Professional Certification Programs from the National Contract Management Association

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

• The foundation of integrity within the (federal
  acquisition) system is a competent, experienced,
  and well-trained, professional workforce.
• FAR Part 102-2(c)(1)

3
Agenda

• Todays Business Environment
• Benefits of NCMA Certification
• Certification Types and Requirements
• Gold Standard
• Study Materials and Groups
• Conclusion

4
Todays Business Environment

• The Contract Management (CM) function is
  transforming
• From tactical to strategic (PSCM)
• Emergence of a corporate CM strategy (Best Value)
• CM is integral to an organizations competitive
  advantage
• If you dont have control of your contracts,
  you dont have control of your business

5
Todays Business Environment

• Increased reliance on contractors for performance
  of critical business functions
• Companies are focusing on core competencies and
  outsourcing the rest
• Extensive increase in services contracting
• Organizations are now managing more contracts
  than ever before
• More complex
• More diverse
• More interdependent
• More difficult to manage

6
Contract Manager Roles

• Business Advisor
• Employers want people who can make quick and
  accurate decisions
• If there is a gray area when interpreting rules,
  interpret to the benefit of your customer
• Problem Solver
• Solve problems with less than perfect information
• Be creative, be flexible, and do what needs to be
  done
• Dont be a Problem Causer
• Team will work around you, causing more problems

7
What Does It Take?

• Contract Management demands competence in
• Leadership
• Management
• Contract law
• Economics
• Accounting finance
• Marketing
• Operations management
• In short a walking MBA
• Organizations need to hire professionals to deal
  with threats and opportunities

8
Agenda

• Todays Business Environment
• Benefits of NCMA Certification
• Certification Types and Requirements
• Gold Standard
• Study Materials and Groups
• Conclusion

9
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

10
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

11
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

12
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

13
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

14
Agenda

• Todays Business Environment
• Benefits of NCMA Certification
• Certification Types and Requirements
• Gold Standard
• Study Materials and Groups
• Conclusion

15
Certification Program

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

16

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

17
CFCM Exam

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

18
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

19

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

20
CCCM Exam

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

21
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

22

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

23
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

24
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

25
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

26
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

27
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.

28
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)

29
Agenda

• Todays Business Environment
• Benefits of NCMA Certification
• Certification Types and Requirements
• Gold Standard
• Study Materials and Groups
• Conclusion

30
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

31
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

32
Agenda

• Todays Business Environment
• Benefits of NCMA Certification
• Certification Types and Requirements
• Gold Standard
• Study Materials and Groups
• Conclusion

33
What about CFCM study materials?

• NCMA Book Store
• Annotated Guide to the CMBOK
• Desktop Guide to Basic Contracting Terms
• Federal Knowledge Module Study Guide
• Fast Track Exam Preparation Class
• available at selected national events

34
What about CCCM study materials?

• NCMA Book Store
• Annotated Guide to the CMBOK
• Desktop Guide to Basic Contracting Terms
• CCCM Study Manual
• Fast track exam preparatory class available at
  selected national events

35
What about CPCM study materials?

• NCMA Book Store
• Annotated Guide to the CMBOK
• Desktop Guide to Basic Contracting Terms
• CPCM General Business Section Study Guides
• Reference texts available from NCMA
• Contract Negotiations Skills, Tools, and Best
  Practices
• Leadership Building High-Performance Buying and
  Selling Teams
• Performance-Based Acquisition Pathways to
  Excellence
• Solicitations, Bids, Proposals, and Source
  Selection
• CPCM Exam Preparatory Class available at selected
  national events

36
What about more study materials?

• Practice Exams
• 50-question exams are available online (35 each)
• CPCM General Business Section
• CFCM
• CCCM
• More help
• Online Guide to CMBOK (no charge)
• No charge practice exams and answers on web page

37
What type of person do I need to LEAD a Chapter
Study Group?

• The ideal Chapter Study Group Leader would
  possess the following traits
• Highly motivated to help others achieve their
  professional and personal goals
• Highly effective in speaking to and teaching
  small groups
• Subject Matter Expert in the areas they are
  preparing the members to test
• Has the full support (financial and otherwise) of
  the Chapter Leaders

38
Dont have anyone with ALL these traits?

• Not unusual!
• Identify a highly motivated volunteer
• Insure full support (financial and otherwise) of
  the Chapter Leaders
• No leader? Self-directed Study Groups consisting
  only of motivated certification candidates have
  always been successful

39
Lessons Learned and Best Practices

• Get a commitment from instructor and candidates
  in writing
• Provide a syllabus and program schedule in
  advance of starting the program
• Establish clear lines of communication
• Have a phone, email, and fax tree for the Group
• Train to Task
• Exams are all multiple choice, so dont waste
  time and effort on essay-type preparation
• use multiple choice mock quizzes and exams
  throughout the program
• Study how to take multiple choice examinations

40
For more details, download the Chapter Study
Group Guide

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

41
Agenda

• Todays Business Environment
• Benefits of NCMA Certification
• Certification Types and Requirements
• Gold Standard
• Study Materials and Groups
• Conclusion

42
Opportunities are never lost. Theyre taken by
someone else.Anonymous

• Contact certification_at_ncmahq.org for more
  information