The Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC) Agency Certification Award program recognizes professional commitment to excellence in public procurement.

This is an annual award and interested agencies must apply each year for consideration. To achieve recognition for a given year, the agency must submit a completed application which meets the minimum requirements during the calendar year.

Applications must be received by UPPCC no later than December 31 to be considered.  There is a $50 application fee.

Application Process
Agencies can apply at any time during a given calendar year for recognition. Applications must be completed using the online form.

Agency Certification Award
Recognition for Agency Certification is in the form of a plaque bearing the agency’s name and the calendar year in which the recognition was earned. A list of Agency Certification Awardees is maintained on the UPPCC website.

Sterling Agency Awards
An agency must submit an application and receive Agency Certification Award recognition from the UPPCC for three consecutive years to be eligible for the Sterling Agency Award. On the third consecutive year that the agency is recognized, UPPCC will automatically issue the Sterling Agency Award. There is no additional application to compete for this award. The UPPCC issues the Sterling Agency Award to individual agencies based on historical records of previous applications and awards.

Sterling Awards are issued at three-year intervals if the agency maintains Agency Certification Award recognition consistently, year after year.

Agency Eligibility
You are eligible for the Award if at least 75% of qualifying staff¹ filling qualifying procurement positions² is UPPCC certified.

1. Qualifying staff refers to that individual’s ability to meet only the formal education and years of experience requirements for CPPO/CPPB certification at the time the Agency Certification Award application is submitted.

2. Qualifying procurement positions refer to only those positions within the procurement department of an agency that meet the UPPCC definition of Qualifying Procurement Experience as outlined in the UPPCC Certification Guide.

Completing an Application
Include all full-time positions which are assigned to the procurement department and provide the names of the individuals currently employed in each position. An organizational chart must be submitted with the application. For each departmental position where the staff member is not currently certified as a Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) or Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB), position descriptions must be submitted.

The Human Resources Leader is considered to be the “Verifying Contact” on the application who confirms the accuracy and completeness of the procurement department positions and credentials.

(NOTE: If you have over 25 full-time procurement positions, please contact [email protected] for special instructions on completing the application.)

Once submitted and reviewed, UPPCC administration will make the final determination as to whether the agency is eligible for the award.  Additional correspondence with the agency may occur in order to make this final determination.