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Professional Certification Programs from the National Contract Management Association

Professional Certification Programs from the National Contract Management Association. Certification Program. Certified Federal Contracts Manager (CFCM) Certified Commercial Contracts Manager (CCCM) Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM).

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Professional Certification Programs from the National Contract Management Association

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  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 • OneObjective 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 employer’s 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 NCMA’s 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/ChptrStudyGroupGuide.pdf

  26. “Opportunities are never lost. They’re taken by someone else.”Anonymous Contact certification@ncmahq.org for more information

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