diff --git a/integration_tests/docker-compose-vertica.yml b/integration_tests/docker-compose-vertica.yml
index d418d667a..59aded696 100644
--- a/integration_tests/docker-compose-vertica.yml
+++ b/integration_tests/docker-compose-vertica.yml
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ services:
       VERTICA_SCHEMA: ${SCHEMA_NAME}
       APP_DB_USER: dbadmin
       APP_DB_PASSWORD: vertica
+      # Deliberately not UTC: keeps the suite honest about macros that must
+      # use UTC rather than the server's local time.
       TZ: "America/Los_Angeles"
       VERTICA_DB_NAME: elementary_tests
       VMART_ETL_SCRIPT: ""
diff --git a/macros/utils/cross_db_utils/current_timestamp.sql b/macros/utils/cross_db_utils/current_timestamp.sql
index 2525d3668..452841942 100644
--- a/macros/utils/cross_db_utils/current_timestamp.sql
+++ b/macros/utils/cross_db_utils/current_timestamp.sql
@@ -114,3 +114,9 @@
     -- Dremio CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() is always in UTC
     current_timestamp()
 {%- endmacro -%}
+
+{% macro vertica__edr_current_timestamp_in_utc() -%}
+    {#- dbt's default falls back to the session-local current_timestamp, which
+        is off by the server's UTC offset whenever Vertica is not set to UTC. -#}
+    cast(current_timestamp at time zone 'UTC' as timestamp)
+{%- endmacro -%}