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Integrative work only sticks when goals become contract obligations. The team should codify energy, water, and comfort targets in the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) and Basis of Design (BOD) and then embed them into specifications: metering points, trend logs, sequences of operation, enclosure performance criteria, IAQ emission requirements, and acceptance testing. Any proposed substitution must include lifecycle cost analysis (capital, utility, maintenance, replacement) and demonstrate equal or better performance against the targets. Scheduled review gates—led by the commissioning authority (CxA) and key designers—check compliance before bids and during shop drawing/submittal review so “value” changes don’t erode outcomes. Pure prescriptive lists stifle beneficial tradeoffs; blanket freezes ignore good ideas; “lowest cost equals equal” invites greenwashing and future operating expense. By binding targets to specs plus LCCA and third-party review, the team preserves integrative synergies while allowing thoughtful, cost-effective optimizations.