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APTAC Certifications The Professional Review Board (PRB) welcomes your application for all three levels of APTAC certification. We strive to maintain the highest standards for the APTAC certification program. These Certification Levels are: Level I - Contracting Assistant (CA) Requirements: There are two sets of certification requirements: one for those with formal education and one for those without college credits or degrees. This was done so that APTAC might recognize those professionals who received their level of expertise through a variety of career paths. You may view the requirements (and application forms) for each Certification level here. Select the appropriate application based on your qualification. (Formal Education Application or the Non-Formal Education Application)
Overview of Certification Requirements and Process Level I (formal) Level I (non-formal)
Level II (formal) Level II (non-formal) Level III (formal) Level III (non-formal) To Apply: All applicants are required to submit the appropriate certification application form (see above) and provide copies of documentation to back up the points claimed. Documentation should include:
1. FORMAL EDUCATION:
Copy of diploma or transcript.
2. PROCUREMENT EDUCATION AND TRAINING:
a) APTAC - A print-out of your Education Credits from your Professional Development profile on the APTAC website. You may request a formal APTAC transcript from your Professional Development profile page.
b) Certificates of Completion for DAU, NCMA or other recognized training providers. c) If you need APTAC endorsement of local training events in order to accumulate credits, your Program Manager may training events for approval through our on-line system on the Program Managers' page of the website. Click here for a guide to this process. 3. EXPERIENCE:
Letters from Employer or a resume, including phone numbers for verification of experience and former employment, or other sufficient documentation. (Note: one point is given for each year of experience. You cannot claim two points for the same year - i.e. if you were working in a PTA center that is also an economic development company, only one point can be credited.)
4. OPTIONAL POINTS:
APTAC membership/board/committee chair will be verified by APTAC.
For publications, include table of contents, or copy of article (professional journals only).
For training activities, please provide agenda and/or other proof that you were a trainer at an APTAC training event or Federal training event. Credit is not given for training you do locally as part of your regular duties.
Applications may be submitted any time. If a Certification is to be conferred at an upcoming APTAC Conference, the application should be received by APTAC not later than 45 days before said conference. This will give sufficient time for the PRB to review it and determine if all back up material is adequate. APTAC headquarters will confirm receipt of the application. A decision on the application will be mailed to the applicant generally no later than 30 days after receipt. If approved, certifications will be presented at the next scheduled national conference, pending exam for Level 3. For those who are not in attendance, certifications will be mailed following the conference. If you have questions, you can contact Judy Robbins, Chair of the PRB, at prb@aptac-us.org
Written Examinations: For Level III Certification, there will be a written examination, to be administered at the annual Spring and Fall Conferences or possibly by proctor upon special request to the Chair, PRB. This is a professional examination, and as such tests the counselor’s knowledge of the entire procurement process. Expertise developed during your tenure as a business counselor will help prepare you for the exam. Click here to view Level III exam sample questions.
Preparing for Certification: Attending APTAC approved training events will help you keep up to date in your field, and therefore be valuable in gaining the expertise needed to earn certification. The FAR and its supplements, especially Part 19, contain a wealth of information helpful to PTAC counselors.
Other sources of professional training and materials include:
The Defense Acquisition University www.dau.mil,
The National Contract Management Association http://www.ncmahq.org/
Government websites such as:
DAU offers many online courses that can help you increase your knowledge of the procurement process, including (but not limited to)
There are also several good publications, including Win Government Contracts for Your Small Business by Kleckner and DiGiacomo, “Selling to the Military”, and Formation of Government Contracts by Cibinic and Nash, and many more.
The Education committee has developed a program for maintaining all levels of certification. Information on re-certification requirements can also be found on this site.
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