The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) and Bureau Veritas SA are teaming up. Bureau Veritas will facilitate LEED certification on behalf of GBCI for LEED green building projects. GBCI is the third-party certification body for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

“This collaboration with Bureau Veritas helps us take LEED to the next level,” said Rick Fedrizzi, GBCI board member and president, CEO, and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). “Through our collaboration, we will leverage the scale and scope of Bureau Veritas’ operations and quickly build capacity and global reach to deliver best-in-class, third-party certification for LEED.”

Didier Michaud-Daniel, CEO of Bureau Veritas, said the partnership will offer his organization the opportunity to play an active role in LEED.

“LEED certification allows us to expand our certification offerings related to quality, human health, environmental protection, and social responsibility: all incredibly important priorities for our clients and the communities in which we work,” he said.

According to USGBC, the agreement will allow for enhanced customer engagement and local support for LEED.

“GBCI and Bureau Veritas will be able to offer local touch points and resources for green building teams on the ground in a way that we have never before been able to offer,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, chief operating officer of USGBC and president of GBCI. “Connecting with our customers and deepening our engagement with them will help accelerate the adoption of green building practices and deliver its benefits to these key economies.

“We want our users to have a positive and seamless experience with LEED, no matter where they are across the globe,” added Ramanujam. “GBCI is building world-class infrastructure to support the uptake of green building around the world.”