Professional Accreditation

The Credibility Challenge

Existing risk metrics are subject to real or perceived distortion and manipulation. Abuses have been documented in most buyer-pay rating systems, including collateralized bond ratings; MAI appraisals for subprime mortgages and the current PML system for earthquake risk.  Sarbanes–Oxley has pushed the accounting industry to meet this credibility challenge by having “an audit of the audits process” where those CPA’s that meet certain criteria and agree to be subject to this annual review of their audit reports are allowed to audit SEC reviewed companies.  The USRC will use a similar peer-review process.

Similar to the USGBC®, the USRC adopts an accreditation program for professional engineers who provide CoRE ratings for buildings.  Accreditation will require specific knowledge of structural engineering and the performance of buildings under different natural and man-made hazards. The USRC will develop training materials and offer courses and workshops to enhance the technical skills of rating professionals. USRC certification as a CoRE Accredited Professional will ensure that a high level of technical competence and consistency accompany a CoRE Rating. Completed reports prepared by CoRE Accredited Professionals will be audited periodically through a peer review process.  The USRC will conduct these audits using an approved auditing structural firm, thus preserving the metric as an independent standard.

Two Level Rating

The USRC will establish two rating categories, to accommodate the needs of a broad group of users.

A CoRE Professional Rating is prepared by a CoRE Accredited Professional.  This rating is licensed for non-public use by a building owner in working with lenders or prospective tenants.  The report is limited in scope and focuses on safety and basic real estate lending due diligence.

A CoRE Verified Rating requires that a senior engineer from the USRC has seen the property and reviewed the report, design calculations and software inputs prepared by the CoRE Accredited Professional.  The Verified Rating can be used by a property owner for any purpose including public disclosure or display on the building itself.  This rating will remain with the building unless the building is substantially remodeled or national design standards change. 

Download a three-page overview and contact us to learn more.