Validation: Qualitative
Manual evidence validation
Manual Evidence Validation
Validation Scope
What is manually validated?
GRESB and subject matter experts from Sustainability Assurance Services (SAS) manually verify the following content:
Evidence uploaded to the indicators that require it. In most cases, GRESB and its third-party validation provider validate this evidence against GRESB’s requirements. Refer to the' Criteria' section below for a summary of indicators subject to manual validation and their specific requirements.
All scored ‘Other’ answers. Most indicators allow participants to report an additional option if it is not already included in the indicator’s assessment choices. These ‘Other’ answers are also subject to manual validation. ‘Other’ answers should not be duplicates or subsets of existing options. Multiple ‘Other’ answers can be reported, but only one will count toward the final score, as long as it meets the acceptance criteria.
Information related to third parties, such as assurance, audit, and certification standards.
Validation Criteria
Evidence Format
Document: Participants may upload multiple documents of any file type. GRESB encourages participants to follow the following documentation best practices to ensure that validators can identify relevant information as efficiently and clearly as possible:
Use an evidence cover page (see GRESB’s template here) or open text box to specify where evidence for each selection can be found.
Participants may upload evidence as a document or an active hyperlink.
When using multiple documents, consolidate them into one file (but avoid using zip files).
Make sure section headings and page numbers are clear.
Hyperlink: The evidence must be accessible within two clicks. Note that to support selections pertaining to public availability, participants must upload a hyperlink.
Reporting Year Applicability
Regardless of whether the indicator is manually validated, all assessment answers must refer to the reporting year identified in indicator RC1: Reporting year.
A response to an indicator must be true at the close of the reporting year; however, the response does not need to have been true for the entire reporting year.
For example, if a policy was implemented one month before the end of the reporting year, this is acceptable; it does not need to have been in place for the entire reporting year.
For manually validated indicators, it is mandatory to clearly specify the year to which the evidence corresponds within the evidence or open text box.
Reporting Entity Applicability
Answers must directly apply to the entity identified in EC1, i.e., the investable entity for which participants submit an Assessment response, regardless of whether the indicator is manually validated.
When a participating entity belongs to a larger investment entity, management organization or group of companies (the 'organization'), it must clearly explain the relationship between the entity and the organization. This ensures that group-level answers or evidence are appropriately linked to the reporting entity. This clarification can be provided within the evidence itself or in an open text box.
Note for indicator PR1 ‘Physical Climate Risk & Resilience Management’ in the Management component (i.e., "processes in place to identify, assess, and manage physical climate risks"): GRESB requires evidence to be specific to the reporting entity identified in EC1. References to the overarching organization cannot be used as substitutes for entity-level risk assessment outcomes.
Indicator Applicability
GRESB does not consider evidence submitted under other indicators or evidence from previous submissions.
Participants must upload evidence directly under the relevant indicator for the validation team to consider it.
Language
As of 2025, GRESB accepts evidence in any language. However, the systems must be able to read the text contained in the file. Information or text contained in pictures will only be accepted if accompanied by a translation.
Note that information provided in open text boxes that appear in the Reports will be displayed exactly as submitted, in the original language.
Summary of Indicator-Specific Requirements
The table below highlights the manually validated indicators in the Data Center Assessment. For detailed guidance on the evidence required for each indicator, refer to the ‘Validation’ section on the specific page for that indicator.
Validation Outcomes
What are the impacts of each validation decision?
Validation Outcomes are provided at the selection level. Validators will make one of the two decisions below depending on the degree to which evidence meets GRESB’s requirements.
Each validation outcome corresponds with a scoring weight that impacts the selections' final score. See the Scoring Basics page for more information.
'Other' Answers
Accepted
'Other' answer falls outside the provided options and fulfills indicator requirements.
Full points
Duplicate
'Other' answer fulfills indicator requirements but duplicates an already selected answer.
No points will be awarded for this answer
Not Accepted
No points will be awarded for this answer'Other' answers do not fulfill indicator requirements.
No points will be awarded for this answer
Evidence and Open Text Boxes
Accepted
Evidence fully meets the validation requirements.
Full points, resulting in the application of the full multiplier (100%) to that selection's score
Not Accepted
Evidence does not meet general requirements and/or does not support the selected options.
No points, resulting in a 0% multiplier to that selection's score
Reporting Boundaries Review
Download GRESB's Evidence Cover Page Template
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