Professional Certification Programs from the National Contract Management Association

1
Professional Certification Programs from the
National Contract Management Association
2
Certification Program

• Certified Federal Contracts Manager (CFCM)
• Certified Commercial Contracts Manager (CCCM)
• Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM)

3

• CFCM indicates you are knowledgeable about the
  practice of contracts management in the federal
  environment

4
CFCM Prerequisites

• Academic
• Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited
  college or university
• Continuing Professional Education
• Minimum of 80 hours of contract management or
  related subjects
• Experience
• Minimum of 1 year of experience in CM or a
  related field

5
CFCM Exam

• One objective 3-hour exam, with 110 questions
• Based on the Federal Acquisition Regulation
• Passing score 70

6

• CCCM indicates you are knowledgeable about the
  practice of contracts management in the
  commercial environment

7
CCCM Exam

• One Objective 3-hour exam, with 110 questions
• Based on the Uniform Commercial Code
• - Articles 1, 2, and 2a
• Passing score 70

8
CCCM Prerequisites

• Academic
• Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited
  college or university
• Continuing Professional Education
• Minimum of 80 hours of contract management or
  related subjects
• Experience
• Minimum of 1 year of experience in CM or a
  related field

9

• CPCM shows you are knowledgeable about all facets
  of contracts management

10
CPCM Prerequisites

• Academic
• Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited
  college or university
• Continuing Professional Education
• Minimum of 120 hours of contract management or
  related subjects
• Experience
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in CM or a
  related field

11
CPCM Exam

• One objective 4-hour exam, with 180 questions
  based on the CMBOK
• - 70 based on contract management (Contract
  Principles, Contract Planning/Strategy,
  Specialized Knowledge, and Contract
  Administration)
• - 30 based on general business (accounting,
  economics, finance, management, marketing,
  operations management, quantitative methods)
• Passing score 70

12
Benefits for Employers

• Provides independent validation of employee or
  potential employee skills and competency
• Especially important today for outside hires when
  resume inflation is rampant and when past
  employers are increasingly reluctant to give
  meaningful feedback on former employees
• Improves credibility in the eyes of business
  partners throughout the supply chain
• Greater confidence in the competency of your
  contract professionals when interacting with
  primes, subs, vendors, customers in contracts
  matters

13
Benefits of NCMA Certification for Employers -
continued

• Helps attract and retain the best and brightest
• Professional development opportunities are a
  greater motivator than pay and bonuses
• In a tight labor market support of employee
  certification efforts is a strong differentiator
  between employers

14
Benefits of NCMA Certification for Employees

• Personal satisfaction
• Be a professional, not merely one who works in
  a professional field
• Peer recognition
• Gain respect in the workplace
• More career opportunities (Hiring and Promotions)
• Increasing number of employers stating CFCM or
  CPCM desired, highly desired, or even
  required on job postings
• Increasing number of number of employers using
  NCMA certification as a differentiator in
  promotion to leadership and management positions
  within the Contract Management field

15
What Certification Is Not

• Certification is not a substitute for performance
• Certification is not a substitute for experience
• Certification is not a substitute for teamwork
• Certification is not a guarantee of success
• Certification is not a determination of who can
  merely study well and pass an exam

16
What Certification Is

• NCMA Certification
• Validates your knowledge of CM
• Forces you to keep current on CM
• Brings you one step closer to professional
  perfection
• Education is an indicator of academic strength,
  while certification is an indicator of
  professional strength

17
Certification costs

• Application Fees
• CFCM 150 member/ 260 nonmember
• CCCM 150 member/ 260 nonmember
• CPCM 175 member/ 285 nonmember
• Examination Fees
• 95 per module, payable to exam provider

18
Where When Do I take the Exams?

• NCMA uses Kryterion Test Centers for its exams
• Exams are given via computer in the Kryterion
  Test Center under the supervision of trained
  proctors.
• Test Centers are open normal business hours and
  some centers offer Saturday testing as well
• There are several hundred Kryterion Test Centers
  around the United States
• Candidates select location, date time most
  convenient

19
Alternatives to Kryterion?

• NCMA offers on-site exams at selected national
  events.
• NCMA chapters may obtain a one-time authorization
  from the NCMAs Certification Department to offer
  on-site exams. The chapter must provide a
  suitable testing environment and a proctor.

20
How Long Do I have to Complete the Certification
Process

• Candidates have 1 year to complete the required
  exam from the date his/her application is
  approved
• Extensions to the 1-year period can be granted
  for extenuating circumstances (overseas job
  assignment, serious long term illness, etc)

21
NCMA Certifications Set the Gold Standard

• The Value of Certification Results of 3 annual
  NCMA Salary Surveys
• CFCM 10k more per year
• CPCM 25k more per year
• There is no difference in salary between having
  only a DAU
• Level II certification and having no
  certification at all
• Level II meets minimum standards

22
Recertification Lifetime Certification

• Recertification
• Must earn at least 60 hours of continuing
  education over the 5-year renewal period
• Lifetime certification
• Retirees at least 55 and no longer working in CM
• Workers over 60 who have current certifications

23
What about study materials?

• NCMA Book Store
• Annotated Guide to the CMBOK
• Desktop Guide to Basic Contracting Terms
• CFCM Study Guide
• CCCM Study Guide
• General Business Study Guides Vols 1-5
• Current Reading List

24
Exam Preparatory Aids

• Online practice exams
• Exam preparatory classes available at selected
  national events

25
Chapter Study Group Guide

• www.ncmahq.org/certification/docs/ChptrStudyGroupG
  uide.pdf

26
Opportunities are never lost. Theyre taken by
someone else.Anonymous

• Contact certification_at_ncmahq.org for more
  information