NCMA CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

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NCMACERTIFICATION PROGRAM
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NCMA Professional Certification Program

• 3 NCMA Certifications are
• Certified Federal Contracts Manager (CFCM)
• A certified federal contracts management (CFCM)
  shows that you are knowledgeable about the
  practice of contracts management in the federal
  environment.
• Certified Commercial Contracts Manager (CCCM)
• A certified commercial contracts manager (CCCM)
  shows that you are knowledgeable about the
  practice of contracts management in the
  commercial environment.
• Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM)
• A certified professional contracts manager (CPCM)
  shows that you are knowledgeable about all facets
  of contracts management, both within the
  government and the commercial areas.
• NCMA Certification Program - Provided at
  http//www.ncmahq.org/ (click on certification
  button).
• Our Local CVC website provides some of our
  chapters initial perspective about
  certifications at
• http//intranet.ncmahq.org/centralvirginia/default
  .aspx.

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Value of the NCMA professional certification
program

• Certification is a mark of distinction. It sets
  the credentialed individual and his/her workplace
  apart from others in the same profession. A
  certified individual communicates that he or she
  has attained a certain level of expertise and is
  committed to maintaining the highest level of
  professionalism.
• Certification increases and enhances competition
  in the labor market. Employers also enjoy a level
  of assurance with respect to a certified
  individual's knowledge, application of that
  knowledge, and continued professional
  development.
• NCMA's certification program, in particular,
  sharpens candidates' focus. Recertification
  continues to hone that focus and maintain or
  increase the candidates' professional role in the
  organization.

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Eligibility Requirements

• General Requirements for CFCM and CCCM are
• A degree from a regionally accredited institution
  at the bachelor's level, with 24 hours of course
  work in business management topics,
• Two years of experience, and
• 120 hours of continuing professional education-at
  least 40 of which are specific to federal
  contracts management topics.
• Waivers of the degree requirement are available
  for those candidates who have ten years of
  experience and a letter from a supervisor
  supporting their candidacy.
• Candidates lacking only the experiential and
  continuing education requirements may apply for
  the designation and take the examinations. Upon
  successful completion of the examinations, the
  candidate will be awarded the designation ONLY
  when both experiential and continuing education
  requirements are met.
• CFCM - A candidate must take and pass two
  examinations the Business Knowledge and Federal
• Knowledge modules.
• CCCM - A candidate must take and pass two
  examinations the Business Knowledge and
  Commercial
• Knowledge modules.
• CPCM - A candidate must pass the CFCM and CCCM
  and apply for CPCM.
• Recertification - Upon certification, members
  are required to recertify every 5 years by
  re-applying. No
• additional exam is required.

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How to Register for NCMA Certification

• Complete application form (CFCM, CCCM, and/or
  CPCM) which is available online at
  http//www.ncmahq.org/. If member is requesting
  that CVC Chapter make a determination of whether
  funding is available then send an electronic copy
  of the application to the CVC, Education Chair.
  If funding is available and member is in
  compliance with requirements, the funded
  application will be submitted to NCMA for
  approval along with any necessary supporting
  documents.
• NCMA will then review application and if
  applicable send record of eligibility to exam
  provider and send instructions to member
  candidate. The candidate will then register for
  the exam.
• All exams will be given at Thomson Prometric
  centers. A listing of exam sites in our state is
  available at www.2test.com (Looks like there are
  some in Richmond (Glen Allen) area. Member is to
  apply directly for exam.
• Upon successful completion of the certificate,
  please provide a copy of the certificate to the
  CVC, Education Chair. The date of certification
  is also important in order that we can keep track
  on when recertification is due.

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Various Study Aids

• For most folks, taking the exam requires a good
  deal of studying. There are a myriad of study
  materials and practice tools available. Some of
  these include
• The NCMA website has a link under
  Certifications and Study Materials which
  recommends various study materials that will help
  in preparing for the certification exams. Among
  these are practice questions and mini exams
  available for download at no charge.
• Study Guide - The CVC is contemplating purchasing
  a hard copy of the Study Guide for two modules
  Business Knowledge Module and Federal
  Knowledge Module. This material will be made
  available in the future for loan to its members.
  Please contact any of the current NCMA Board
  Members if you are interested in borrowing any of
  the material. If you would like to purchase your
  own copy of this material, it is available for
  direct purchase from their NCMA website under
  Study Materials.
• NCMA General Business Knowledge Module
  Preparatory Study Guide (5 Volumes). This is
  applicable for both CFCM and CCCM. This
  includes
• Volume 1 Management
• Volume 2 Marketing
• Volume 3 Economics
• Volume 4 Finance Accounting
• Volume 5 Operations Management and Quantitative
  Methods
• NCMA Federal Knowledge Module Study Guide
• NCMA Guide to the Contract Management Body of
  Knowledge

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Various Study Aids (Contd)

• On-Line Certification Preparatory Courses - NCMA
  has on-line course modules available that will
  help in preparing for the certification exams.
  Completion of these on-line courses can also earn
  you Continuous Learning Points as appropriate.
  If after review of the study guides you feel
  there is a particular area that you are weak in
  consider taking one of the on-line courses
  available. Chapter funding may be available
  depending on criteria provided by the Chapter .
  Some of the on-line courses available include
• NCMA General Business Knowledge Module
• Management - (not available currently under
  development)
• Marketing Bundle (14.5 CLPs)
• Operations Management - (not available
  currently under development)
• Finance Bundle (11.5 CLPs)
• Accounting Bundle (11.5 CLPs)
• Economics - (not available currently under
  development)
• Quantative Methods Bundle (10.0 CLPs)
• Federal Knowledge Module Preparatory Course
• Commercial Knowledge Module Preparatory Course
  (not available - May be a long time before
  implemented)
• Study Groups - Depending on the extent of
  interest from the Chapter members, we will see if
  organizing a study group is feasible. Study
  groups are not essential to passing the exam.
  However, many people find that it is more
  enjoyable and motivating to join a group,
  regardless of how small, since it takes many
  hours of study on a continuing basis for several
  months and it helps to have others to motivate
  and share in the journey.
• Individual Study Individuals may elect to study
  for NCMA certification on their own schedule and
  pace and method. If you decide to do this let us
  know so we can see if CVC funding is available.