PREAMBLE
This document has been prepared to detail the requirements of the various AACE International (AACEI) certifications as they relate to the administration of the overall certification programs. This document will explore a range of issues that have arisen from the introduction of specialty certifications, and present a logical approach for the incorporation of current and future specialty certification requirements into our existing certification process.

As the number of certifications offered by AACEI increases and the volume of certification processing increases, it is critical that we anticipate how this will impact our ability to maintain the highest standards for administering the programs and keep the cost to certified individuals reasonable.

We believe that the procedures outlined in this document will assist the Association in accomplishing the following goals:

1. Protect the distinction and recognition of our certification programs.
2. Keep the cost and effort to administer the various certifications to a manageable level.
3. Provide good value to all participants in the certification programs.
4. Provide incentives for achieving and maintaining multiple AACEI certifications.
5. Offer world-class, industry-recognized certification programs to individuals with varying degrees of experience in the depth and breadth of project controls.
6. Offer opportunities for certification in the broad profession of cost engineering/project controls to experienced practitioners as well as college students and entry-level individuals.
7. Offer specialty certifications to those who choose to seek certification in specialty field(s) of project controls rather than become certified as CCC/Es.
8. Simplify the recertification process for Certification Board and staff as well as applicants and certified individuals.
9. Clarify to all interested parties exactly how the various certification programs work and are related to each other.

INTRODUCTION
Before embarking on the discussion about the workings of AACE’s certifications, it is worthwhile to define some terms.

What is cost engineering?
Cost engineering is defined as the area of engineering practice where engineering judgment and experience are used in the application of scientific principles and techniques to problems of cost estimating, cost control, business planning and management science, profitability analysis, project management, and planning and scheduling.

What is certification?
The purpose of any professional certification or licensing program is to provide official and public recognition of the capabilities of an individual in a professional area. Certification is not licensing or registration and does not provide legal authority to practice a profession. Certification indicates demonstrated expertise in the most current skills and knowledge of the profession.

What are the objectives of certification?

1. To raise the professional standards and improve the practice of cost engineering by giving special recognition by their peers to those who, in fulfilling prescribed standards of performance and conduct, have demonstrated and maintained a high level of competence and ethical practices.
2. To identify for employers, clients and the public persons with a broad knowledge of cost engineering, and capability to professionally apply the principals of total cost management.
3. To establish a program with the goal of continuous improvement for individuals cost engineering skills and professional development.
4. To clarify the skills and knowledge and standards of conduct for the practice of cost engineering.

Certification Programs Currently Available
AACE currently has three approved categories of certification:

Generalist Certifications – CCC/CCE

The Certified Cost Consultant/Certified Cost Engineer programs are AACEI’s premier certification programs (first available in 1976), designed to be of interest to those who can demonstrate capabilities in a broad range of project controls subjects. This professional certification not only requires the successful submission of a written paper but also the proficiency of a minimum of 21 different areas of comprehension. Anyone who achieves this level of certification has demonstrated his or her knowledge in the twenty one core areas which include any of the questions required to obtain any of the specialty certifications. As additional questions are developed for specialty certification programs, they are added to the certification database and become part of the study and testing material for that particular specialty certification as well as potential questions for the CCC/CCE exams.

Specialty Certifications – PSP/EVP

Specialty certification programs such as the Planning & Scheduling Professional and Earned Value Professional programs are designed for individuals who are prepared to demonstrate their in-depth knowledge of an area of project controls. Generally the professional seeking this type of certification is involved directly with work in one of these areas and either feels the broader certification programs are not appropriate to his/her interests or desires to demonstrate competency in this depth of knowledge in addition to that in the broader field of project controls overall. The specialty exams require that a candidate probe deeply into a specific area of study such as earned value management. The primary difference between the specialty and generalist exams is the depth and breadth of knowledge covered by the exams. A candidate for a specialty certification concentrates on questions in his/her specialty area in contrast to the broader range of examination questions appropriate for the generalist exams.

Neither the generalist or specialty certifications take away from or compete with each other. Like the generalist certifications, specialty certifications can be held indefinitely requiring only that the holder recertify every three years. Neither category of certification is considered a “stepping stone” to the other. The holder of a CCC/CCE certification is eligible to sit for any specialty certification exam and a holder of a specialty certification is eligible to sit for a generalist exam but either is required to take the entire exam appropriate to that category of certification.

Interim Certification – CCT

The Certified Cost Technician certification program is designed to offer the college student or entry-level professional a means to demonstrate his/her knowledge of the concepts and theories of project controls. While a minimum amount of education or work experience is required, this certification is designed to start a professional on his or her way to achieving a higher level of certification as their career progresses.

As currently designed, the CCT can be a “stepping stone” to a CCC/CCE certification once the experience requirements have been met. Under the CCT program, a current holder of an CCT certification who meets the experience requirements for a CCC/CCE certification can apply to sit for the CCC/CCE exam and only have to take the Part “A” comprehensive portion of the CCC/CCE exam. The Part “B” portion of the exam is waived for those who hold the CCT certification. Currently, the CCT is not considered a “stepping stone” to any specialty certification due to the structure and depth of knowledge of the specialty subject area required.

Figure 1 illustrates the certification programs currently available and the relationship of each program to the others.

Examination Proctoring, Recertification Points, Fees, Anniversary Dates

1. Proctoring – At present, any individual certified by AACEI as a generalist or specialist (currently, CCC, CCE, PSP, EVP) may serve as a proctor for any AACEI certification exam. Any individual holding an interim (CCT) certification may serve as a proctor for any CCT exam.
2. Recertification Points – An integral part of all AACEI certification programs (except the CCT) is the requirement to recertify periodically. A certified individual may recertify by sitting for the exam or via the Professional Credit Plan. For an individual with multiple AACEI certifications who desires to recertify by sitting for the exam, s/he is required to take the exam for each certification for which s/he is recertifying, whereas for those recertifying via the Professional Credit Plan, the requirement to recertify is established at the certification with the most stringent requirement. For instance, the CCC and EVP certifications both have requirements of fifteen (15) points over a three-year period for recertification. An individual holding both certifications would be required to earn a total of fifteen (15) points over the three-year period in order to recertify as both a CCC and EVP.
3. Recertification Fees – Similarly, recertification fees for individuals holding multiple AACEI certifications are assessed against the certification with the highest recertification fee. For example, recertification fees are $235 for both the CCE and PSP. An individual holding both certifications would be assessed a total of $235 for recertifying as both a CCE and PSP.
4. Recertification Anniversary Dates – For an individual with multiple AACEI certifications, once the initial certification period for a second (or more) certification expires, the recertification dates are aligned to match that of the original certification.

Limitations on Service by Certification Board Members

1. While serving on the Certification Board, a member may NOT sit for any certification exam.
2. After leaving the Certification Board, the member must wait for at least two years to sit for any exams not previously held that were in existence when s/he was on the Certification Board.
3. This restriction shall also apply to those exams that are created while the individual is on the Certification Board as the individual may participate in the creation of new specialty exams as he/she wishes.
4. Sub-Committee members overseeing specialty exams are not subject to the restriction on taking other exams.

CONCLUSION
In summary, the AACEI certification programs offer a choice of options for an individual to obtain certification. For the beginner, the CCT certification offers an excellent means to document his/her knowledge of the project controls field. For the seasoned professional AACE International offers the opportunity to earn a certification for a specific field of expertise with our specialist series of certifications. Or the seasoned professional can choose to become recognized by the industry as an individual with proven competency in all areas of project controls with one of the generalist certifications.

The use of categories delineates the relationship of the various certifications and simplifies the administration of each program. At the same time the categories also allow AACE International to provide the best possible value to certified individuals by allowing them to maintain multiple certifications at a reasonable cost, and focuses the recertification process to a simple easy-to-understand method.

Our goal is to maintain the highest standards of any organization in the world for the project control professional through our certification programs. At the same time we are challenged with the need to deliver a quality product to certified individuals at a reasonable price, and provide programs that provide interest and value to new and future certified individuals.

We believe that we are meeting this goal today and are judiciously setting a course to ensure that we maintain our standards for those that will follow us tomorrow.

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