What to know about the Accelerated Verification Service

As part of B Lab’s ongoing efforts to improve the certification experience, we now offer an Accelerated Verification Service for applicants on the Small Enterprise(SEA), Small Medium Enterprise (SMEA), and Recert 2 & Recert 3 approaches. During the Evaluation stage, applicant companies on those approaches can opt-in to this service by notifying their Evaluation Analyst, although placement is based on availability and other criteria*.

*Note: SEA and SMEA applicants pursuing certification against V6 standards from Sistema B and B Lab Europe will proceed through this process by default starting July 6, 2025. Applicants from the U.S. and Canada will proceed through this process by default starting July 11, 2025.

This streamlined approach helps both the company and the verification analyst focus their effort, reduce delays, and complete the review more efficiently. While the timeline is shorter, the level of rigour, requirements, and methodology remains unchanged.

Key Elements of the Accelerated Process

1. Risk Review (prior to the Verification stage, during Verification Queue): The company will complete the Risk Review at the beginning of the process to determine if any company practices require disclosure, remediation, or could lead to ineligibility. 

• This step occurs outside of the 5-business-day window.

• If risks are identified, supplemental information may be required from the company before moving forward.

2. Schedule & Preparation: The verification analyst will contact the company to schedule the first review call, which kicks off the 5-day Review period. The first review call should happen within 21 calendar days of initial outreach. 

• At this time, the company’s Verification Report will be ready for review.

• Prior to the call, the company should review the verification report and be prepared to discuss it or provide supporting evidence during the call or within the five days following it, to demonstrate conformity with B Corp certification requirements.

3. What to Expect during the 5-day period (Verification stage): The review process includes a combination of analyst-company calls, documentation requests, and follow-up submissions. Below is an outline of how the process typically unfolds.

The outcome of the review is typically shared on Day 5. In exceptional cases, the final outcome may be shared up to five additional business days later.

4. Documentation & Preparation Guidelines: 

• Operations Questions: These questions will be discussed during the review call. The company can proactively prepare documentation at its convenience to help substantiate its practices, but it is not required unless requested by the analyst during/after the call.

• Impact Business Models (IBM) questions: These questions will be discussed and will require documentary evidence. The analyst will share an External IBM Memo to help the company prepare the necessary documentation in advance of the call.

Important Notes:

• Accelerated Verification does not change how your application is evaluated. Eligibility, scoring, and review depth follow the same standards as regular verification.

• The 5-day structure enables a focused, timely review while maintaining the same rigour and quality.

• Be sure to respond promptly to the analyst requests and adhere to submission deadlines.

Need Help?

If you have questions about the Accelerated Verification process, you can contact your Verification Analyst directly, or reach out to your Regional Partner.