The AACE Certification Board is reaching out to the certificants who hold one or more of AACE’s Certifications (CCP, CEP, CFCC, DRMP, EVP, PRMP, PSP) to bring additional attention to the process of Recertification. Certifications within AACE’s Certification Program are independently accredited by the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB). As with any worthwhile licensing and certification program, ongoing experience, education, and training are required to stay current with the changing and advancing nature of the various industries to which AACE’s Certifications are applied and thus drive the need for periodic recertification. AACE encourages each of its certificants (those who achieved certification) to begin the recertification process immediately upon becoming certified or recertified.

The question most asked of the AACE Certification Program regarding Recertification is – Why is recertification important to me? The answer to that question has many facets, not the least of which is your relationship with your employer. Employers look to their professionals to continue to train, educate, and broaden technical acuity as their individual careers advance. Achieving a certification and continuing to periodically recertify demonstrates to your employer that you are committed to ongoing advancement in your chosen technical field. This can have a direct bearing on your position/title and compensation, and, in the grander picture, the ability of your employer to continue to win projects because of your continuing commitment to growth in your professional skills and recognition in the industry.

A benefit of achieving and sustaining certification in good standing is the recognition among your business associates and contacts who work with other entities of the status of your qualifications and your viability as a teaming partner or participant in project opportunities. This carries over into how you are viewed by others with whom you may actively participate in association initiatives that advance the global recognition and acceptance of standards of performance and the impact on the accuracy and quality of work product.

There are downsides to not following through with recertification. The following are examples of the impacts reported to AACE as consequences that can arise from the failure to recertify.

• Representing that one is “certified” when in fact one is not, or the certification is lapsed and not currently recognized as valid, is a violation of the AACE Canons of Ethics relating to an individual’s standing in both membership and certification.
• Companies have reported the loss of opportunities because the professionals whose resumes are presented in proposals to prospective clients do not have the certifications represented or the certifications have lapsed and are not currently recognized as being in good standing by the issuing entity.
• Individuals who work at the expertise levels represented by AACE’s advanced certifications, such as the CFCC, can be denied the opportunity to testify as experts because the status of certifications is misrepresented in their personal qualifications. At the very least it can be embarrassing during questioning to be qualified to testify as an expert or during actual testimony to acknowledge that your certification status is inaccurate or misrepresented.
• Employers do not look favorably on those who fail to maintain certifications in good standing with the organizations under whose auspices the certifications were issued, a circumstance that can adversely impact advancement and compensation.

Another circumstance that we often encounter, and that is worthy of a cautionary discussion, is when a certificant requests and receives “Emeritus” status for certification as a result of retirement from the workforce. Once Emeritus status is granted through the Certification Program, the individual discontinues recertification efforts only to then find that they are reentering the workplace and in need of current certification status. The Emeritus certified professional must reapply for certification, pay any applicable fees, and sit for the exam if at any time in the future, they accept any form of cost engineering-related work.

AACE’s Technician level certifications – the Certified Cost Technician (CCT) and Certified Scheduling Technician (CST) are designed to expire after 4 years and are not eligible for recertification. These two early-career certifications are fully intended as stepping stones or building blocks to set the stage for career advancement/growth and moving upward to AACE’s professional-level certifications.

Within the AACE Certification Program, recertification is required every three (3) years for the professional level and expertise level Certifications. There are two ways to recertify. One way is to sit for the full certification examination every three years. Since 2016, 137 certificants have chosen this path, with 85% passing the reexamination in order to keep their certification active. The remaining 15% who failed the reexamination lose their historical certification details and are required to start over if they wish to be AACE certified (Chart 1):