Professional Certification Programs are not new. They have been used successfully in New York City for decades, on many thousands of projects. In some jurisdictionsProfessional Certification is limited to very simple tenant improvement plans. In many cases these programs are optional; and design professionals can choose whether this is an appropriate strategy on a case by case basis. In other juridictions, Professional Certification is used for many if not most permit processes (Hawaii as I understand it is an example of this; but the Certification is often performed by a licensed professional selected by the plan preparer).
Many jurisdictions do not support any level of Professional certification. In some jurisdictions there may be political barriers to certification; there may also be concerns about liability on the part of the certifying professional, as the legal immunities that are associated with individuals who perform plan review for jurisdictions may not extend to the person certifying the plans.
Note that these programs are often called “Self Certification’, but here the more broad term “Professional Certification” is used, as it includes the potential of peer review.
Have you experienced the option of ‘professional certification’?
If you had the option but didn’t use it, what were the reasons?
If you have used Professional or Self Certification, what was your experience?
What are the characteristics of programs that work; and those that do not?