Initial Profiling and Preliminary Decision provides a deep dive on Step One and Step Two of the assessment process, covering each of the assessable criterion in the initial profiling step, and how these should be evaluated to inform a preliminary decision and high-level recommendations for improvement. The first step aims to provide a high-level understanding of the project’s context, estimate its potential value, and ascertain that its fundamentals for generating ERCs are in accordance with VCM standards. It will also take the inputs from Step Zero to assess the project’s alignment with any specific country objectives that may be in place, based on its project type or sector. The Project Profile Template in Appendix A provides a guide to conducting initial profiling as laid out in Step Two.
The sections below will describe each criterion and its method for the evaluation, following either a checklist or rating indicated in Introduction to the Project Assessment Framework, where the list of criteria is as follows:
- F1: Project ERC value
- F2: Additional value enabled by project
- C1, C2, and C3: Carbon integrity and environmental and social risk management
- S2: Socioeconomic value
