August 6, 2008—As a part of the broader vision for LEED V3, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced certification bodies for the LEED Green Building Rating System. The move is expected to expand service, eliminate backlogs, and enable compliance with ISO standards.
Well-known and respected for their role in certifying organizations, processes, and products to ISO and other standards, the organizations are:
- ABS Quality Evaluations, Inc.
- BSI Management Systems America, Inc.
- Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
- DNV Certification
- Intertek
- KEMA-Registered Quality, Inc.
- Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Inc.
- NSF-International Strategic Registrations
- SRI Quality System Registrar, Inc.
- Underwriters Laboratories-DQS Inc.
This evolution in the certification process is being undertaken as an integrated part of a major update to the technical rating system that will debut in January as LEED 2009. The update will also include a comprehensive technology upgrade to LEED Online aimed at improving the user experience and expanding its portfolio management capabilities, says USGBC.
Currently, all LEED project submissions are reviewed by USGBC with the support of independently contracted reviewers. Beginning in January 2009, the USGBC, developers of LEED, will move administration of the LEED certification process to the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), a nonprofit organization established in 2007 with the support of USGBC. Working together with the selected certification bodies, GBCI will deliver a substantially improved, ISO-compliant certification process designed to grow with the green building movement.
The USGBC says the move will allow the organization to focus on its mission of improving the LEED rating system and delivering exceptional green building education. GBCI currently administers the LEED Accredited Professional program, in alignment with ANSI requirements for professional certifications.
