Fully Certified? Be Recognized!

April 1, 2006 - Through its Fully Certified Agency Award program, the Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council (UPPCC) identifies organizations that have achieved the distinguished and unique honor of employing only fully certified public procurement individuals. The UPPCC believes that having a fully certified procurement staff is a significant accomplishment and a strong indicator of current trends within state and local governments. This is an annual award and interested agencies must apply each year for consideration.

This award program was developed to recognize those organizations that have made a concerted effort to achieve procurement excellence. It should be noted that the UPPCC has specific requirements that must be met in order to be awarded the Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) or Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO) designation. Criteria is based on formal education, continuing education, public sector employment experience as well as successful examination performance. Detailed requirements may be found in the UPPCC Certification Handbook and on the UPPCC Web site at www.uppcc.org.

Fully certified agencies are recognized annually at the Annual Forum and Products Exposition sponsored by the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc. (NIGP). The Council recognized 25 fully certified agencies at the 2005 event. Qualifying agencies for 2006 will be recognized at NIGP's 61th Annual Forum and Products Expo to be held in Tampa, Florida, August 5-9.

The Council invites qualifying organizations to apply for recognition in 2006. Completed applications must be received by close of business June 1.

Fully Certified is an annual award and agencies must apply annually to receive recognition. The 2007 application will be available March 1 on the UPPCC website.