Manage BRL 9500-W and -U with software and internal audits

For energy performance consultancies and certificate holders

Does your consultancy provide energy performance advice, and do you want to organise quality management for BRL 9500? DCA supports you with the Compliance Tool and internal audits of the quality system and processes. This suits organisations that want a clear overview of arrangements, checks and follow-up, both when establishing and maintaining their approach.

This support is intended for the organisation behind the advice. Building owners seeking an energy label or an energy performance calculation should contact an energy performance adviser.

BRL 9500-W and -U: two separate assessment guidelines

• BRL 9500-W: energy performance advice for homes and residential buildings.
• BRL 9500-U: energy performance advice for non-residential buildings.

Which guideline is relevant depends on your activities and certification scope. If you work under both guidelines, we discuss both the similarities and differences in the quality processes.

The amending regulation in the Dutch Government Gazette 2026, 18113 designates the separate BRL 9500-W and BRL 9500-U guidelines dated 14 October 2025. The regulation entered into force on 29 May 2026. For the applicable documents and explanation, consult InstallQ. We align the audit criteria with the guideline, scope and arrangements applicable to your organisation.

Quality management in the Compliance Tool

The Compliance Tool brings activities and supporting evidence together. You remain responsible for content and implementation; the software helps organise the work:

• Tasks and responsibilities: clarify who carries out each arrangement and track progress.
• Documents: store procedures, audit reports and other supporting evidence alongside the relevant activities.
• Audit planning: schedule checks and audits and use reminders for recurring tasks.
• Incidents and findings: record what needs attention and link follow-up to tasks.
• Improvement actions: keep owners, agreed actions and evidence of implementation available in one place.

These features also appear in Visietech’s experience. We align the setup with your processes and available documentation.

The Compliance Tool supports quality management. It is not a BRL 9501-attested energy performance calculation program.

Request a demo →

What do we assess during the internal audit?

DCA assesses the quality system and processes within the agreed scope. We examine documents and records, speak to those involved and review how arrangements are implemented in practice. Topics we can agree in advance include:

• Document management: which procedures are used, and how are they kept available and current?
• Responsibilities: is it clear who implements, checks, decides and follows up?
• Implementation of procedures: does the way of working match what was agreed?
• Records of checks: can you establish which checks were carried out and what they found?
• Nonconformities and improvements: are findings recorded, assigned and followed up?

Specialist checks of energy performance calculations and technical project files are outside this offering. You must arrange any required specialist project checks separately. Our assessment of how a check is recorded and followed up does not mean we approve the calculation or technical content of the file.

This defined audit does not automatically cover every internal control obligation under the BRL. Alongside the assignment, record which other checks are needed and who carries them out. Our internal audit does not provide a certificate: formal certification rests with the authorised certification body.

Objectivity and independence

As with our audits and assessments we agree the assessment criteria, roles and reporting arrangements in advance. The Compliance Officer assesses the agreed subject without approving their own work. Even when you use our support and the Tool, that division of roles remains central to the audit assignment.

From scope to findings and follow-up

1. Agree the scope. We discuss W and/or U, the audit objective, parts of the organisation involved, processes, previous findings and your preferred schedule.
2. Prepare. You provide the agreed documents and records and ensure the employees involved can explain how they work.
3. Examine. We assess the available evidence and implementation of the agreed processes. We discuss missing information and findings with you.
4. Report. You receive the findings within the agreed scope, with supporting evidence, areas requiring attention and improvement priorities. We agree the reporting format in advance: in the Compliance Tool or as a standalone audit report.
5. Follow up. We discuss the next steps. You assign actions to responsible people and gather evidence of implementation. We agree any support or further assessment separately.

Which documents and information are needed?

Start with the existing approach. To agree and prepare the audit, we request information relevant to the selected processes:

• The relevant guideline or guidelines, certification scope, locations and parts of the organisation involved.
• The quality manual or procedures used and the allocation of responsibilities.
• The audit and inspection schedule and records demonstrating implementation.
• Previous audit findings, recorded incidents or nonconformities and the status of improvement actions.
• Relevant organisational changes and the preferred audit date or external deadline.

We determine exactly which documents are needed based on the scope. The employees involved explain how they apply the procedures.

Software and audit support work together

The audit shows what demonstrably works within the assessed scope and where improvement is needed. With the Compliance Tool, you can store the report, link findings to tasks and record who handles follow-up. The corresponding documents and records remain available during follow-up.

Between audits, the team uses the same environment for tasks, reminders, documents and incidents. At the next assessment, this makes it possible to see what was done with previous findings. A completed task alone does not demonstrate compliance with all BRL requirements; the content and effectiveness of the improvement must be assessed appropriately.

An internal audit can also be carried out without the Compliance Tool. We agree how reporting and follow-up will then be recorded.

Practical example: Visietech

Visietech uses the Compliance Tool to organise quality management around BRL 9500 and receives DCA support with internal auditing. In the existing interview, adviser Martin Westerlaken discusses audit planning, document storage, incident recording and linking follow-up tasks to findings.

Visietech brings its knowledge of energy performance advice; DCA supports the setup of quality management through software and internal audit support. Martin describes how the central environment helps retrieve information and prepare for audits.

Read how Visietech keeps BRL 9500 manageable →

What determines costs and planning?

We determine the resources required based on the audit objective and agreed scope. We consider W and/or U, the number of processes, locations and employees involved, documentation availability, previous findings and the reporting required. Preparation and the availability of your team and the auditor also influence the schedule.

Software use, any setup or support, and the internal audit are separate parts of the arrangements. View the general cost breakdown or discuss your situation with us.

After reviewing the request, we discuss resources, pricing, preparation and a feasible audit date. Any deadline submitted is a preferred date; there is no fixed lead time or guaranteed outcome for every consultancy.

Frequently asked questions about BRL 9500 support

Official sources

Sources checked: 19 September 2026. Use official publications for current documents and applicability:

• InstallQ: energy performance advice.
• InstallQ: assessment guidelines.
• Dutch Government Gazette 2026, 18113: designation of BRL 9500-W, BRL 9500-U and BRL 9501.