Validation & Verification Body (VVB) Approvals
| Type | Fee | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| VVB application review | $8,000 | Per organisation, at request for approval |
| Annual VVB management | $2,500 | Per organisation, annually |
| VVB re-approval | $5,000 | Per organisation, at request for re-approval |
| VVB training | $2,000 | Per training, as requested by entity |
Please contact vvb@goldstandard.org if you have a question about the fee schedule.
Fee Schedule FAQs
1.What does the Application Review Fee include?
The Application Review Fee is charged to new VVB entities applying to become a Gold Standard approved VVB for the first time, or after a gap. The fee covers the time spent by Gold Standard reviewing the entity’s application. It is paid upon submission of the VVB application, and a full review may not commence until the fee is paid.
2.What does the What is the VVB re-approval fee and when should it be paid?
The GS-VVB status is granted for a period of 36 months from the date of approval. The VVB re-approval fee applies to the GS VVBs who wish to renew their approval status. Prior to expiration, the GS-VVB shall re-submit the full set of information updated as required for re-approval by the Validation & Verification Body Requirements.
An application for re-approval shall be submitted no later than 8 weeks prior to the end of the 36-month period, together with the payment of the VVB re-approval fee. A full review may not commence until the fee is paid.
3.What does the Annual VVB management fee include?
The annual VVB management fee include the management of VVBs, such as adding and removing auditors and expanding VVB approval scopes. Gold Standard endeavours to provide additional services such as the Gold Standard Learning Platform with its auditor trainings, exams, VVB newsletters, VVB performance assessments, reports, and others. The annual fee helps us deliver and expand these services. Gold Standard reserves the right to suspend a VVB for non-payment of the Annual VVB management fee.
4. What approval scope does the fee cover?
The Gold Standard VVB fees are the same independent of the scope or the size of the VVB. A VVB may be approved for one or all sectoral scopes, have 5 or 50 GS-approved auditors, and the fee remains the same, as long as the VVB and its auditors comply with the approval requirements for each scope. This encourages VVBs to have more of their auditors qualify as GS-approved auditors.
VVBs are also approved to audit globally, without geographic restrictions. Some host countries may impose additional requirements for auditing in their country.
5. What is the VVB training fee for?
Gold Standard endeavours to provide all relevant training to GS auditors, on most common project types and requirements. We do not have capacity to develop specific training on all topics all VVBs work on.
An additional training is any specialist training requested by a VVB that falls outside of the standard training that is included in the Annual VVB Management Fee. Specialist training may include, but is not limited to, training on the Sustainable Urban Development module or an ADALYs training.
6. When was this fee schedule updated?
The above Fee Schedule went into effect on 05 December 2024 for all Gold Standard for the Global Goals projects and VVBs. All fees quoted are in US dollars (USD). Gold Standard will do a planned review of its fees every two years to ensure alignment with its mission, sustainability of the organisation and services provided, and simplicity and transparency for stakeholders. Gold Standard reserves the right to add or amend fees at any time at its sole discretion.
Please find links to the previous versions of the fee schedule, as well as to the Project and Methodology development fee schedule, here: Fee Schedule – Gold Standard for the Global Goals
7. Questions about invoices
Invoices are issued by the Gold Standard finance team. If you have any trouble paying an invoice or updating information on an invoice, please also refer to vvb@goldstandard.org