Imperative Overview

INTENT

The intent of this Imperative is to help create stable, safe, and high-paying job opportunities for people in the local community, and support local, diverse businesses through hiring, purchasing, and workforce development practices.

REQUIREMENTS

All projects must have a Just label for at least two project team organizations with an integral role in decisions during both design and construction phases, and an additional five organizations involved in the project must complete a Just Self-Assessment.

In addition, all projects must either:

Include diverse stakeholders from vulnerable or disadvantaged populations in the design, construction, operations and maintenance phases at the following levels:

• 20% of design contract and/or construction contracts, and 10% of maintenance contracts must be with Just organizations that meet required levels for Diversity category, or are registered Minority, Women, or Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (MWDBE) organizations, or international equivalent.
• Workforce development/training/community benefits agreements, registered apprentice programs, and similar programs are employed for 10% of the General Contractor’s project contracts and/or maintenance contracts.

Or

• Donate 0.1% of total project cost to a regional, community-based nonprofit organization focused on equity and inclusion.

CHANGES FROM LBC 3.1 TO 4.0

This is a new Imperative with some of the requirements from two LBC 3.1 Imperatives (I17, Equitable Investment and I18, Just Organizations) included with modifications. This Imperative requires that project teams include local, diverse businesses and historically underrepresented individuals in meaningful ways throughout the design, construction, and operations phases of a LBC project so that everyone has the opportunity to benefit in their employment and daily lives.

*“Whether it’s as policymakers, advocates, architects, project managers, contractors, or even in the construction workforce, the most impacted communities are underrepresented in the design, construction, and occupancy of sustainable, regenerative, healthy buildings. In actualizing our commitment to ground our operations in the principles and practices of our environmental and climate justice platform, the NAACP will establish its headquarters as an exemplar for an Equitable Living Building Challenge Project. Through this effort, we will develop a replicable model of ensuring the centering of equity in all aspects of sustainable, healthy, safe, and regenerative buildings, including access, affordability, co-benefits, cultural resonance, inclusive decision-making, financing, service provision, procurement, contracting, employment, communications, monitoring and evaluation, and so much more.”
– NAACP Centering Equity in the Sustainable Building Sector Initiative