Open Carbon Protocol

Validators

Project Validation & Assurance

All project activities must be approved, based on Project Validation or Assurance, by a third party before they go live on the OCP registry.

Project Developers can choose to go through either the Validation process with a VVB or a project Assurance process with an Auditor. Both are acceptable for project approval and Project Developers should select the process that best fits their needs and project design.

List of Active Validation Partners

Organisation	Services Provided	Location	Sector Expertise + Active Methodologies	Accreditations
EY	Project & Data Assurance	Canada based; global	Industrials (Marginal O&G Wells)	ISAE 3000
GHD	Project Validation, Data Verification	US based; global	Waste, Industrials (Orphaned O&G Wells), Land Use & Forestry, Transport, CDR	ANAB (ID 1009)
Enviance	Project Validation; Data Verification	India based; global	Waste, Household Emissions, Land Use & Forestry, Agriculture, Transport	Global Accreditation Bureau (ID 003-VVB)

Project Validation vs Assurance

Validation involves a “rigorous internal assessment of the data, systems, processes and methodologies used to generate climate disclosures” [source]. According to the ICVCM's guidance, this is a vital auditing process that assesses the design of the mitigation activity and the associated GHG emission reductions or removals, ensuring compliance with the specified protocol. The process aims to validate reliability and accuracy of data, documentation and other information by comparing it to established frameworks, standards and internal controls.
Every project is required to have a third-party validator confirm that the project plan meet the criteria laid out in the methodology and will result in GHG emission reductions or removals to a reasonable level of assurance.
Validators must have relevant sector expertise and active accreditation in climate disclosures (e.g. IAF members; Designated Operational Entity (DOE) under the UN Clean Development Mechanisms; Article 6 of the Paris Agreement; or other relevant accreditations).

Assurance “takes the verification process a step further, by requiring that the data checking processes are undertaken by an independent and accredited auditing professional acting” [source]. Assurance of climate disclosures is held to the same standard as the audit of financial statements.
Project Developers can seek pre-assessment from an accredited auditor (e.g. ISAE), aligning to the GHG protocols and ISO 14064-3 as Validation. This pre-assessment will review alignment and compliance with the proposed methodology, including quality of data collection, aggregation and reporting. Once pre-assessment has been completed, all future projects under that methodology can be assured within that framework.

Data Verification

All project data must be verified by a third party before the OCP issues credits. Data can be verified in two ways:

Per Issuance: manual verified every time data is submitted. Can be in tandem with validation if project has only one issuance.
Pre-Verified dMRV Process: process & dMRV partner is pre-verified during project approval; future data is received directly from dMRV partner.

You can find more information about Validation and project verification in the handbook and our onboarding documents.