The DS assessment and Code rating confirms the dwelling’s   performance at the design stage of the life cycle. Assessment and   certification will ideally occur prior to the beginning of operations on   site. The certified Code rating at this stage is referred to as ‘interim’   because it does not represent the dwelling’s final, ‘as built’ Code   performance.

   To complete an assessment at this stage the design must be   advanced to a point where the relevant design information is   available to enable the Code Assessor to evaluate and verify the   dwelling’s performance against the criteria defined in the Technical   Guidance. The ‘interim’ DS assessment will therefore be completed   and certified after the design / detailed design stages are complete.

   The PCS assessment and Code rating confirms the final ‘as-built’   performance of the dwelling. A final PCS assessment is completed   and certified after practical completion of the building works.

    If a DS assessment has been undertaken, the PCS assessment   serves to confirm that the building’s ‘as built’ performance and   rating is in accordance with that certified at the ‘interim’ design   stage. Or where there are variations from the DS assessment, that   they are documented, re-assessed, and a new score and Code level   calculated for each dwelling that is affected.

   Note;- Where an ‘interim’ DS assessment has not been carried out   and subsequently certified; then a full PCS assessment can be   conducted against the as-built dwellings. This is not advisable   however, since the design process plays a fundamental role during   the construction process and will significantly impact upon the final   certificate if issues have not been properly dealt with before   construction works begin.