How do you get an FDES configurator verified?

Verification is an essential stage in an FDES configurator project. It must be planned for from the outset, because how it works depends on the type of configurator, and it determines the conditions under which the FDES produced can be used and published.

Why get an FDES configurator verified?

Because a configurator produces many FDES from the same calculation framework: if that framework is wrong, every declaration is wrong. Verification checks this framework once, so that the declarations generated afterwards rest on a model and an application that have been checked.

In France, third-party verification of environmental product declarations for construction products is mandatory, within the INIES programme (INIES is the French national EPD database). For configurators, the programme has defined a dedicated procedure in three parts: the reference models and declarations, the configurator itself, then, if necessary, additional verification.

A verified configurator therefore makes it possible to produce more declarations within a framework that has already been checked. This matters all the more because approved verifiers’ time cannot be stretched overnight.

Who can verify an FDES configurator?

An independent verifier from outside the project: neither the manufacturer, nor the LCA practitioner, nor the company that developed the configurator. The verifier must be approved by the INIES programme, which publishes the list of approved verifiers.

The configurator’s verifier may be different from the one who verifies the reference model. Above all, you need to contact them early: INIES recommends signing a contract with a verifier quickly, as the wait can last several months.

This is also why Ailoop never verifies the configurators it develops. Our role lies elsewhere: designing a tool whose model, rules and results are documented and traceable, so that verification runs smoothly.

What does the verifier check?

Two things, examined together: is the LCA model correct, and does the application translate it faithfully, whatever configuration is chosen? The verifier does not check an isolated result, but a calculation framework.

The verifier may go as far as reconstructing a calculation on key indicators and comparing it with what the application produces. The detail of the checks is set by the INIES procedure in force: that is the authoritative text, and it may change.

How does verification work?

A well-prepared project goes through five steps, from choosing the verifier to registering the configurator with the INIES programme. The first takes place at the scoping stage, well before development is finished.

For a configurator that is purely a generator, this prior verification is optional: each FDES generated follows the normal procedure anyway. Doing it makes the verification of each declaration simpler afterwards.

What happens to the FDES after verification?

It all depends on the type of configurator. For a generator configurator, each FDES must be verified and published on INIES. A distributor configurator can be recognised by the French ministry responsible for construction for RE2020: its declarations can then be used directly in building calculation software, without further verification of each FDES.

Two common misconceptions fall along the way. An FDES does not become valid because it comes out of a verified configurator: with a generator, it still goes through its own verification. And a distributor configurator is not recognised for RE2020 through a simple software test: the configurator and its models must be verified and registered with the INIES programme, and then the recognition file must be accepted.

Verification, registration, publication, recognition: what are the differences?

These are four distinct stages, often confused. Verification checks, registration enrols in the INIES programme, publication makes an FDES available in the database, and recognition makes a configurator usable for RE2020.

When should the RE2020 recognition file be submitted?

For a distributor configurator, recognition follows a fixed timetable: two sessions a year, with a complete file submitted before 31 March or before 30 September. A file that is not ready waits for the next session.

The file includes, among other things, the configurator’s verification statement and a sample configured declaration, in PDF and XML. The owner also undertakes to send the new verification statement whenever the configurator changes, for example when models are added. Recognised configurators are listed by the ministry, with their RE2020 identifier, in its FAQ on carbon data (in French).

Aim for a project that is complete and verified about two weeks before the submission date: this is a safety margin, not a rule.

What mistakes should you avoid?

Almost all of them relate to timing or scope: verification is prepared too late, or what can vary has not been clearly defined.

• Preparing verification too late, after development, when revisiting the parameters is costly.
• Not defining the limits of variation: each parameter must have its allowed values or ranges.
• Allowing free input on influential parameters, which can trigger additional verification.
• Changing the model without analysing the consequences: a major change requires a new verification.
• Confusing generation with validation: an FDES is not validated just because it comes out of the configurator.
• Neglecting traceability: without a history of generations, verification and later checks become difficult.
• Forgetting the RE2020 timetable: missing a recognition session delays going live by about six months.

Key takeaways

Verifying a configurator means verifying both the LCA model and its translation into the application, by an approved third party from outside the project. This verification requires more work upfront than a single FDES, but it is what then makes it possible to generate declarations within a controlled framework.

It is prepared at the design stage: choice of verifier, ranges of variation, traceability and, for a distributor configurator, the target RE2020 recognition session.