Proctor
The BREEAM exemplary security credit builds on a good Security Needs Assessment.
Under BREEAM New Construction V7.1 and Refurbishment V7, the standard security credit is earned by a site-specific Security Needs Assessment (SNA) from a suitably qualified specialist. The BREEAM exemplary credit adds independent validation of the security risk management process against a recognised scheme. BRE recognises Proctor for that validation, and we deliver the assessment.
The scheme
What Proctor is
Proctor is a security rating scheme for the built environment. We created and administer it, and BRE names it as a route to the BREEAM exemplary security credit in both current UK manuals: New Construction V7.1 (Hea 08) and Refurbishment V7 (Rsl 04). Proctor is designed to be proportionate, with the assessment integrated into the security appointment your project already needs and owned end to end by one consultancy.
Administering the scheme and delivering assessments are separate roles. A Proctor assessment can only be conducted by a licensed Proctor Assessor Organisation, and Toren Consulting Ltd is currently the only one. The scheme's own facts, criteria and registry are at proctorassessment.co.uk; this page is about procuring the assessment itself, through us.
BRE's description of Proctor
“Proctor is a structured security rating scheme for buildings and assets. The scheme provides:”
- “Independent validation of the security risk management process.”
- “A three-tier rating system (Certified, Commended, Distinguished) based on mandatory performance criteria.”
- “Continuous specialist oversight throughout the project lifecycle, supporting exemplary security performance.”
Quoted from BREEAM UK New Construction V7.1, Hea 08, Recognised security rating schemes (SD6074, 26 August 2026). The same entry appears at Rsl 04 in BREEAM Refurbishment V7 (SD6075).
The value
Two BREEAM credits from one appointment
The standard BREEAM security credit is satisfied by the SNA alone (Hea 08 criteria 1 to 3 under New Construction V7.1, Rsl 04 criteria 5 to 7 under Refurbishment V7). The BREEAM exemplary credit is satisfied by independent validation against the recognised scheme (Hea 08 criterion 4 and Rsl 04 criterion 8), which BREEAM awards as an innovation credit. Proctor adds design coordination and continuing specialist involvement through the RIBA stages; the standard BREEAM security credit is awarded on evidence that its criteria are met at completion. Where the assessment process begins during Concept Design or earlier, one Proctor Certificate evidences both credits: your BREEAM Assessor references the recognised scheme and uploads the certificate, with nothing further for them to manage. Where it begins later, both credits remain available, with the standard credit evidenced from the SNA in the usual way.
We are currently the only consultancy able to deliver the SNA, the continuing specialist role and the Proctor assessment under a single appointment; the scheme provides for licensing further assessor organisations as it develops. If your project already has another Suitably Qualified Security Specialist (SQSS) appointed, Proctor remains open: we review the existing SNA before engagement, and the scheme defines the coordination duties and documented handover that make a two-consultancy route work.
The assessment
What the assessment covers
The assessment rates the whole security risk management process across six criteria, from context and threat through to implementation, with Innovation as an optional sixth that only comes into play for the highest rating. It runs in two stages, a validated interim certificate at design and a validated final certificate at post-construction (or Shell and Core where applicable), and the work is rated by a specialist independent of the one who produced it. Ratings are Certified, Commended or Distinguished, set by the weakest mandatory criterion rather than an average, so every mandatory criterion must reach the standard of the rating awarded. Full criteria, scoring and the certificate register are published at proctorassessment.co.uk.
Timing
When to appoint
BREEAM requires the SNA during or before Concept Design (RIBA Stage 2); Proctor's own cut-off is the end of RIBA Stage 3. A later appointment can still earn the BREEAM security credit where the specialist confirms the delay has ruled nothing out, but the comfortable route is the early one, the same timing a well-run BREEAM SNA wants anyway.
FAQs
Questions we're often asked
Is Proctor part of BREEAM?
No. Proctor is an independent security rating scheme that BRE recognises as a route to the BREEAM exemplary security credit, so a Proctor Certificate is evidence your Assessor can reference and upload. The scheme manual, criteria and registry are at proctorassessment.co.uk.
Do we need Proctor to earn the standard BREEAM security credit?
No. The standard security credit is earned by the SNA alone; Proctor exists for the BREEAM exemplary security credit beyond it.
How much extra work does the assessment create for the design team?
Little, if security risk management is being run properly: the assessment rates work the project should already be producing, from risk assessment through to implementation evidence, rather than demanding new deliverables. Where the process has gaps, the criteria show them early, while they are still cheap to close.
Our project already has a security consultant appointed. Are we excluded?
No. We review the existing SNA before engagement, and the scheme's coordination duties and documented handover let your existing Suitably Qualified Security Specialist keep their role while the assessment runs alongside.
Getting started
Tell us about your project and its BREEAM target, and we will reply quickly with a proposal covering the SNA, the continuing specialist role and the Proctor assessment, so that both BREEAM credits are pursued under one appointment.