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Rating System

Operations + Maintenance

The rating system for existing buildings. Operations + Maintenance measures whether the day-to-day decisions within a building reflect a genuine, lasting commitment to the people it serves and the communities around it.

Overview

Equity is not a one-time achievement

The Operations + Maintenance rating system evaluates how existing buildings are managed day-to-day. A building can be designed with equity in mind and still fall short if operations don’t sustain that commitment over time.

This track applies the four pillars of the SEAM Standard to the ongoing decisions that matter most: how your organization governs itself, how you engage and invest in the surrounding community, how you advance equity across procurement and in the workplace, and how you uphold human rights and health standards for everyone the building touches.

For buildings that were not originally designed with equity in mind, this track provides a clear pathway to certification based on how they operate today.

Activity categories

Measure what happens after move-in

SEAM activities help address the daily decisions that determine whether a building sustains its commitment to the people it serves.

Management & Reporting

Demonstrate ongoing commitment through operational policies, regular community communication, impact tracking systems, and transparent reporting on how your building serves its occupants and neighbors.

Vendor & Contractor Relations

Apply ethical standards to everyone who keeps your building running. Set clear expectations for service contractors, establish ethical procurement policies, and verify that suppliers meet human rights and labor standards.

Staff & Workplace Standards

Create equitable employment practices within your building operations. This covers fair compensation, professional development opportunities, workplace safety, and inclusive management practices for all building staff.

Tenant & Community Relations

Build active relationships beyond lease agreements. Provide tenant services that support success, develop community programs, establish local partnerships, and maintain ongoing dialogue with neighbors.

Health & Safety Management

Maintain building systems and practices that protect everyone who enters. This covers ongoing maintenance standards, occupant wellness programs, emergency preparedness, and proactive health and safety protocols.

Monitoring & Improvement

Track and improve your building's social impact over time through regular monitoring, feedback collection, performance assessment, and adaptive management practices that respond to changing community needs.

Who it’s for

Built for the teams that keep buildings running

The Operations + Maintenance track is designed for property managers, facility teams, and building operators who understand that equity is sustained through daily practice, not a one-time project.

Property Managers

Demonstrate measurable social equity outcomes to tenants, investors, and communities through verified operational practices.

Facility Teams

Apply a structured framework to maintenance, procurement, and service delivery that centers the needs of every building occupant.

Building Operators

Track and improve the operational practices that shape how equitably your building serves the people inside it and the community around it.

Capital Providers

Assess and demonstrate the social equity performance of assets in your portfolio through a structured, verified operational framework.

Certification levels

Bronze through Platinum

Each certification level reflects demonstrated progress across all four pillars. The path to Platinum is built on consistent, documented commitment at every level of the Standard.

01

Bronze

SEAM Bronze certification badge

Foundational commitment. The project meets baseline requirements across all four pillars, with a primary focus on identifying and avoiding harm to the people it affects.

02

Silver

SEAM Silver certification badge

Meaningful progress. The project goes beyond baseline in multiple areas and demonstrates documented outcomes that measurably benefit the people and communities it serves.

03

Gold

SEAM Gold certification badge

Active leadership. The project achieves high performance across all pillars, with innovative approaches that actively contribute to more equitable outcomes in procurement, the workplace, the community, and the supply chain.

04

Platinum

SEAM Platinum certification badge

Industry benchmark. The project sets a standard for what social equity in the built environment can look like, with transformative, documented contributions to solutions that extend beyond the project itself.

Ready to operate with lasting commitment?

Register your building today or download the Standard to explore the Operations + Maintenance framework.