CERTIFICATION COURSES

Virginia Contracting Associate Certification Program

The VCA certification program is the first tier of the Virginia Institute of Procurement Career Path for public procurement professionals. This program starts with 7-10 hours of online coursework followed by a two consecutive day virtual classroom experience. The certification exam is on the morning of the 3rd day.

The program offers a comprehensive purchasing course for individuals whose jobs consist of 10% or more of purchasing-related activities. The program covers the full procurement cycle; ethics, resources, methods, evaluating, e-procurement, contract administration, compliance, surplus property, small purchasing card, as well as many other purchasing guidelines needed for purchasing up to $100,000.

Virginia Contracting Officer Certification Program

The VCO certification program is the second tier of the Virginia Institute of Procurement Career Path for public procurement professionals. This program starts with 16 hours of online coursework followed by a four consecutive day virtual classroom experience. The two-part certification exam is on the morning of the 5th day.

The program covers the intent of procurement law (VPPA) and the application of policies and procedures (APSPM) as they pertain to sealed competitive bids and competitive negotiation over $100,000. An active VCA certification is required to be eligible for the VCO. The expectation is that you know the laws, policies, and procedures for small purchases $0 - $100,000, sole source, and emergency methods of procurement. The VCO exam is comprehensive, meaning it is based on knowledge learned in both the VCA and VCO certification classes.

Virginia Contracting Master Certification Program

The VCM certification program is the final tier of the Virginia Institute of Procurement Career Path for public procurement professionals. This program focuses on strategic skills needed to advance procurement value and is designed to challenge procurement professionals to act as change agents for promoting procurement as a strategic partner in achieving agency goals. An active VCO certification is required to be eligible for the VCM. This unique program consists of one week of in-person classroom instruction, followed by three one-day virtual classroom sessions once a month, and concluding with one week of in-person instruction. There is no exam for this course; however, a capstone project must be presented on the final day of the final in-person classroom week.

Virginia Contract Administration and Risk Management Certification Program

The VCARM certification program is the Virginia Institute of Procurement Career Path for contract administrators. This program focuses on policy surrounding contract administration activities in the Commonwealth. The course lasts for six weeks; however, most of the work is done at your own pace. There are only four scheduled one-hour weekly meetings that meet virtually. Certification does require the completion of online coursework, the submission of a case-study project that is completed throughout the course as well as a final exam.