
• Validate meter mapping and rate structures
• Review safety, security, and permitting requirements
• Agree remaining data collection and calibration acceptance criteria
• Identify data gaps and metering needs
• Verify installed sensors and control endpoints
• Identify manual overrides and comfort complaint patterns
• Agree data formats and secure transfer method
• Validate plug load and occupant behavior assumptions
• Document photographic and schematic evidence

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• desired_state
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• Go-live Health Check
• First Measurement Review
• Acceptance Gate Review
• Quarterly Verification Review
• Annual Verification and Lessons Learned

• Update the issue tracker with agreed remediation tasks and target completion dates.
• If conditional or failed, document remediation tasks and schedule the re-test measurement window.
• Archive the signed acceptance document in the project repository referenced by Solution Scope.
• Quarter-to-date performance vs forecast
• Confirm whether cumulative measured energy savings (kWh) and percentage deviation from modeled savings (%) remain within expected ranges.
• Ensure all high-priority open issues have clear remediation tasks and target completion dates.
• Agree the next-quarter monitoring or tuning activities and the data required to demonstrate their effect.
• Re-confirm success criteria and owners
• Schedule and execute any operator or maintenance team training identified as a corrective action.
• Deliver an updated monitoring data extract covering the next quarter for review at the following meeting.
• Annual performance reconciliation
• Finalize the verified annual energy savings (kWh) and verified carbon reduction (metric tons CO2e) relative to Assessment Deliverable forecasts.
• Resolve outstanding incentive documentation issues or record next steps required for final payments.
• Produce a lessons-learned summary and a set of operational handover tasks to sustain performance.
• Publish the final verification report including reconciled savings, uncertainty analysis, and incentive reconciliation.
• Document and circulate the lessons-learned summary and updated O&M procedures for operations teams.
• If required, schedule follow-up tuning or an extended M&V window and define its scope and duration.
• All required data streams are verified as ingesting into the monitoring system or have agreed remediation actions.
• Named owners and completion dates for any open deployment issues are recorded.
• First measurement review date and required pre-reads are confirmed.
• Log any data feed or sensor failures in the issue tracker with expected remediation dates.
• Calibrate or re-commission any sensors flagged as unreliable and confirm via an ingest test.
• Distribute the deployment summary and required data extracts for the first measurement review.
• Present first measurement data
• Confirm whether measured site energy savings (kWh) and verified carbon reduction (metric tons CO2e) are moving toward the Assessment Deliverable forecasts.
• Identify the primary root causes for any variance and agree corrective actions with timelines.
• Validate M&V data quality or list specific data corrections required before the acceptance gate.
• Apply documented M&V data corrections and re-generate the comparison reports used in this meeting.
• Implement agreed operational changes or control parameter adjustments and record the date of change for post-action measurement.
• Prepare the measurement packet required for the acceptance gate, including normalized time-series and uncertainty analysis.
• Restate acceptance criteria and targets
• Produce a documented acceptance decision for each numeric criterion recorded in Assessment Deliverable.
• For any failed criteria, agree a remediation plan with re-test dates and a named signatory to verify resolution.
• Ensure the acceptance record is archived in the project folder and shared with the verification stakeholders.
• Publish the acceptance record showing pass/fail per criterion and attach the supporting M&V packet.
• Deployment and data feed validation
• Open issue and enhancement backlog review
• Incentive and documentation reconciliation
• Present consolidated outcome data
• Data quality and M&V checks
• Root-cause diagnosis for gaps
• Document pass/fail per criterion
• Persistent gaps and root-cause analysis
• Early adoption and operations signals
• M&V and monitoring health check
• Open issues and immediate remediation
• Agree next-quarter actions
• Lessons learned and handover
• Agree corrective actions and timeline
• Agree remediation and resolution timeline
• Confirm timeline to first measurement