Can a developer deal with Verra on my behalf, and what is a communications agreement?
Yes. A communications agreement names an authorised representative who acts as agent for the project proponent or registry user. It can be a third party, a project has only one at a time, and ending it does not release the representative from earlier liabilities.
What it is (section 7.1)
The purpose of the communications agreement is to designate an authorised representative, appointed by the project proponent or registry user to act as agent on their behalf for a project or registry account. Templates are on the Verra Project Hub.
Who signs
- Several proponents: all of them execute the agreement and give it to Verra. The representative may be a third party or one of the proponents.
- A single proponent may also use it to name a third party.
- A project has only one authorised representative at any given time.
When the relationship ends
Termination follows the agreement itself. It does not release the representative from obligations or liability for matters existing before the termination date, and the representative stays bound by the representations and warranties it gave about those matters. The proponents then sign a new agreement where relevant, which replaces the earlier one.
Why a factory owner should care
Where the representative has agreed to take on all the rights and responsibilities as if it were one of the project proponents, it also shares the duty to replace excess issued units (footnote to section 6.4.5). So ask a developer exactly which rights and duties the agreement gives it, and what happens to the project's credits if you part ways. Our reading: credit sharing is not set in section 7.1; it sits in your own contract.
What Senseible does here
Senseible is not part of Verra's process. Its in-house check is not an accredited third-party verification.
- Changing the owner of a Verra project
- Excess credits: how they are replaced
- Running a carbon project yourself
- Carbon credits
Sources: Verra, VCS Registration and Issuance Process v5.0 (16 December 2025)
Last reviewed 2026-11-05. Check the current VCS Standard, Registration and Issuance Process and Program Guide on Verra's site before you rely on this; Verra updates them periodically.