The Contract Management Standard™ Third Edition
The CMS™ Third Edition is an ANSI-Approved American National Standards that describes contract management in terms of the processes created through the integration and interaction of job tasks and skills and the purposes they serve.
The common and repeated application of this standard will improve productivity, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. The CMS™ is the foundation of the Contract Management Body of Knowledge®, Seventh Edition.
Download CMS™ Third Edition available for free to NCMA members and nonmembers alike. We encourage you to share it with other contract management professionals who will find it useful.
CCMA Handbook
The purpose of this handbook is to provide you with important information about the policies and procedures on how you can:
- Apply for the CCMA certification,
- Obtain the CCMA certification, and
- Maintain the CCMA certification.
The Handbook not only describes the certification and recertification processes, but it also provides valuable information on the structure and content of the exam. NCMA requires that all CCMA certification applicants read this entire handbook.
Access Handbook
Who Should Pursue the CCMA Certification
- Anyone with a 4-year degree from a regionally accredited college with less than one year of experience in contract management,
- Buyers and sellers with at least one year of contract management experience without a regionally accredited 4-year degree,
- Buyers interested in understanding how their actions impact sellers and sellers interested in understanding how their actions impact buyers, and
- Anyone interested in understanding the foundational aspects of the contract life cycle.
Benefits of Earning the CCMA Certification
- It sets you apart from others in your profession.
- It helps you achieve your professional goals.
- It shows that you are committed to maintaining the highest level of professionalism.
Eligibility Requirements
Application Process & Fees
If you’re interested in the CCMA certification program, complete and submit your online application along with:
- Your college/university transcripts, as applicable.
- Your work experience (CV, resume, or employer records), as applicable.
- Proof of at least 40 CPE/CLP hours.
- Your application fee ($90 for NCMA members and $295 for nonmembers).
Once you have completed and submitted your application, please allow up to 15 business days for the Certification Department to review the application. If approved, you will have one year and three attempts to pass your exam.
Please note: NCMA Membership is NOT required in order to apply, obtain, and maintain NCMA certification.
How to Access Your Application:
- Log into your profile at the top of any page on the NCMA website and select Certification from the left hand menu
- From there, do one of two things:
- Click on new application by selecting the blue button of the certification you are applying for
-OR-
- If it is an existing certification, click on the certification within the menu
- From there, follow the tabs and instructions along the top.
Apply Now
Exam Process & Fees
Your test will be scheduled through Kryterion, NCMA’s testing provider. You will be able to select the date, time, and testing location based on your zip code. The exam fee is $135 in the U.S. & Canada and $160 internationally. If additional attempts are required, each retest will incur an additional $135 or $160 exam fee.
Reschedule requests made within 72 hours of an exam will result in a $100 (domestic) and $130 (international) fee.
Recertification
Immediately upon certification, the 3-year recertification cycle starts. To continue to hold the CCMA™ in good standing, you are required to earn forty (40) Continuing Professional Education (CPE) and recertify by December 31 following three (3) full years of certification. Additionally, in every even numbered recertification cycle, certificants must pass the exam again.
Impartiality Statement
NCMA top leadership ensures that NCMA is operated in a manner to safeguard objectivity and impartiality in delivering its certification program in a non-discriminatory manner.
Read the Impartiality Statement
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