Construction professionals have through Oct. 11 to provide the Sustainable Performance Institute with comments on the content of the draft of SPI's Green Firm Certification Program version 3.0.

SPI certification is intended to validate the capability of architects, engineers and construction firms to deliver “consistent, high-quality sustainability services and confirms that marketing claims are true,” says the non-profit group. 

The latest version is presented as a simplified set of evaluation criteria for organizational sustainability. These criteria include vision, planning and implementation, project delivery, infrastructure, collaboration and partnering, and outcomes and metrics. The certification program also uses surveys of internal staff, clients and partners to identify strengths and weaknesses and provide the basis for continuous improvement, says SPI.

Last year, SPI’s program was adopted by the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development as SPI-HUD Green Organizational Accreditation, part of HUD’s Affordable Green Initiative. SPI reports that 24 organizations have achieved accreditation under the new version adapted for HUD. Almost all the firms completed the documentation in less than four hours. The private-sector certification will incorporate some of the changes made for HUD, says SPI.

Interested parties can submit comments through Survey Monkey.