By the time a report reaches its final form, whether for ESOS, SECR, or another framework, it has been through data collection, calculation, and review. But before it’s ever submitted, one more step happens: sign-off by a qualified person. This post explains what that step actually involves, and why it exists.
What Sign-Off Means
Sign-off is the point at which a qualified expert, an ESOS Lead Assessor for ESOS reports, a carbon consultant or auditor for other frameworks, formally reviews and approves your report before it is submitted or published. This isn’t a formality. It’s a legal requirement for ESOS, and good practice across every framework Enistic supports.
What The AI Has Already Done By This Point
Enistic AI has collected your activity data, matched it to the correct emission factors, calculated your emissions across the relevant scopes, and flagged any gaps or inconsistencies along the way. By the time a report reaches sign-off stage, the groundwork is largely complete and organised.
What The Reviewer Actually Checks
Your named consultant or Lead Assessor reviews the report for:
- Completeness: is all required data present, and are any flagged gaps resolved
- Accuracy: do the figures look correct and consistent with what’s expected for your business
- Compliance: does the report meet the specific requirements of the framework it’s being submitted under
- Context: does anything need explaining or caveating before submission, based on knowledge of your business that a system alone wouldn’t have
Why A Human Expert, Not Just Enistic AI
Enistic AI is very effective at processing data and applying rules consistently. It is not a substitute for professional judgement, understanding unusual circumstances, or taking legal responsibility for a report’s accuracy. That’s why every report carries a named person’s sign-off, not just an automated output.
What Happens After Sign-Off
Once signed off, your report is made available on the Enistic platform, ready to download and submit to the relevant body, for example the MESOS system for ESOS. You get a report you can stand behind, because someone with the right expertise already has.
Why This Matters
This is also the foundation of Enistic’s 100% compliance record across more than 5,000 reports since 2002. That record isn’t just down to good software, it’s down to a qualified person checking every single report before it goes anywhere.