Design Review

Design Review

What is a Design Review? 

The Design Review is a final check of the documentation after a positive validation is given by the Gold Standard approved VVB. A certification reviewer will check the documentation. And request clarifications and resolutions of corrective actions where required.

To initiate the design review, projects must: 

• Have a positive validation opinion from an approved VVB 
• Ensure VVB submits the VVB-approved Project Design Document (PDD), SDG Impact Tool, and all relevant supporting documentation  
• Ensure VVB submits the Final Validation Report 
• Pay the fee for Design Review. View the Gold Standard Fee Schedule for an overview of the fees. 
  
  

On approval, the project will appear as ‘Design Certified’ in the Gold Standard Impact Registry and becomes eligible for Performance Certification.

Project design reviews last for a minimum of 4 weeks from the date of the booked review, on condition all documents are submitted, and the payment of the fee is received. They are concluded when all Corrective Action requests (CARs)/Clarification Requests (CLs) are successfully closed. On average, this process takes about 6 months from first submission to closure of the review.

More information on the certification steps can be found in the Principles and Requirements and the step-by-step certification guide.