1.5 Precertification, Mid-Cycle Reviews & the WELL Ratings Family
Key Takeaways
- WELL Precertification is an optional review that occurs before Documentation Review and Performance Verification, and its designation stays active until the project achieves WELL Certification or its registration expires.
- A WELL v2 project earns Precertification by documenting all preconditions plus 40 points; the designation carries no level, so there is no Precertified Gold under WELL v2.
- Intent-stage documents state design intent and operational commitments, while Implementation-stage documents attest to conditions in place; only Implementation-stage documents approved at Precertification carry over into Documentation Review.
- Certified projects may submit one mid-cycle review during any 12-month period to add newly achieved features and raise their score without changing the recertification date.
- WELL Ratings are stand-alone achievements that need no full certification: the WELL Health-Safety Rating requires at least 15 features across five core areas, and the WELL Equity Rating requires 21 points across 6 action areas with no preconditions.
1.5 Precertification, Mid-Cycle Reviews & the WELL Ratings Family
Quick Answer: WELL v2 projects have three ways to earn recognition outside the single certification event at the end of the process. Precertification is an optional early review requiring all preconditions plus 40 points, taken before Documentation Review. Mid-cycle reviews let a certified project add newly achieved features once in any 12-month period without moving its recertification date. And the WELL Ratings — Health-Safety, Performance and Equity — are stand-alone achievements that can be pursued concurrently with certification and that feed Innovation feature I04 Gateways to Wellness.
Exam Domain 11 (WELL Certification and WELL Portfolio, 12 scored questions — the single heaviest domain) explicitly lists the "precertification and recertification process" as required knowledge. Candidates who study only the linear registration-to-award sequence lose points on these off-the-main-line pathways.
1. WELL Precertification
Precertification exists to solve a commercial problem: a developer signing tenants three years before the building opens has nothing third-party-verified to show. Precertification produces an interim, reviewed designation that a project can market.
Why teams use it
- Demonstrate commitment to health and wellness in the built environment before conditions can be tested.
- Market proposed wellness features to prospective tenants who are evaluating the future WELL Certified space.
- De-risk the scorecard — determine which features the project is likely to achieve during the full WELL Certification review, before capital is locked in.
When it happens and how long it lasts
- Precertification Review occurs prior to Documentation Review and Performance Verification.
- The designation remains active until the project achieves WELL Certification, or until its registration expires. It is not a term of years.
- Additional fees apply, except for projects enrolled in WELL Portfolio. Precertification fees paid contribute toward the documentation review fee — a project that pays $6,000 for Precertification against a $20,000 documentation review fee owes the $14,000 balance.
- It may be pursued for an existing space or in advance of renovation/construction completion.
The v2 threshold — and the v1/v2 pilot contrast
| Program | Points required for Precertification | Concept minimum | Level shown in designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| WELL v2 | All preconditions + 40 points | None | None — there is no "Precertified Gold" under WELL v2 |
| WELL v2 pilot — Core | All preconditions + 40 points | ≥1 point in each concept | None |
| WELL v2 pilot — all others | All preconditions + 50 points | ≥2 points in each concept | None |
| WELL v1 / v1 pilot | Short narrative per targeted feature (not points) | n/a | Yes — e.g. "Precertified Gold" |
- Only 40 points are needed regardless of the level the project is ultimately targeting. A project chasing Platinum still precertifies at 40.
- A project may submit documentation exceeding the minimum (but not exceeding 100 points) to get an early review of more strategies; or submit only the minimum and add features later during Documentation Review to pursue a higher level.
Intent-stage vs. Implementation-stage documents (the carry-over rule)
This distinction is worth memorizing because it governs what work has to be redone:
| Document stage | What it attests to | Usable at Precertification? | Usable at Documentation Review? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intent-stage | Design intentions and operational commitments — what the project will do. | Yes | No — must be resubmitted, because it described a different point in the construction process. |
| Implementation-stage | Conditions actually in place. | Yes | Yes — carries over, provided relevant project conditions have not changed. |
[!IMPORTANT] WELL Certification itself requires approval of Implementation-stage documents for every feature being pursued. Intent-stage documents can only ever buy you Precertification.
2. Mid-Cycle Reviews
Recertification is a three-year event, but a building that installs sit-stand desks in year one should not have to wait until year three for credit.
- Following initial certification, a project may submit for one review during any 12-month period to improve its certification score.
- Mid-cycle reviews evaluate only the additional features submitted — not the whole scorecard, as recertification does.
- Because the review is partial, the project's recertification timeline is unchanged. This is the most commonly missed detail: adding points mid-cycle does not restart the three-year clock.
- Annual upgrades are available to all projects and are covered by subscription fees; non-subscribers pay additional fees.
3. The WELL Ratings Family
WELL Ratings let an organization take a targeted slice of WELL rather than the full 10-concept certification. They are stand-alone achievements and do not require pursuing full WELL Certification for a project or portfolio.
| Rating | Focus | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| WELL Health-Safety Rating (for Facility Operations and Management) | Operational policies, maintenance protocols and emergency preparedness. Developed by the IWBI Task Force on COVID-19. | Each location must achieve at least 15 features across five core areas: Cleaning and Sanitization Procedures; Emergency Preparedness Programs; Health Service Resources; Air and Water Quality Management; and Stakeholder Engagement and Communication. |
| WELL Performance Rating | Continuous monitoring across key indoor environmental quality metrics — the measured, sensor-driven slice of WELL. | Documentation and performance data reviewed on the standard 20–25 business day WELL Certification timeline. |
| WELL Equity Rating | The needs and priorities of marginalized populations in workplaces and their surrounding communities. Ratified by the IWBI Governance Council in November 2022. | 6 action areas containing 49 features; a minimum of 21 points is required. No preconditions — organizations choose which criteria fit. |
How ratings interact with certification (high-yield)
- Concurrent pursuit: a WELL Rating may be pursued at the same time as WELL Certification. When both reviews are submitted together, they are returned together. If preliminary reviews were submitted concurrently, the final reviews must also be submitted concurrently, or an additional review fee is triggered.
- Different review clocks: expect 8–10 business days for WELL Health-Safety Rating and WELL Equity Rating reviews, versus 20–25 business days for WELL Performance Rating and WELL Certification reviews.
- Innovation cap differs: WELL Certification and WELL Community projects may earn up to 10 Innovation points; WELL Rating projects are capped at 5.
- The I04 link: completing a recognized health and wellness program milestone — including a WELL Rating — is what earns Innovation feature I04 Gateways to Wellness (1 point).
[!TIP] Exam framing. The WELL AP exam's stated references are WELL v2 with Q4 2020 addenda, the WELL Certification Guidebook, the WELL Portfolio Guidebook and Get To Know The New WELL AP Exam. Precertification, mid-cycle reviews and the WELL Portfolio program sit squarely inside those references. The ratings family is best learned as ecosystem context and for the I04 linkage rather than as a source of threshold questions.
A developer registers a 400,000 ft² office tower for WELL v2 and wants a third-party-verified designation to market to prospective tenants two years before opening. The team is ultimately targeting Platinum. What must the project document to be awarded WELL Precertification?
During Precertification Review, a project earns several features using Intent-stage documents and several others using Implementation-stage documents. What happens when the project later submits for Documentation Review?
A WELL Gold certified office completes a new active-stair renovation 14 months after its award and wants credit immediately. Which mechanism applies, and what is the effect on its recertification date?