Creating a PCA

Logging into the PARCEL Platform

To begin, navigate to the PARCEL login page and enter your username and password. Note that your PARCEL username is not your email address.

If you’ve forgotten your password, click the “Forgot Your Password?” link. You’ll be prompted to enter the email address associated with your PARCEL account. A reset link will be emailed to you and will expire within one hour.

Upon logging in, you may be prompted to enter a six-digit Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) code sent to your email. MFA codes expire within one hour and must be revalidated every 90 days.

After successfully logging in, you may be shown a welcome tour. You can click through this tour or end it at any time.

Updating Your User Profile

Once logged in, navigate to your user settings (top right corner) and click on “Update My Personal Info.” From there, click the Edit button to update your profile details.

Be sure to:

• Indicate if you're an Environmental Professional under the AAI rule

• Allow administrators to sign for you (optional)

• Upload a PDF copy of your resume (must be less than 1MB)

• Upload a signature image (JPEG, less than 50KB)

• Upload a seal image (if applicable, JPEG, less than 50KB)

Fill in any additional qualifications, signature images, and data provider account information. Click Submit to save all updates.

Creating a New PCA Report

From the PARCEL homepage, click New Single Site Project to begin a new PCA report. The Create Project page opens.

If your project involves multiple sites, you may also create a portfolio using the New Portfolio option. For the purpose of this training, we’ll focus on single-site PCA workflows.

Required Fields

Fields marked with a red bullet are required. These include:

• Project Name

• Draft Due Date

• Final Due Date

• Property Name

• Property Address

• City, State, Zip Code

• Scope of Work

Auto-Geocoding

When you input the address, the system may auto-geocode the latitude and longitude fields. These can be manually edited if needed.

Scope of Work Templates

Select the appropriate PCA scope template (e.g., Optimized PCA, Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac). The scope selected determines the structure and required content of the report.

Additional Property Information

While optional during setup, be sure to enter the following to ensure accurate cost calculations later:

• Property Type (required for cost table calculations)

• County

• Acreage

• Number of Buildings

• Transaction Type

Assigning Site Assessors and Senior Reviewers

Under the Grant Access and Assign Roles section, you can assign users to the PCA report. Choose from your organization, a client, or a third party.

• Assign Site Assessor: Choose a user responsible for site inspection and field data collection.

• Assign Senior Reviewer: Choose a user to oversee and sign off on the report.

Uploading Attachments

Attach any relevant documents using the Browse button under the Attachments section. After selecting a file, click Add File.

Email Notifications

To notify collaborators that a report has been created or updated, scroll to the Email Notification section. Check the box to enable, then fill out:

• To: The recipient's email address

• CC: Optional

• Message: Include project context or instructions

When ready, click Create Project to generate the report, or use Create Project And Order EDR Products to simultaneously initiate a database order.

Navigating the PARCEL Homepage

Once logged in, your homepage provides quick access to:

• Recently Opened Reports — for in-progress work

• Recently Completed Reports — for finalized reports

You can also use the project search field at the top to filter reports by Site ID, status, or keywords.

On the right sidebar, you’ll find quick access to:

• New Single Site Project

• New Portfolio

• Update My Personal Info

• Add a New User

Using the Portfolio Dashboard

If a report is part of a portfolio, clicking the upper link from the homepage will bring you to the project’s dashboard. The portfolio dashboard displays a high-level summary of all sites in that group.

You can view the status of each site in the portfolio, including:

• Progress indicators

• Assigned assessors

• Signature status

• Completion percentages

Writing the Report in PARCEL

To begin writing, open a report and click on the Write tab. This brings you to the Table of Contents (ToC), where you can navigate through report sections individually.

Use the following tools at the top of the page:

• Library: Insert default narrative content

• Comments: Collaborate with team members

• History: Access previous saved versions

• Spellcheck and Find/Replace

Switching View Modes

You can toggle between section-by-section view and All Sections Mode for continuous scrolling.

This also enables full-report spellcheck and formatting tools.

Entering General Information

Click on the General Information link in the Table of Contents to open the General Information popup, then click the orange Edit button at the top of the popup to open the fields for editing.

This is one of the most critical setup steps in the PCA process. Fill in fields such as:

• Property Name

• Address, City, State, Zip

• Latitude/Longitude

• Property Type

• Building Age / Effective Age

• Gross Site Area

After making any desired changes or additions, click the Submit Changes button at the bottom of the popup.

Once submitted, these values populate throughout the report automatically using PARCEL’s variable system, saving time and reducing error.

Rich Text Editing

In narrative blocks, you can use familiar formatting tools like bold, underline, font color, and bullet points. The menu at the top of the screen includes various useful text-editing tools.

• Copy from Word to paste formatted content

• Use Undo/Redo, Insert Date, or Track Changes tools

• Use the Save All button frequently (though PARCEL also autosaves every 5 minutes)

Working with Tables in PCA Reports

PCA reports include multiple tables for summarizing building information, costs, and recommendations. To create a new table, scroll to the relevant section (e.g., Building Summary) and click Create Table.

When entering data, note the following required fields for accurate cost calculations:

• Property Type

• Total Leasable Area

Dropdown fields help autofill some inputs, and you can duplicate, delete, or reorder rows using the table controls.

Restoring Table History

If you accidentally delete a table or row, use the View History tool at the bottom of the table section to restore previous versions — just like in narrative sections.

Cost Tables & Recommendations

Cost tables in PCA reports allow you to add detailed recommendations tied to system components. Each row typically includes:

• Description of the deficiency or improvement

• Recommended action

• Associated cost estimate

• Schedule (e.g., Immediate, Short-Term, Year 6, Year 12)

To add a recommendation, click Add New Recommendation and complete the required fields.

Confirm each step using the Confirm buttons.

Associating Photos with Cost Items

Photos are uploaded to the appendix first, and then can be associated with a cost item:

1. Open the cost table and click the photo icon

2. Select a photo (orange highlight means it’s linked)

3. Click Save Association

Cost Distribution Over Time

You can spread cost estimates over multiple time periods (Immediate, Year 6, Year 12, etc.). Use the checkbox under each column to assign value distribution and view the subtotal underneath.

Editing and Managing Recommendations

To edit an existing recommendation, click the Edit icon next to the item. You can update the text, cost, schedule, or associated photos, then click Submit to apply changes.

All individual cost recommendations feed into the summary tables at the end of the report, including:

• Immediate Repairs

• Short-Term Repairs

• Replacement Reserves

You can view these summaries as PDFs or export them to Excel for further manipulation (note: equations are not preserved).

Managing Photos and Documents in the Appendix

The Photographs appendix works slightly differently.

JPEGs show as thumbnails, and you can:

• Delete

• Rotate

• Include/Exclude

• Caption images by clicking Edit then typing below

Click on the photo to zoom in on the photo and edit the caption.

Use drag-and-drop to reorder or move photos. You can also bulk-select photos to delete or exclude. All changes are saved automatically.

Resume Attachment

If you uploaded your resume in the user profile earlier, it will automatically be included when you sign the report. No additional action is needed at this stage.

Signing the Report

Once all content has been entered, navigate to the Sign section. Your electronic signature and resume (uploaded earlier) will appear automatically.

Review and click Submit to lock in your signature.

Previewing the Report

At any time, you can preview the report using the Quick View (book icon) tool.

Select Detail Report to generate a PDF for internal review.

If you notice any red or placeholder text (e.g., instructions or variables), use the Black All button to finalize styling:

• Black This Section – for current section only

• Black All Sections – to apply universally

Using the Variable Replacer

The Variable Replacer tool supplements the General Information section. It lets you define and update custom report variables across all sections at once.

To use it:

1. To update variable content, click the Tools (wrench icon) menu and select Variable Replacer.
   

2. Update any default or custom variables
   

3. Click Submit Changes, then click OK
   

It may take several seconds to propagate changes across the full report.

Assembling and Delivering the Report

Go to the Assemble tab to prepare the report for delivery:

1. Select which sections and appendices to include

2. Click Reorder Lettering if needed

3. Click Download File (PDF format)

A record of who downloaded the report and when will be saved.

Emailing to Client

Click Email Link to Client → choose PDF → a popup form will open.

Fill out the form:

• Add recipient contact(s)

• Edit client-facing instructions

• Optionally send a copy to yourself

• Click Send Email to send

After sending, you can track when the report was accessed or expired, by viewing the Previously Generated Reports and Previously E-mailed Reports.  

Use the Disable button to invalidate the link and resend a corrected version if needed.