Regulatory and Compliance
14%of exam
Applicable lawConflicts and misconductConfidentialityFunding-specific requirements
Pre-Solicitation Planning
20%of exam
Market and spend analysisSpecificationsContract typesRisk and funding
Sourcing and Supplier Selection
19%of exam
Solicitation methodsEvaluationNegotiationDebriefs and protests
Contract Development and Administration
18%of exam
Authority and formationChangesPerformance/remediesCloseout and records
Leadership and Influence
15%of exam
Ethics and communicationStakeholder trainingConflict resolutionProfessional development
Procurement Business Principles
14%of exam
Roles and authorityData and inventory controlsContinuous improvementContinuity and supplier engagement
Quick Facts
- Exam items
- 180 total:160 scored+20 unscored
- Testing time
- 3.5 hours/210 minutes
- Passing scaled score
- 1800 on 1000–2500 scale
- Training requirement
- 72 contact hours;10-year lookback
- Degree/no-degree experience
- 3years/5years; ≥50%public sector
- Application/exam fees
- Program page and download conflict
- Testing windows
- May 1–15 and October 17–31
- Maintenance
- 5 years;45 qualifying hours if active
Law and Public Accountability
- Model procurement code
- Adopted provisions govern; not national law
- Dillon/home rule
- Check actual state/local authority
- Unauthorized commitment
- Ratification conditional; never automatic
- UCC Article 2
- Goods; enacted law/context controls
- Public records
- Applicable disclosure timing and exemptions
- Supplier preferences
- Verify authority and current legal basis
- Federal grant award
- Apply recipient and award-specific rules
Federal Illustrations and Limits
- General FAR micro threshold
- $15,000; exceptions apply
- General FAR simplified threshold
- $350,000; exceptions apply
- Grant thresholds
- Local/authorized higher micro rules differ
- Noncompetitive grounds
- Use only applicable documented exception
- Urgency exception
- Limited scope; other duties continue
- Labor standards
- Covered contract and thresholds matter
- No blanket federal rule
- CPPB includes broader public procurement
Price and Cost Analysis
Price
- Total price assessed
- Market/history/competition comparisons
- No separate-element breakdown
Cost
- Separate elements assessed
- Labor/material/overhead/profit
- Mandate depends on governing rules
Do not invent universal sole-source mandate
Choose Controls Before Award
- Unclear requirements or market capacity→Research and consult stakeholders(Document need)
- Considering another agency’s contract→Check permitted use and legal authority(Scope/term/pricing too)
- Need price reasonableness→Select required price/cost analysis(Actual rule controls)
- Uncertain cost/performance exposure→Choose authorized type and oversight(Risk allocation)
- Bond security required→Read law, solicitation, bond terms(No universal percentages)
Requirements and Analysis
- Market research
- Capacity, options, competition, risk
- Spend analysis
- Reliable purchasing patterns and exposure
- Design specification
- Prescribes method; design responsibility matters
- Performance specification
- Defines outcomes and measurable standards
- Brand-name-or-equal
- State salient equivalency characteristics
- Price analysis
- Assess total price without cost breakdown
- Cost analysis
- Evaluate separate cost elements
Contracts and Sourcing Preparation
- Life-cycle cost
- Acquire+operate+maintain+dispose−residual
- Firm-fixed-price
- Supplier generally bears cost risk
- Cost reimbursement
- More buyer risk and oversight
- Economic price adjustment
- Contract-defined index or contingency
- T&M
- Oversight; required ceiling where applicable
- IDIQ
- Ordering limits and minimum commitment
- Cooperative/piggyback
- Authority, scope, competition, permitted use
Negotiation Preparation
BATNA: alternative; ZOPA: acceptable overlap
Verify authorityKnow limitsDocument result
IFB and RFP
IFB
- Clear material requirements
- Stated price-based evaluation
- Responsive bid/responsible supplier
RFP
- Stated best-value evaluation
- Technical factors and price
- Discussions only when authorized
Follow governing method and solicitation
Choose a Sourcing Process
- Need market-capability information→Consider non-award RFI(Before drafting)
- Clear specs; price principally decides→Consider authorized sealed bidding(Stated factors)
- Technical/qualitative tradeoffs matter→Consider authorized competitive proposals(Disclose criteria)
- Covered A/E qualifications selection→Rank qualifications; negotiate compensation(Authorized QBS only)
- Claimed sole source or emergency→Verify exception, evidence, approvals(No blanket waiver)
Methods and Fair Evaluation
- IFB
- Clear requirements; stated price-based selection
- RFP
- Stated best-value factors; authorized discussions
- RFI
- Market information; not ordinary award
- RFQ
- Quotation or qualifications; define context
- QBS
- A/E qualifications-first where authorized
- Sole source
- Evidence only one suitable source
- Negotiation
- Authority, limits, records, fair treatment
Responsive and Responsible
Responsive
- Concerns submitted bid
- Material conformity
- Waiver rules are limited
Responsible
- Concerns supplier capability
- Integrity and resources
- Evidence under applicable rules
Bid versus bidder
Response Review and Challenges
- Responsive bid
- Meets material solicitation requirements
- Responsible supplier
- Capability, integrity, resources
- Minor informality
- Actual waiver rule and facts control
- Bid mistake
- Verify correction/withdrawal authority
- Clarification
- Limited clarification within authorized procedure
- Discussion/revision
- Follow permitted process consistently
- Protest
- Check deadline, forum, stay rules
Default and Convenience
Default
- Qualifying contractor failure
- Required notices and defenses
- Contractual remedies
Convenience
- Authorized non-default right
- Contractual settlement
- Read scope and compensation rules
Neither permits an arbitrary settlement
Handle Performance and Changes
- Requested work exceeds existing scope→Route through authorized change process(Check competition)
- Technical staff gives informal direction→Document and verify delegated authority(Avoid unauthorized commitment)
- Supplier fails a material obligation→Use contract notice/remedy procedure(Consider defenses)
- Agreement no longer needed→Check convenience termination authority(Settlement terms)
- Performance complete→Verify acceptance and closeout obligations(Keep required records)
Formation, Changes, Delivery
- Authority
- Check actual delegation before binding
- Precedence
- Use actual contract hierarchy
- Technical representative
- Read appointment and change limits
- Bilateral/unilateral
- Agreement versus authorized directed change
- Constructive change
- Conduct may require extra work
- FOB terms
- Read freight/risk/delivery allocation
- Receipt versus acceptance
- Delivery does not prove conformance
Remedies and Closeout
- Cure/show-cause
- Use actual clause and notice requirements
- Default termination
- Qualifying failure; defenses and process
- Convenience termination
- Authorized right; contractual settlement
- Liquidated damages
- Defensible compensation; not punitive
- ADR
- Authorized options, not universal ladder
- Bonds
- Bid/performance/payment protect different interests
- Closeout
- Acceptance, payment, claims, property, records
Recertification Check
Five-year cycle;45 qualifying hours for active status
20 contribution capQualifying experience55 hours if lapsed
Personal and Organizational Conflicts
Personal
- Individual interest or relationship
- Actual/potential/apparent
- Disclosure and authorized management
Organizational
- Unequal information access
- Biased ground rules
- Impaired objectivity
Applicable mitigation/exclusion rule controls
Resolve Ethics and Communication Issues
- Evaluator has supplier financial interest→Disclose; follow authorized recusal(No participation shortcut)
- Consultant wrote specifications then bids→Apply governing exclusion/OCI rule(Grant rules can prohibit)
- Supplier requests private material information→Use authorized fair communication channel(Protect confidentiality)
- Proposal marked entirely confidential→Apply actual disclosure/exemption law(Not label alone)
- Committee scoring is inconsistent→Retrain and document authorized resolution(No new criteria)
Ethics and Stakeholder Leadership
- Gifts
- Protect impartiality; follow applicable rules
- Personal conflict
- Disclose; authorized mitigation/recusal
- Organizational conflict
- Assess unequal access/bias/objectivity
- Committee training
- Criteria, roles, conflicts, confidentiality
- Communication
- Audience, facts, authority, listening
- Active recertification
- 45 qualifying hours each 5 years
- Contributions/experience
- 20 contribution cap; annual experience rules
Payment Check
Order, receiving evidence, invoice
Three-way matchResolve discrepanciesSeparate duties
EOQ and Reorder Point
EOQ
- How much to order
- Model balances ordering/holding
- Assumptions and units matter
Reorder point
- When to replenish
- Lead-time demand plus safety
- 10×5+20 =70
Order quantity differs from trigger
Business Controls and Continuity
- ABC inventory
- Value/criticality analysis; no fixed proportions
- EOQ
- √(2×D×S÷H); consistent annual units
- Reorder point
- Lead-time demand plus safety stock
- ROP example
- 10/day×5 days+20 =70 units
- Three-way match
- Order, receiving evidence, invoice
- Encumbrance
- Budgetary commitment; not cash payment
- Continuity planning
- Critical roles, suppliers, recovery records
Stock Trigger
Lead-time demand plus safety stock
Consistent unitsReliable demandMonitor stockouts
Common Traps
CPPB and CPPO Scope
CPPB buyer competencies ≠ CPPO management blueprint
Scaled and Raw Passing Scores
1800 on1000–2500scale ≠ A fixed raw correct-item percentage
Federal and Other Jurisdictions
Context-specific federal rule ≠ Universal local/Canadian procurement law
Contract Terms and Memorized Shortcuts
Actual authority, clauses, governing law ≠ Universal notice/stay/precedence assumptions
Confirm Conflicting Initial Fees
Program:$390/$290application+$325exam ≠ Download:$450/$300application+$335exam
Heuristics and Binding Requirements
Model assumptions and ABC heuristics ≠ Universal legal proportions or outcomes
Last Minute
- 1.CPPB = buyer; CPPO = procurement management
- 2.180 items; 160 scored; 20 unscored
- 3.Testing time: 210 min
- 4.Pass: 1,800 scaled; range: 1,000–2,500
- 5.Raw passing percentage: unknown
- 6.Regulatory/compliance: 14%; planning: 20%
- 7.Sourcing: 19%; contracts: 18%
- 8.Leadership: 15%; business principles: 14%
- 9.Procurement training: 72 h, 10-year lookback
- 10.Active recertification: 45 h/5 years
- 11.Recertification contributions: ≤20 contact hours
- 12.Program application: USD 390 standard
- 13.Program application: USD 290 discounted
- 14.Program exam: USD 325
- 15.Download application: USD 450 nonpartner
- 16.Download application: USD 300 partner
- 17.Download exam: USD 335
- 18.Initial-fee applicability unresolved; confirm with UPPCC
- 19.IFB: price-based; RFP: stated best-value criteria
- 20.Three-way match = order + receiving evidence + invoice
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