LEED’s third-party certification body, the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), and Bureau Veritas SA (an inspection and certification company) have announced a partnership that will see the latter conduct LEED certification for the GBCI.

“This collaboration with Bureau Veritas helps us take LEED to the next level,” says GBCI board member and United States Green Building Council (USGBC) CEO Rick Fedrizzi. “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.”

The partnership’s goal is to expand support for LEED across local and international markets.

“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,” says Mahesh Ramanujam, 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.”

Canada recently took the top spot in the USGBC’s Top 10 Countries for LEED outside of the U.S. list. The GBCI predicts significant growth in emerging markets as well (including China, India and Brazil), which is why offering more support is crucial.

“Looking at the LEED project registration and certification trends of these countries and across the globe, it is critical to build up the infrastructure to support this development,” adds Ramanujam.