Project Monitoring
“…The Project implementation date is defined as the date at which physical activity first becomes operational, for example, the commencement of energy generation or start of distribution of household technology.”
GS4GG Principles & Requirements (2019), Article 5.1.29
Project Monitoring Process Overview
Certification cycles: Monitoring
A key input into the Performance Certification process is the Monitoring Report. The report is based on key results and findings collected through the Monitoring Plan included in Project Design Document (PDD). In addition, the Project Developer must ensure periodic stakeholder engagement during the project implementation and record its findings in the Monitoring Report (MR). A Monitoring Report must be issued as part of each Performance Verification.
“Verification must occur at least once during the five-year Certification Cycle with the first Verification completed within two years of project Implementation Date or Design Certification, whichever is later.”
During cycles where no Performance Verification takes place, an Annual Report covers the development of the project to date.
TEMPLATE GUIDE – Monitoring Report (goldstandard.org)
Monitoring plan
Stakeholder consultation
Ongoing Stakeholder Consultation during Performance Verification and Annual Reporting.
Monitoring Report
Reference: Monitoring Report Template and Guide.
The template guide for Monitoring Report includes sections that cover the following information:
- Key Project Information
- Description of project
- Implementation of project
- Description of monitoring system applied by the project
- Data and parameters
- Calculation of SDG Impacts
- Safeguards Reporting
- Stakeholders inputs and legal disputes
Confidentiality
The GS4GG Principles and Requirements document in paragraph 6.1.2(b) states that
RULE CLARIFICATION-Public disclosure requirements for Projects documentation. 16.08.2021
all Project Documentation, except confidential information, shall be made publicly
available through the Impact Registry. This includes project documents for each
certification stage that shall be made publicly and transparently available through the
GS Registry.
In this Rule Clarification,
“Gold Standard acknowledges that commercially or personal security sensitive
and proprietary information including end users’ details shall be considered
confidential and may be present in some project documents… Such information shall be deemed confidential and not be publicly disclosed…”
Notwithstanding, information used to carry out the following actions shall not be deemed confidential and be publicly disclosed:
- Demonstrate project additionality.
- Describe the application of the selected methodologies, standardized baselines, and other methodological regulations.
- Support Sustainable Development Impacts and Safeguarding Principles assessment
- In addition, data, values and formulae included in electronic spreadsheets provided shall be made publicly accessible and verifiable.
Treatment of confidential information
The Rule Update and the Principles & Requirements provide a way to treat confidential information by allowing the PD (and Coordinating/Managing Entities for Programme of Activities, not discussed in this course) to submit two versions of the documentation:
- A version in which all parts containing confidential information are redacted (e.g., by covering confidential information with black ink and converting to pdf or protecting the excel file). This version is publicly available on the Impact Registry without displaying confidential information.
- A version containing all information that is to be treated confidentially by all relevant parties who operate under a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) – for example, VVBs; SustainCERT; Gold Standard Secretariat; Gold Standard Technical Advisory Committee (TAC); Gold Standard Board; external experts requested to consider such documents in support of the work of the Gold Standard Secretariat.
In addition, Gold Standard shall respect any host country legislation regarding data sharing policy and shall not make a document public if the project developer/CME can clearly provide references to the host country regulation(s).