What is a Certified Forensic Claims
Consultant (CFCC)?
AACE International’s Certified Forensic Claims Consultant (CFCC) certification program is designed to establish credentials to recognize your professional expertise. This certification program gives professionals a means to validate skills and knowledge in the claims and dispute resolution arena, based upon United States law. CFCC certification will distinguish you as a Certified Forensic Claims Consultant who has the knowledge and skills that impact the bottom line.
Summary of CFCC Certification Process
Candidates for the CFCC designation must meet these minimum requirements:
- Eligibility Requirements
- Education: A 4-year college/university degree in engineering building construction technology, business, economics, construction management, architecture, computer science, mathematics, or a related field.
- Experience: 8 years of verifiable experience in claims.
- Certifications after Education: All candidates must have at least one of the following professional certifications – Certified Cost Consultant/Certified Cost Engineer (CCC/CCE), Planning & Scheduling Professional (PSP), Certified Construction Manager (CCM), Certified Professional Constructor (CPC), Professional Engineer (PE), Registered Architect (RA), or Chartered Quantity Surveyor (CQS). If a candidate does not possess one of these certifications, s/he may substitute an additional 8 years of claims-related experience in lieu of the certification.
- References: Four (4) letters of recommendation from Industry professionals (attorneys, in-house legal counsel, and/or clients, past or present) familiar with the candidate’s claims-related experience must accompany the application. Please identify those persons providing recommendations on your behalf.
- Written Report or Professional Paper: Electronic submission of an expert report submitted as evidence, a formal claim submittal, or a professional paper accepted for publication, for which authorship by the prospective candidate is verifiable, any of which must have been written within the 24 months prior to applying to sit for the examination.
The written report or professional paper will be reviewed by one or more of AACE's CFCC SMEs for acceptance. If the formal claim submittal, expert report or professional paper submission does not represent the rigorous detailed analysis customarily prepared by an experienced claims analyst or testifying expert and that has been accepted for publication or submitted to a court, board, arbitration or other trier of fact in support of planned testimony, the prospective candidate will not be cleared to sit for the CFCC examination. The written report or professional paper must be submitted to certificationsubmittals@aacei.org when making application.
- AACE International’s Canons of Ethics: Each candidate accepts AACE’s Canons of Ethics and agrees to guide their professional practice in accordance with ASFE’s
Recommended Practices for Design Professionals Engaged as Experts in the
Resolution of Construction Industry Disputes.
- Submit Application Instructions and fees
There are two steps in making a complete application for the CFCC exam: Apply & Make Payment and Submit Supporting Documentation.
- STEP ONE: All candidates must apply and make payment online or submit a downloadable application with payment information provided.
Certification fees are US$500 for AACE Members, and US$625 for Non-Members. All fees are non-refundable.
- STEP TWO: All candidates must submit experience/education verification documentation* to AACE Certification Staff.
*Please note: if you are retesting, chances are you will not have to resubmit your eligibility verification documentation. If you want to be sure, please contact certificationsubmittals@aacei.org.
After we have received ALL of your information to complete an application, it will take approximately 45 days to properly verify your eligibility to sit for our exam and enroll you in the program. Once you have been cleared to sit for the exam and enrolled, you will receive instructions on how to schedule your examination with our computer based testing (CBT) vendor, Kryterion and an access voucher code valid for 6 months.
NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
- If you have not completed all three steps within 6 months of applying, you will be required to reapply, paying full fees again.
- If you are unsuccessful at passing the exam the first time, you can apply to resit at a reduced fee (within 6 months of your enrollment).
- Pass the Examination
To become a CFCC, an overall passing score of 70% must be achieved, as determined by the Certification Board.
It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure they have met the experience requirements prior to submission. AACE reserves the right to deny any candidate if it has been determined, after review of documentation, they are not eligible to sit for the exam. By registering and submitting payment you are claiming you have met the minimum requirements to take the exam. All fees are non-refundable.
EXAM STRUCTURE
The CFCC exam contains multiple choice questions and a written essay assignment. The multiple choice questions and the written essay scores are averaged together for an overall exam score. You must receive a minimum average of 70% in order to successfully pass the exam.
- MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAM: The exam is delivered through computer based testing (CBT) and is comprised of multiple-choice and scenario questions. The topics covered in the exam are: legal, damages, scheduling, project management and ethics.
- ESSAY ASSIGNMENT: The essay assignments allow the candidate to choose from an onscreen list of suggested scenarios based upon a real dispute and are the sort an attorney would likely ask of a prospective expert witness for such a case. The essay will be graded on the candidate's grammar and presentation, as well as analytical abilities and approach to problems. As the essay questions reflect real-life situations, it will require the candidate to address the given fact patterns in a manner consistent with an expert's role in the claims process involving such a case. The essay answer will be written in the text box provided onscreen and should demonstrate a candidate’s ability to organize thought and communicate effectively
The exam is open book, allowing a candidate to bring two resources of their choice for reference during the exam. Candidates are permitted to bring any style of calculator, including programmable calculators, to use during the exam, if needed.
If you want to know what our CBT exam will look like, please view the CBT Certification Exam Tutorial by selecting the link on the right hand side.
Recommended Study Materials for the CFCC exam:
Recommended readings should not be required for you to pass this examination since the exam is built around your claims job-related experience requirements. However, it may be beneficial to review the CFCC Certification Study Guide.
As your career advances, CFCC goes with you
The CFCC designation is versatile. It is a mark of distinction. As with any specialty certification, a primary concern is to ensure that all credentials are always up to date. That is why the program requires you to recertify every 3 years by either professional credit plan or re-testing. The recertification program is designed to ensure that you have maintained continued expertise through work experience, continuing education, professional development, and active involvement in the profession.
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