Building with Nature now part of Sintali
On Monday 13th May 2024, Building with Nature wrote to all BwN Approved Assessors about our transition to Sintali, you can find a copy of that correspondence here.
Below you will find our responses to questions we anticipate the Assessor network may have about the transition. If, having read this list of questions and our response you have further questions, then you can contact the team at buildingwithnature@sintali.com.
Why has this change happened now?
Building with Nature began life at the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust as a research project in 2015. The seed for that project was a desire for a proactive approach to nature-friendly development. That seed grew to become the Building with Nature Standards Framework and Accreditation service, under the auspices of a private limited company incubated and wholly owned by GWT.
Once established and after five years of trading, it became clear that Building with Nature is ready for its next stage of growth across the United Kingdom and internationally. With nature recovery at the heart of policy change happening locally, nationally and internationally, Building with Nature has an important role to play in the delivery of great places for people and wildlife.
With that in mind, it was appropriate to consider how to invest to support the Building with Nature mission. Those considerations resulted in a decision by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and the BwN Board to seek new owners for BwN in 2024.
I’m not familiar with Sintali, how do I UNDERSTAND AND describe TO MY CLIENTS who Sintali are and where BwN sits IN RELATION TO THEM?
As of May 2024, Building with Nature has joined with and is now owned by Sintali Ltd. Sintali is a UK-based leader in the development of sustainability standards and environmental verification. Sintali works globally as a green building certifier for the World Bank green building standard, EDGE, and is highly experienced in the development and operation of sustainability standards. You can discover more about their mission, scope and reach at www.sintali.com.
Sintali is committed to protecting and building on the successes that Building with Nature has achieved and securing the benefits of high-quality green infrastructure for people and nature.
Key to that is the Building with Nature team, which has transferred and is now integrated into Sintali, ensuring continuity of the quality and service of the Framework and Accreditation. Familiar names and faces will continue to deliver training and accreditation services under the same terms, and of course working closely with Assessors to support the ongoing delivery of Building with Nature Assessment services to clients.
Will I be able to continue to access Assessor resources via the Approved Assessor Network Team/SharePoint site and will there be any disruption to this?
The existing Building with Nature Approved Assessor Network and Assessor Training Teams/SharePoint sites are no longer accessible. We are creating new versions of these sites and you will receive an invitation by email informing you of the new shared structure and how you can access the appropriate resources. In the meantime, if you require any materials or resources and find you cannot access them, please contact our team at buildingwithnature@sintali.com and we will happily forward you the required information by email.
Who do I contact for technical issues with the DAS or Approved Assessor SHAREPOINT SITE/Team?
Please send an email to buildingwithnature@sintali.com with details of your issue and any screenshots, if possible. The mailbox is continually monitored and one of the team will get in touch to assist.
How do I get in contact with the BwN Team at Sintali?
In the first instance contact the team by email, as follows:
Gemma Jerome: Gemma@Sintali.com - Please note that Gemma is now on maternity leave until 2025.
Tim Bevan: Tim@Sintali.com
Catherine McGuire: Catherine@Sintali.com
General BwN Email: BuildingwithNature@Sintali.com
Any emails sent to addresses at the domain @buildingwithnature.org.uk will continue to be received for the timebeing, but please use the new Sintali emails where possible.
The contact telephone phone numbers for the Building with Nature team no longer function. Please contact the team via email using the information above. New phone contact details will be shared with the network shortly.
What does this change mean for my current or planned assessments?
Building with Nature is operating business as usual and you will continue to be served by and interact with the same team as previously. You should continue to register, undertake and submit assessments in the same way, and contact our team whenever you have a question or need support.
The BwN Standards, Assessment and Accreditation process, and the Digital Accreditation System, are all unaffected by the transfer and continue to operate as normal.
As Building with Nature will be operating under a different legal entity, there will be changes to invoicing details, as well as the introduction of new team members who will support with the running of the Standard and Accreditation scheme. These changes should not impact your operation and current assessments but may require some additional time to ensure appropriate supplier set up occurs and bank details, as well as contact details, are updated.
What does this change mean for my Approved Assessor status?
There is no change to your Approved Assessor status as a result of BwN moving to Sintali.
The transfer to Sintali ensures we’re able to continue supporting our Assessor network and, in time, expand that support to build on the success of Building with Nature.
Does this change invalidate any existing contract or terms of appointment I have with BwN?
Under the terms of the transfer to Sintali, BwN’s existing contractual agreements will be transferred to Sintali. No action is required on your part in this respect. However, if you (or your client) have any questions concerning the impact of the transfer on existing contractual arrangements, then please get in touch with us.
Note: We have contacted all BwN Applicants (clients/customers) that we have existing contractual agreements with to inform them of the above. This communication may also be received by some Assessors.
Who is my key point of contact for projects?
Catherine McGuire continues to be your main point of contact. As Sintali’s Product Specialist for Building with Nature, Catherine retains responsibility for BwN auditing and accreditations and technical support for Approved Assessors.
What does this change mean for the Building with Nature Standards Framework?
The transfer will have no immediate impact on the Building with Nature Standards Framework. Version 2.0 of the Framework is still valid and will remain so until it is updated. The Standards Framework is, and will continue to be, freely available to download and used as the basis for BwN Assessments, audits and Award decisions.
The transfer to Sintali secures a future for the BwN Standards. We, the BwN Team and Sintali, remain committed to the Standards, ensuring they are fit-for-purpose, deliver for clients, specifiers and stakeholders and fulfil the BwN mission. We shall continue in collaboration with the Assessor Network, the BwN Standards Board and other stakeholders, to evolve and update the Standards as planned (currently assumed to be refreshed every five years).