The Certification Commission determined that the primary audiences for the NIGP-CPP are leaders in procurement.
The Commission adopted the following principles to guide the program development:
- The NIGP-CPP must be perceived as valuable by public procurement professionals, their supervisors, and their employing organizations (e.g., district superintendents, finance officers, etc.). Employers should be able to use the NIGP-CPP as a benchmark for finding qualified employees.
- The NIGP-CPP must value competency over years of experience.
- The NIGP-CPP must serve a significant portion of NIGP members and the public procurement community.
- The NIGP-CPP must be flexible and adaptable to remain current and relevant. It must also be rigorous and meaningful.
- The NIGP-CPP must be comprehensive to include enabling competencies (i.e., soft skills) - not just technical competencies.
- The NIGP-CPP must advance the NIGP mission and strategic priorities.
- The NIGP-CPP must follow credentialing best practices and be legally defensible.
A Job Task Analysis was undertaken to build the NIGP-CPP certification from eligibility to policies to exam content to all decisions with regard to the NIGP-CPP.
An updated Job Task Analysis was completed
Professional certification programs update all Job Tasks Analysis surveys every four to five years. For the NIGP-CPP certification, the Updated Job Task Analysis was completed in late 2024, resulting in policy and eligibility changes, updates to the technical competencies assessed by the NIGP-CPP exams, and the development of new Exam Modules C and D to assess the new technical competencies, skills, behaviors, and abilities required of a procurement leader in today’s world.