FAQ

  1. What is the end goal of CPE?

CPE is a non-profit member organization focused on the support, education and certification of cutting edge solicitation practices that emphasize attracting and hiring high performing vendors. It provides training and certification for procurement professionals, provides standardized documents, and a venue for procurement professionals to network and advance procedures, processes, and systems.

 

  1. What are the requirements and processes to access the education and certification program?

CPE offers a variety of opportunities for general education and certification. We offer an annual conference and are actively promoting regional events. These events provide general training, networking opportunities, and specific educational opportunities. CPE is engaging experienced researchers and educators throughout the US to provide educational and training opportunities. This specifically includes the consortium of researchers/professor of the Simplar Institute. CPE maintains full authority for certifications, with a professional certifying committee consisting of educators, practitioners, and other professionals.

 

  1. There are several professional procurement organizations in existence… what makes CPE different?

One of CPE’s core beliefs is fair, open, and transparent procurement consistently leads to better outcomes. CPE is supported by a large research team whose focus has been the optimization of the acquisition process and assessing the resultant project performance. More than anything, CPE provides THE standard for efficient procurement practice. For example, some commons frustrations include:

 

  • Some owners want to use a qualifications-based of “best value” approach to purchasing, but don’t actually know how to structure the RFx’s (RFPs/RFQs/etc.).
  • There are various alternative delivery practices available (Design Build, CMAR, P3, Lean, etc.) but many owners don’t know which is best for their organization / project, nor are there clear guidelines on how best to implement these practices within their procurement rules.

 

All CPE recommendations are based on qualitative and quantitative research derived from examples, case studies, and longitudinal efforts. CPE prepares rigorous case studies in a broad range of business sectors. CPE provides education, templates, and certification in these advanced practices.