EDGE Certification Price and Cost: What Are You Paying For? (2026)

The honest answer to "How much does EDGE certification cost?": there are three separate items, and most quotes show only one of them. In this article we explain the items, give the ratio of total cost to construction budget for a SHIFA-scale health centre, and list the questions to ask when comparing quotes.

1. Certification body (GBCI) fee

GBCI sets the registration and certification fee based on building area; this fee is paid directly to GBCI and is the same regardless of the consultant. For a small family health centre it is in the range of a few thousand dollars. Have the current tariff written clearly in the quote; if a quote says "certification fee included", ask for the figure to be itemised.

2. EDGE Auditor (audit) fee

Certification requires an independent EDGE Auditor to review the design file and audit the site. This is the item that causes the most surprises in the market: a low-priced consulting quote is followed by "find your own auditor" or "the audit is charged separately". This leads to a second contract, a second schedule and often revision requests.

3. Consulting (EDGE Expert) fee

Setting up the EDGE App model, cost-effective selection of measures, compiling technical datasheets, collecting site evidence and GBCI correspondence. It varies with the project's complexity and the number of buildings.

Ratio of the total to the construction budget

For a typical SHIFA family health centre, the total of the three items stays below one per mille of the construction budget. On the other hand, a delay in the certificate affects provisional acceptance, and therefore progress payments. So the real risk is not the certificate fee but the wrong quote structure.

5 questions to ask when comparing quotes

1. Is the EDGE Auditor audit included in this price? Who is the auditor, and how many projects have they audited?
2. Is the GBCI certification fee separate, and what is the figure?
3. Is the price fixed; does it change if revisions or extra site visits come up?
4. On what date will I have the final certificate before provisional acceptance?
5. Can previous health centre references be seen in the EDGE App?

Our approach

Consulting and GBCI-approved Approved EDGE Auditor audit in the same team, in a single contract, at a fixed price. The GBCI fee is written on a separate line of the quote from the start. No "auditor fee" comes up later. See the difference between consultant and auditor →