Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the IS Planning Rating process?
- How much does an IS Planning Rating cost?
- How are projects scored?
- Who assesses the project and determines the Rating level?
- Which types of projects are suitable for an IS Planning Rating?
- How long does it take to get an IS Planning Rating?
- Is any preparation needed for an IS Planning Rating?
- Is it necessary to do both an IS Strategic Planning Rating and an IS Detailed Planning Rating?
- What criteria does an IS Strategic Planning Rating assess?
- What criteria does an IS Detailed Planning Rating assess?
- What do each of the Rating levels mean?
- Are there ways to maximise a project’s Rating score?
- Is there a way to publicise a project’s Rating?
- What’s the next Rating that can be applied for after IS Planning?
An IS Planning Rating involves four stages: Registration, Assessment, Verification, and Certification:
- Registration: To apply for an IS Planning Rating, complete a Registration of Interest form (ROI) and sign our Rating agreement.
- Assessment: Your project then moves onto the Assessment stage, the main part of the Rating where your project is awarded points in line with the Rating credit criteria.
- Verification: Independent, third-party verifiers check and verify your Rating application and associated evidence.
- Certification: Congratulations! We award your project the IS Rating that matches your overall point score out of 100, from Bronze (20-34.9 points) to Platinum (80 to 100 points).
IS Planning Rating fees vary according to the project cap-ex size and whether you are a member of the IS Council, as IS Council members receive exclusive Rating prices. For details of current costs, see the pricing table at the bottom of our IS Ratings page here.
To become a member of the IS Council and access exclusive Ratings fees plus other benefits, click here
Projects are scored transparently out of a maximum 100 points. Points are awarded for the credit levels you achieve, which together make up your overall score and the Rating level awarded:
| Total points scored (max 100) | Rating level/Certification awarded |
| 80-100 | Platinum |
| 55-79.9 | Gold |
| 35-54.9 | Silver |
| 20-34.9 | Bronze |
| 19.9 and below | No Rating awarded |
Two third-party verifiers assess your project. They independently review your submission and evidence, in line with the criteria of the credits you are targeting, to determine your total points and Rating award level.
An IS Planning Rating can be applied to almost every kind of infrastructure project: Airport, energy, ports, rail, road, social, waste, water, telecoms, and blue/green infrastructure.
Projects must be in the strategic (options analysis, initiation) or detailed planning (development and procurement) phase to be eligible for a Rating.
Once you have submitted your project for verification, it can take approximately three months to receive your final score and Rating level.
To apply for an IS Planning Rating, one of your project team must be a qualified Infrastructure Sustainability Accredited Professional (ISAP), to lead the project through the Ratings process. We provide comprehensive online training so you can upskill a team member to become an ISAP, starting with an IS Ratings Skills course. For course dates and details, click here.
If you are applying for a Detailed Planning Rating, you must also conduct a Materiality Assessment inside the establishment period.
No – a Strategic Planning Rating is not a mandatory prerequisite to the Detailed Planning Rating. We offer the choice of Strategic and Detailed Ratings to provide flexibility and a Rating option to match the project stage, process, and outcome, which may be non-infrastructure related, such as a policy change. However, there is a strong link between Strategic and Detailed Planning in terms of sustainability outcomes, so we recommended completing both to maximise project results and your Rating award level.
The IS Strategic Planning Rating covers credits relating to key project planning processes: Understanding Strategic Context, Strategic Options Assessment, and Benefits Planning.
It involves stakeholder engagement to ensure that consideration is given to current and future social and cultural contexts and impacts at planning phase. Assessable credits include Integrating Sustainability, Climate, Natural Hazards, and Resilience, and Environmental and Social Impact Investigation.
The IS Detailed Planning Rating is all about how a project will be delivered. It focuses on the sustainability implications of Detailed Planning decisions both now and in the future, such as how to engineer lanes for a new highway or methods to desalinate water. It has 30 assessable criteria, ranging from noise and vibration to water use, stakeholder engagement, and heritage protection.
An IS Rating has four award levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The best Rating possible is Platinum, which is awarded to projects that have scored the highest number of points across all their targeted criteria. To achieve a Rating, the minimum score is 20 total points, which is a Bronze-level award.
Bonus points are available for some Ratings – the Detailed Planning Rating, for example, has 10 bonus points for innovation.
Yes – upon certification, your project will receive an official Ratings badge from the IS Council to promote the project and its achievements externally.
After IS Planning, the next Rating you can apply for is Design and As-Built, which assesses your project’s design and construction phases. You can then progress to an Operations Rating, which evaluates project performance.