Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings

Total Workplace Scorecard

Looking for GSA's Total Workplace Scorecard for compliance with the Guiding Principles?

View Section 2 (Health, Comfort, and Performance)

Congress has enacted a range of statutory provisions relating to high-performance sustainable buildings, as well as energy, water and environmental goals and requirements that are advanced by the implementation of sustainable Federal buildings within an agency’s portfolio. These goals are reflected in the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings and Associated Instructions, which can help agencies meet federal mandates related to sustainable building design, construction, and operation.

A 2018 GSA study found that high-performance buildings meeting the Guiding Principles save energy and water, cost less to operate, produce less waste, and have more satisfied occupants compared with typical buildings.

Getting Started

The Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings and Associated Instructions issued in December 2020 consist of a base document with six appendices. The following steps are recommended to help you navigate this guidance:

• 1. Familiarize yourself with the updated Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings and Associated Instructions (December 2020).
• 2. Determine whether your building falls under the Federal Real Property Profile (FRPP) reporting requirements in Appendix E. Note that leases are not included in the reporting requirements, though agencies may choose to track sustainability of their leased buildings in FRPP. If your building does not meet the reporting criteria, check with your individual agency for guidance.
• 3. Assess your building using the appropriate pathway:
  Crosswalk of Sustainable Federal Building Requirements and Certification Standards
  
  • New Assessment

    If your building has never been assessed against any version of the Guiding Principles, start your assessment by using the appropriate checklist below:

    • Appendix A - Checklist for New Construction and Modernization (NC&M)

    Download this interactive version of the Guiding Principles Checklist, including links to relevant SFTool tools and resources, to demonstrate that a new construction or modernization project meets the intent of the Guiding Principles: SFTool Guiding Principles Checklist  .

    • Appendix B - Checklist for Existing Buildings (EB)
    • Appendix C - Third-Party Building Certification Systems
    Third-party certifications may help meet certain criteria. See Appendix C and the Certification Standards section below for more detail.
  • Reassessment

    Buildings must be reassessed every four years. Consult Appendix D for the reassessment criteria checklist and options for reassessment using a third-party system.

• 4. Report the results to your individual agency. Each agency is required to report sustainability status of its buildings annually via GSA’s Federal Real Property Profile Management System (FRPP MS).

See Appendix F for definitions. For additional technical resources, best practices, and support related to the design and implementation of Federal sustainable buildings, explore SFTool or see the resources available on the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG).

Sustainable Federal Building Requirements and Certification Standards

Visit SFTool's Green Building Certification Systems page to learn about the benefits of using certification systems and the requirements for federal agencies that choose to use them. GSA has also developed resources for how certification systems can help agencies meet the Guiding Principles and how credits may align with various statutory and regulatory requirements.

GSA Total Workplace Scorecard

In Appendix B - Checklist for Existing Buildings, Guiding Principle Criteria 4.9 (Occupant Health and Wellness) provides agencies with the option to demonstrate that they have met the criteria by completing Section 2 of GSA’s Total Workplace Scorecard. The section consists of 74 multiple choice questions, including extra credit, with instructions and resources.

You can complete the scorecard on SFTool - just select the Section 2 template.

Learn more about Choosing Health-Enhancing Strategies.

Full Documents

Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings and Associated Instructions

Appendix A: Assessing a Building Using the Guiding Principles Federal Criteria Checklist for New Construction and Modernization (NC&M)

Appendix B: Assessing a Building Using the Guiding Principles Federal Criteria Checklist for Existing Buildings (EB)

Appendix C: Assessing a New Construction, Modernization, Major Renovation or Existing Building Using Third-Party Building Certification Systems

Appendix D: Assessing a Building Using the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings Reassessment Criteria Checklist

Appendix E: Sustainable Buildings Reporting Instructions

Appendix F: Definitions

Resources

• Sustainable Federal Building Requirements and Certification Standards
• Crosswalk of Sustainable Federal Building Requirements and Certification Standards
• Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
• EPA Watersense Water-Smart Landscapes
• DOE EERE Federal Distribtued Energy and Energy Procurement
• DOE EERE Renewable Energy Resource Guide
• 40 U.S.C. §524: Duties of executive agencies
• 42 U.S.C. §17093: Federal Green Building Performance
• 42 U.S.C. §17144: OMB Government efficiency reports and scorecards

Life Cycle Cost Resources

• OMB Circular A-94: Guidelines and Discount Rates for Benefit-Cost Analysis of Federal Programs
• OMB Circular A-11 Part 7: Capital Programming Guide
• NIST-FEMP Handbook 135: Life-Cycle Costing Manual for the Federal Energy Management Program
• 10 CFR 436 Part A: Methodology and Procedures for Life Cycle Cost Analyses

Checklist Resources

These resources for New Construction and Existing Buildings are referenced and linked throughout the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings and Associated Instructions (December 2020).