Welcome to the UPPCC Website

About UPPCC

In order to more effectively promote and ensure professionalism in public sector procurement, the National Institute for Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) and the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), jointly established the Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council as an independent entity in 1978. The organization later changed its name to Universal Public Procurement Certification Council in 2010.

Address

110 W Vine St, Ste 600 Lexington KY 40507

The functions of the Council are as follows:

To establish, monitor, and revise requirements for certification

To continue research efforts relating to the certification of public buyers and procurement officers

To coordinate with other UPPCC Strategic Partnership programs in order to further the certification of public procurement professionals.

To do all things necessary and proper to promote and insure professionalism in public procurement

The UPPCC offers two distinct levels of professional certification for the public procurement professional;

the Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO)

and the Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB).

The CPPO level applies to individuals holding supervisory and/or management positions while the CPPB level applies to buyers at the non-management level. UPPCC programs are applicable to all public procurement personnel in federal, state and local government organizations and agencies.

Today, the CPPO and CPPB programs are the most highly regarded and well-respected certifications among procurement professionals and their employers in the public sector. To date, the UPPCC has certified well over 14,000 professionals primarily within the US and Canada, but in other nations around the globe.

The UPPCC is composed of two volunteer-led Boards; a governing body known as the Board of Directors and the Board of Examiners whose primary responsibility is exam development and administration.

Articles of Incorporation ]– last updated 4/28/2023

Bylaws ]– last updated 4/28/2023 

Code Of Ethics ] 

Mission

To set public procurement standards of knowledge and competency and assess individuals against those standards.

Vision

To be the global, premier, independent resource in public procurement.

Values

  • Integrity
  • Excellence
  • Passion
  • Responsiveness
  • Collaboration

UPPCC Strategic Plan Summary  Updated 2021

Achievement of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) Award

Since 2010, UPPCC has been a proud sponsor of the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) award program provided by the National Purchasing Institute (NPI).

In 1995, the National Purchasing Institute (NPI) founded the (AEP) award program. NPI is the public sector affiliate of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The AEP is awarded annually to those organizations that demonstrate excellence by obtaining a minimum score on a rating of standardized criteria. The program is designed to measure innovation, professionalism, productivity, and leadership attributes of the procurement organization.

The program was created by the National Purchasing Institute to:

1. Recognize organizational excellence in public and non-profit procurement,
2. Encourage development of excellence,
3. Provide benchmarks for continued excellence, and
4. Increase awareness of public procurement as a profession.

More information including the electronic application and a list of all previous AEP recipients, visit the AEP Award page.

Exam Schedule

All UPPCC certification examinations are administered via computer at a Prometric testing center. Examinations will be delivered daily, Sunday through Saturday at a time and location selected by the candidate. Beginning with the 2025 exam year, Spring examinations will be administered on May 1st – 15th and Fall exams will be administered on October 17th – 31st each year. Please see the schedule below for the October 2024 and May 2025 exam deadlines.

  Fall Examinations Spring Examinations
Exam Application Window Opens May 27, 2024 Nov 8, 2024
Application Submission Deadline Aug 19, 2024 March 3, 2025
Application Submission Late Deadline Sep 2, 2024 March 18, 2025
Approved Candidates Schedule Exam By Sep 16, 2024 March 31, 2025
Exam Dates October 14-26, 2024 May 1-15, 2025