USGBC to Outsource LEED Certification

“We believe in third-party certification,” noted Michelle Moore, senior vice president for policy and public affairs at USGBC, “so moving certification to GBCI is the right thing to do from a market perspective. We’ll be able to deliver high-quality, auditable third-party certification.” Separating the standard-setting organization from the certification process will bring LEED into alignment with norms established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for certification programs, Moore said.

This move is also necessary to meet the growing demand for LEED certification, according to Moore. USGBC is now working with GBCI to train a cadre of “certification bodies,” firms that are registered through ISO to certify products and services, on how LEED certification works. These certification bodies will manage the process, but for technical reviews of LEED applications, they, in turn, will contract with GBCI-approved assessors. Initially, these assessors are likely to be many of the same people who currently review LEED applications under contract to USGBC. LEED applications under the new regime will still all be submitted through USGBC’s LEED Online software, which is being rebuilt to better serve both LEED users and the certifiers.