SITES certification

In 2015 U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) reached a decision to adopt the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) certification program, with a minimum silver rating, for GSA’s capital construction program.  The GSA determined that the incorporation of SITES, which provides a focus on ecological services and economic and environmental sustainability beyond a building’s envelope, and also possesses the ability to be applied independently or coupled with LEED certification, offers a highly effective and efficient way to compel environmental performance and project efficiencies, including effective cost control, on various capital project types.

This decision was originally memorialized in the 2016 version of GSA’s Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service (P-100) document, and has been renewed again in subsequent editions.  The P-100 establishes design standards and criteria for new buildings, site improvements, infrastructural projects, major and minor alterations, and work in historic structures for the Public Buildings Service (PBS) of the General Services Administration. This document contains both policy and technical criteria used in the programming, design, and documentation of GSA buildings and facilities.