Call for LEED Providers

USGBC announces a call for new LEED for Homes Certification Providers.

The attached Request for Qualifications (RFQ) includes background information on the LEED for Homes Program, the submittal instructions for organizations interested in applying to be selected as LEED for Homes Certification Providers, and a six-page submittal form.

USGBC plans to establish contractual relationships with approximately 20 new LEED for Homes Certification Providers. These Providers will be the primary verification and certification agents for the LEED for Homes program, with USGBC providing quality assurance oversight. Each Provider organization will be responsible for the selection, training, scheduling, and quality assurance of a team of in-field inspectors and/or green raters.

Submittals are due to USGBC by 5 PM EDT on Wednesday, November 28, 2007. Submittals that are not complete will be disqualified.

If you have questions, please send them to homes@committees.usgbc.org

In the LEED-Homes pilot program there were initially only 12 providers to be "responsible for selecting appropriate pilot projects and verifying that the homes were built to meet the requirements of the rating system". The provider for the Greenbush LEED-H project has done very well to accommodate our needs, but I have heard that for other projects it can be a challenge, both in terms of scheduling and location.

This is an interesting issue that green building programs face; to truly be a third-party certification system, certifiers should not technically be from either side of the camp (the agency that creates the certification standards nor the builder of the project), and yet they should be knowledgeable enough of both sides to certify a project. Ensuring there are enough qualified certifying bodies can be a demanding goal to achieve.

Now that the USGBC is launching LEED for Homes, they are calling for more providers. This will hopefully make the program accessible to more people in more regions.


By the way, if you are a USGBC member, voting for LEED-EB (Existing Buildings) and LEED-H is now open. Voting ends Monday, November 26, 2007 at 5:00 PM EST.