Who owns upfront carbon? A project-team briefing guide

Why it matters

Appoint a competent assessment lead, then name who supplies quantities, checks the work and approves each use of the result. These are separate responsibilities even when one person performs several of them. Our view: assign deliverables, not ownership of “carbon”. A profession label or a software licence is not a project brief.

Timber and steel structure in the lobby of Katajanokan Laituri, Helsinki, during construction. Photo: Aarni Salomaa, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped from original.

Who should lead an upfront carbon assessment?

Choose the lead for demonstrated competence in the required assessment method and reporting purpose. An architect, engineer, quantity surveyor or sustainability consultant may fill that role where competent and appropriately appointed. Any mandatory professional or scheme eligibility requirements still apply.

Agree the purpose first: comparing design options, meeting a planning requirement, supporting a rating submission or communicating a result externally. The purpose determines the required scope, evidence and review. A result suitable for one purpose is not automatically suitable for another.

This guide recommends a commissioning process for Australian project teams. It is not a universal allocation of professional duties. Use the responsibility map below to name people and agree deliverables within the actual appointments.

What changes between upfront and whole-life carbon?

An A1–A5 assessment covers product and construction stages. A whole-life assessment extends to use and end-of-life impacts, including operational energy and water. Name the modules in the brief rather than relying on the word “carbon”. Definitions vary: RICS also includes pre-construction module A0 in its upfront-carbon definition. [1]

For whole-life work, agree who supplies service lives, maintenance and replacement scenarios, operational energy (B6), operational water (B7) and end-of-life assumptions. The LCA lead coordinates these inputs and checks that they describe the same design, study period and assessment method. This is a combined LCA-and-energy assessment, not a software category.

Under the RICS method, stages A to C form the whole-life boundary and module D is reported separately. A1–A5 plus B6 alone is not a complete whole-life assessment. Record omitted stages and their implications. [1]

A useful division is: designers define the options; the appointed quantity provider measures them; specialists supply the required performance inputs; and the LCA lead assembles and interprets the assessment. Name the checker for each handover.

Do not confuse whole-life carbon with whole-of-life embodied carbon. NABERS provides a whole-of-life embodied calculation in its calculator, but includes only upfront emissions in its certified Embodied Carbon rating. That does not make the rating a combined embodied-and-operational assessment. [2]

Three responsibilities to appoint before modelling starts

Quantities and evidence. Name the provider for each package: architecture, structure, services and other included works. State the source model or drawing revision, units, inclusions and exclusions. Assign a reviewer who can check each package against the design. Separately assign responsibility for reconciling gaps and overlaps between packages.

A detailed BIM model does not automatically make the architect the quantity provider. A cost plan does not automatically make the QS the assessment lead. Confirm the appointment and any mandatory requirements. The handover should contain usable material quantities and their basis, not only a financial total. A published review of BIM-LCA tools identifies inaccurate extracted quantities as a risk to reliable results and stresses quality assurance. Integration does not remove the checking task. [7]

Assessment method and interpretation. Appoint the LCA lead to document the boundary, reference case, data sources, environmental product declarations (EPDs), scenarios and calculation approach. Require an explanation of what drives the result and whether uncertain inputs could change the option ranking.

Review, release and certification. Name who checks the assessment, who approves its intended use and who prepares the submission. Keep project-team approval separate from scheme certification. Before release, confirm that the claim matches the assessed scope, current design revision and any restrictions on use.

One person can hold several appointments where permitted and competent. Keep the deliverables and checks explicit. Where independent review is required, appoint an eligible reviewer who meets that requirement.

Where responsibility breaks: the unrecorded substitution

Illustrative scenario, not a client project. A facade option is assessed at design development. The supplier later changes the proposed product. The specification is updated, but the assessment still uses the original quantity and EPD. A client presentation repeats the earlier result.

The problem is the broken connection between the design and the claim. The earlier result may remain valid for the earlier option, but it no longer demonstrates the performance of the revised specification. The team needs a revision record, not a more precise-looking dashboard.

Recommended control: the person proposing a substitution notifies the nominated assessment coordinator before the previous carbon result is reused. The LCA lead checks whether quantities, data or scenarios need updating. The checker reviews the revision, and the authorised release owner confirms which report supersedes the earlier one.

This control applies to design changes as well as procurement: altered quantities, systems, product data, programme assumptions or assessment boundaries can all trigger a review. Define those triggers in the brief.

Which project-team roles contribute?

Use professional expertise to fill named roles. Do not assume an appointment from the job title.

Architects coordinate design intent, geometry, assemblies and specifications with the relevant disciplines. They frame the options to be compared and review whether those options provide equivalent function and performance. Carbon hotspots should come from the assessment; material mass alone does not establish carbon impact.

Quantity surveyors and cost planners may prepare or reconcile material quantities where appointed or required. Discipline designers supply and review information within their agreed scope. Confirm who resolves discrepancies between the take-off, model and specification.

The appointed LCA lead manages the assessment method, data choices, calculations and report. An ESD consultant may fill this role, but the appointment should state the work, required competence and review process explicitly.

Structural and services engineers supply their discipline inputs where appointed. An energy modeller supplies operational-energy results when required. A whole-life brief should also name the people responsible for replacement, maintenance, water and end-of-life assumptions.

The client or authorised project manager confirms objectives, fees, programme and appointments. Name the person authorised to approve external use of the report. That approval cannot substitute for required scheme certification.

The practical test is whether every deliverable has an appointed preparer, an agreed check and a clear destination.

What competence and accreditation are needed?

For assessment competence, ask for evidence of relevant completed work and the ability to explain boundaries, quantity checks, EPD selection, data comparability, scenarios and uncertainty. Software training alone does not demonstrate all of these skills. These are our suggested selection criteria, not a prescribed qualification.

Then check eligibility for the specific output. Assessment competence, contractual appointment and scheme accreditation answer different questions.

• NABERS: certified Embodied Carbon ratings require an accredited NABERS Assessor. NABERS describes eligible buildings as rateable after practical completion, within two years of completion. Its public calculator estimates are not certified ratings and must not be promoted or published as estimate results. [2], [3]
• Green Star: GBCA’s general roles guidance identifies a project contact who submits on behalf of the applicant and recommends GSAP accreditation for that role. This does not establish a universal accreditation requirement for every technical contributor. Check the relevant submission requirements for the registered project. [4]

Planning requirements are separate. For covered non-residential NSW projects, the Department’s March 2026 technical note specifies a QS-prepared material list and certification by a QS, qualified designer, engineer or NABERS assessor. It distinguishes planning reporting from an advertised NABERS star rating. Confirm project applicability and current requirements before allocating these tasks. [5], [6]

A responsibility map to complete with your consultants

Use this as a suggested deliverable map for an upfront assessment, with whole-life additions where commissioned. Replace each role with a named person and confirm their appointment. The check column describes recommended project controls; it does not replace statutory or scheme requirements.

Deliverable	Appointed preparer	Check / acceptance	Evidence to retain
Assessment brief	Client/PM with LCA lead	Client confirms purpose, scope, appointments and fee	Agreed brief and deliverables
Material quantities	Named quantity provider(s)	Discipline reviewers check inputs; quantity coordinator reconciles packages	Revision-tagged take-off, units and exclusions
Material-to-data mapping	LCA lead	Technical checker reviews data suitability and mapping	Data register and EPD references
Assessment method	LCA lead	Technical checker reviews boundary, baseline and assumptions	Method and assumptions statement
Options assessment	LCA lead with design inputs	Designers check option equivalence; technical checker reviews results	Comparison report and limitations
Whole-life inputs, if required	Energy modeller and named scenario providers	LCA lead checks consistency; appointed reviewers check specialist inputs	Energy outputs, study period and scenario register
Planning or scheme submission	Eligible preparer and submission coordinator	Check applicable professional, evidence and declaration requirements	Submitted version and required declarations
External communication	Named report/communications preparer	Technical check plus approval by authorised release owner	Approved wording, source report and allowed use
Changes and substitutions	Change proposer supplies data; LCA lead updates	Nominated checker reviews affected results before reuse	Change log and superseded-report record
As-built assessment, if commissioned	LCA lead using delivery-team evidence	Quantity and technical reviewers reconcile installed products and quantities	As-built evidence and final report
Certified rating, if pursued	Scheme-eligible assessor or submission team	Follow the scheme’s assessment and certification process	Certification and conditions of use

Who can check the work? Agree a competent reviewer for each task and the level of independence required. A discipline review, a technical LCA review and a scheme assessment serve different purposes. Record which checks were completed and any unresolved exclusions.

An estimate, a planning disclosure and a certified rating are different outputs. NSW guidance allows specified calculator outputs to be lodged for planning reporting; that is not permission to advertise an uncertified NABERS star rating. State the intended use on the report. [3], [6]

Carbon assessment briefing checklist

Complete these fields at the consultant briefing. The entries form a record of decisions to incorporate into the appointments; completing the checklist does not itself change a contract.
Purpose and use: [design comparison / planning disclosure / rating submission / public claim]. Intended reader: [name or organisation]. Decision date: [date].
Scope and method: [asset, elements and life-cycle modules]. Method or scheme and version: [reference]. For whole-life work: [study period and scenario owners]. Exclusions: [list and reason].
Design and quantities: [drawing/model revisions]. Quantity provider for each package: [names]. Quantity reviewer and reconciliation owner: [names]. Assumptions for unmodelled items: [record].
Data and comparison: [EPDs or generic datasets, geography and dates]. Baseline and equivalent performance requirements: [definition]. Material uncertainties to test: [list].
People and checks: assessment lead [name]; specialist input providers [names]; technical checker [name]; submission coordinator [name]; external-release owner [name]. Required accreditation or independence: [confirm].
Deliverables and acceptance: [report, quantity/data registers and calculation records]. Due dates and review time: [dates]. Accept when [scope is traceable, required checks are recorded and unresolved limitations are disclosed].
Change control: review triggers [design revisions / substitutions / quantity changes / new evidence]. Change notifier [name]. Assessment updater [name]. Approval before reusing the result [name]. Superseded versions [location].
Fees and records: included options and revision rounds [number]; additional-work process [agreement]; evidence storage and access [location/permissions]; final handover owner [name].

Commission an Upfront Carbon Report

Makao’s Upfront Carbon Report covers A1–A5 to support design-stage decisions and agreed Green Star documentation work. The engagement defines the assessment boundary, required inputs and deliverables. Quantity provision, checking and any additional energy or whole-life work should be expressly allocated.

Ask about an Upfront Carbon Report while design options remain open. Bring the project brief, available drawings or model, material information and any client, planning or rating requirements.

Scope and sources

The responsibility map and checklist are Makao’s recommended commissioning approach. Regulatory and scheme statements below are drawn from the cited public sources; apply the requirements for the project’s jurisdiction and registered scheme version. This guide does not assign contractual duties or certify a project.
[1] RICS — Whole life carbon assessment, 2nd edition, version 3 (August 2024), sections 2.1 and 6.1
[2] NABERS — Embodied Carbon rating overview
[3] NABERS — Estimate your rating
[4] GBCA — Roles and resources overview
[5] NSW Planning — Sustainability standards for non-residential development
[6] NSW Planning — Embodied Emissions Technical Note (March 2026), pages 3–4
[7] Dervishaj and Gudmundsson (2024) — From LCA to circular design, section 4.3