Job analysis for the cppb and cppo examinations
| Pages | 289-325 |
| Published date | 01 March 2009 |
| Date | 01 March 2009 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JOPP-09-03-04-2009-B001 |
| Subject Matter | Public policy & environmental management,Politics,Public adminstration & management,Government,Economics,Public Finance/economics,Texation/public revenue |
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC PROCUREMENT, VOLUME 9, ISSUES 3 & 4, 289-325 2009
JOB ANALYSIS FOR THE CPPB AND CPPO EXAMINATIONS
Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council Governance Board1
ABSTRACT. Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council (UPPCC) is an
independent nonprofit entity formed to govern and administer the Certified
Public Purchasing Officers (CPPO) and Certified Professional Public Buyers
(CPPB) certification programs. Periodically, UPPCC performs a job analysis
study to ensure that the certification exams are aligned with the skills,
knowledge, and abilities needed for successful job performance in public
procurement. This article provides a brief summary of the 2007 job analysis
study.
INTRODUCTION
The major purpose of the job analysis was to identify the tasks
and knowledge that are important for competent performance by
public procurement professionals. The development of a content-valid
examination is based on validated tasks and knowledge identified
through the job analysis process.
This article will begin with a brief overview of UPPCC. Then, it
describes the job analysis including:
- rationale for conducting the job analysis;
- methods used to define job-related tasks and knowledge;
- types of data analysis conducted and their results; and
- results and conduct of the test specifications meeting.
AN OVERVIEW OF UPPCC
Historical Developments of the Universal Public Purchasing
Certification Council
The education and continuing professional development of those
individuals involved in public procurement have been primary
Copyright © 2009 by PrAcademics Press
290 UNIVERSAL PUBLIC PURCHASING CERTIFICATION COUNCIL GOVERNANCE BOARD
objectives of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing
(NIGP) since its founding in 1944. In 1964, this quest for excellence
in public procurement was more clearly defined when NIGP
developed and initiated its CPPO program. The CPPO program of
NIGP was, at the time of its initiation, the only professional
certification offered by a national professional procurement
association in North America. The concept underlying the
development of the CPPO program was to establish a standard by
which qualifications of any public procurement official could be
evaluated for a managerial or supervisory level position in public
procurement.
In order to more effectively promote and insure public
procurement professionalism, NIGP and the National Association of
State Procurement Officials (NASPO), jointly established UPPCC in
1978. The functions of UPPCC are as follows:
- to establish, monitor, and revise requirements for certification;
- to continue research efforts relating to the certification of public
purchasers;
- to coordinate with other NIGP and NASPO programs in order to
further the certification of public procurement officers; and
- to do all things necessary and proper to promote and insure
professionalism in public procurement.
Realizing the need for a certification program for non-managers,
UPPCC, its Board of Examiners (BOE), and NIGP’s Education and
Professional Development Committee developed the Professional
Public Buyer (PPB) certificate. The first PPB certificate was issued in
1979. This designation was changed by the UPPCC to Certified
Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) in 1991.
In summation, currently, UPPCC has two certification programs: a
Certified Public Purchasing Officer, and a Certified Professional Public
Buyer. The CPPB level applies to individuals who have demonstrated
prescribed levels of professional competency as a buyer in public
procurement, and are not required to meet the additional managerial
experience of the CPPO level. Realizing that procurement standards
and norms should be the same in the public procurement
environment, the UPPCC certification programs have been
JOB ANALYSIS FOR THE CPPB AND CPPO EXAMINATIONS 291
established to meet the requirements of all public procurement
personnel in federal, state, and local governments.
Certification is the process by which public procurement
practitioners demonstrate a standard of competency – skills and
knowledge -- for the benefit of the public. Certification reflects
established standards and competencies for those engaged in public
procurement and attests to the purchaser’s ability to obtain
maximum value for the taxpayer's dollar.
Identifying Standard of Competency
Nearly a half century ago, before launching the CPPO certification
program, NIGP formed a team leading academicians and public
procurement practitioners to develop a curriculum for public
procurement. This curriculum, which was first published in a
handbook, entitled Prerequisites for Certification of Public Purchasing
Agents2 (National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, 1962),
served as the basis of the Universal Public Purchasing Certification
Program in the United States. The curriculum covered core public
procurement knowledge and also topics in the areas of business
administration, public administration, and related fields.
To ensure that the certification exams are aligned with skills and
knowledge needed for successful job performance in the public
procurement profession, UPPCC conducted its first job analysis in
April 1999. Then, because public procurement evolved rapidly after
that study, UPPCC launched another job analysis in 2007. This article
provides a summary of this most recent study of UPPCC.
METHODOLOGY
The job analysis for the CPPB and CPPO examinations involved a
multi-method approach that included meetings with subject-matter
experts and a survey. This section of the report describes the
activities conducted for the job analysis.
First, subject-matter experts identified the tasks and knowledge
they believed were important to the work performed by CPPBs and
CPPOs. Then, a survey was developed and disseminated to public
procurement professionals. The purpose of the survey was to obtain
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