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Society of Cost Estimating and Analysis 17
Donald S. Remer, Ph.D., P.E., Karen M. Ahle, Kevin J. Alley,
John F. Silny, and Karen Hsin
T
here has been an increasing trend in professional and engineer-
ing circles to place greater emphasis on official credentials.
These credentials commonly come in the form of certificates – doc-
umented recognition by a professional body that an engineer or
other professional has the qualifications and technical knowledge to be
a practitioner in that field. These certificates are somewhat analogous to
merit badges in scouting – the certification is evidence that the holder has a certain
minimum level of competence in the subject area. This review will help you decide what certifica-
tions are applicable to you and the requirements to obtain a certification.
Cost Estimating Certifications Offered in the U.S.
(1) Certified Professional Estimator (CPE) — The Certified Professional Estimator (CPE) certificate is
offered by the American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE). The CPE certificate is targeted
specifically at construction estimators, and requires a rigorous course of study. Construction estimates
for the state of California must be prepared by, or under the direct supervision of, a Certified Profes-
sional Estimator. To be eligible to take the CPE certification test, the applicant must have at least five
years experience in one discipline of professional estimating (mechanical, electrical, landscaping, etc.)
The certification process consists of an educational workshop, writing a 2500 word acceptable techni-
cal paper on estimating, and completing two examinations. The educational workshop can be taken
either at the ASPE Chapters during November and early December, or online. The first exam, a Gen-
eral Knowledge Exam, is designed to test project management and business knowledge. It is a four-
hour exam with over 500 multiple choice and true/false questions on construction topics. A passing
grade is 70%. The second exam is a Discipline Specific Test, which tests a specific area of expertise.
The ASPE is currently offering exams in: General Estimating, Earthwork, Concrete, Roofing, Drywall
Systems, Painting, Plumbing, HVAC Piping, HVAC Sheet Metal, and Electrical. These are eight-
hour exams and consist of true/false, multiple choice, and estimating problems. The exams are given
throughout the country in March, July, and November. (ASPE, 2006)
(2) Certified Cost Estimator/Analyst (CCE/A) — The Certified Cost Estimator/Analyst (CCE/A) cer-
tificate is offered by the Society of Cost Estimating and Analysis (SCEA). The Certified Cost Estima-
tor/Analyst certificate is much more general than the Certified Professional Estimator certificate. The
body of knowledge required includes estimating in all fields of engineering, not just construction. To
be eligible to take the CCE/A exam, the applicant must fit in one of three categories: having (1) a col-
lege degree (in cost estimating/analysis or with more than 10 courses in cost estimating and analysis)
and two years experience in cost estimating/analysis in a position specifically identified as requir-
ing such; (2) an associate’s degree and five years experience as described above; or (3) seven years
of experience as described above with submission of a biographical sketch demonstrating education,
experience and relevant performance. The exam focuses on various methods of analyzing the cost of
a project such as cost-benefit analysis and present worth analysis, as well as estimating models such
as parametric estimating and comparison estimating. The exam is four hours long and consists of two
parts. The first part is 80 to 100 multiple choice and true/false questions focusing mostly on terminolo-
gy and concepts. The second part consists of 50 multiple choice questions focusing on calculations and
problem solving. A passing score is 70% or more correct. The exam is given twice a year in the spring
and fall at the SCEA National Education Conference & Workshop. (SCEA, 2006)
Certifications
Offered by Cost Estimating
Organizations
18 National Estimator — Fall 2006
(3) Certified Parametric Practitioner (CPP) — The Certified Parametric Practitioner
certification is a new certificate offered by the International Society of Parametric Ana-
lysts (ISPA). This certificate provides professional recognition of a practitioner’s educa-
tion, job experience, knowledge, and skills. The first certification test was offered at the
May 2002 ISPA Annual Conference in San Diego. To be eligible to take the written ex-
amination, the applicant must either have a college degree in a field of study directly
related to parametric analysis (or at least ten courses related to estimating) and two
years experience performing parametric analysis; an associate college degree and five
years of experience in parametric analysis; or seven years of experience in paramet-
ric analysis with the submission of a brief biographical sketch demonstrating the
applicant’s ability or knowledge to pass the examination. The three-hour exam con-
sists of 100 multiple-choice, fill in the blanks, and true/false questions. A passing grade
is 75%. The exam is given once annually at the ISPA Conference. (ISPA, 2006)
4) Certified Cost Engineer/Consultant (CCE/CCC) — The Certified Cost Engi-
neer/Consultant certification is offered by the Association for the Advancement
of Cost Engineering, International (AACEI). The AACEI was formerly known as
the American Association of Cost Engineering (AACE). There are 793 CCE/CCC
certified professionals, making this the largest cost estimating certification in
our study. This certification is intended to provide official and public recognition
of expertise in the most current skills and knowledge of the cost estimating profession. To be eli-
gible to take the CCE/CCC certification test, the applicant must have at least eight full years in the cost
engineering profession (up to four can be substituted for by an engineering degree or a PE license.) To
become a Certified Cost Engineer or Consultant, the applicant must pass a 7-hour test, as well as writ-
ing a 2,500 word minimum technical paper. The exam consists of 100 multiple-choice and compound
questions. A passing grade is 70%. The exam is given twice a year in the summer and winter in various
locations around the U.S.
The CCE certification is limited to those with a 4-year degree from an accredited engineering pro-
gram. Additionally, in some states CCE certified people who are not licensed Professional Engineers
(PEs) are not allowed to advertise themselves as having any engineering title (including that of Certified
Cost Engineer). This is the purpose of the CCC certificate – to indicate that the holder has met all other
requirements for being a Certified Cost Engineer, but either does not have a 4-year accredited engineer-
ing degree or is not permitted to use the CCE designation due to not being a licensed Professional Engi-
neer (AACEI, 2006).
In Table 1, we summarize the general information about each certification. The CCE/A certificate, offered
by SCEA, has been available since 1990. There are 432 people with this certificate. (Ceshire, 2006) AACEI
Table 1. General information about the certificates.
Certification
Organization
Offering
Certification
Members in
Organization
People with
Certification
Certifications
Issued
(2004)
Certifications
Issued
(2005)
First Year
Certification
Offered
Online
Registration
Certified
Professional
Estimator (CPE)
American Society
of Professional Es
-
timators (ASPE)
2200
587
48
37
1976
No
Certified Cost
Estimator /
Analyst
(CCE / A)
Society of Cost
Estimating and
Analysis (SCEA)
1222
432
21
42
1990
No
Certified
Parametric
Practitioner (CPP)
International Soci
-
ety of Parametric
Analysts (ISPA)
280
21
4
NA
2002
No
Certified Cost
Engineer /
Consultant
(CCE / CCC)
Association for
the Advancement
of Cost Engineer
-
ing International
(AACEI, formerly
American
Association of
Cost Engineers)
5032
570 / 342
34 / 67
161 / 46
1976
https://www.aacei.
org/certification/
certapplication.
shtml
Society of Cost Estimating and Analysis 19
Table 2. Contact information for organizations with headquarters inside the United States.
Certification
Organization
Offering
Certification URL Phone Fax Address Email Address
Certified
Professional
Estimator
(CPE)
American Society
of Professional
Estimators (ASPE)
www.aspenational.org +615-316-9200 +615-316-9800
ASPE
2525 Perimeter Place Dr.
Suite #103
Nashville, TN 37214
certification@
aspenational.org
Certified Cost
Estimator /
Analyst
(CCE / A)
Society of Cost
Estimating and
Analysis (SCEA)
www.sceaonline.org +703-751-8069 +703-461-7328
SCEA
101 South Whiting St.
Suite 201
Alexandria, VA 22304
Certified
Parametric
Practitioner
(CPP)
International
Society of
Parametric
Analysts (ISPA)
www.ispa-cost.org +858-592-5382 +858-592-5420
ISPA CPP Program
Fred Tucker
P.O. Box 9699
Canoga Park, CA 91309
douglas.druley@
baesystems.com
Certified Cost
Engineer /
Consultant
(CCE / CCC)
Association for
the Advancement
of Cost
Engineering
International
(AACEI, formerly
American
Association of
Cost Engineers)
www.aacei.org +800-858-2678 +304-291-5728
AACE International
209 Prairie Ave.
Suite 100
Morgantown, WV
26501
Table 3. Contact information for organizations with headquarters outside the United States.
Certification
Organization
Offering
Certification
URL
Phone Fax
Address
Email
Address
Certified Cost
Engineer (CCE)
Dutch Association
of Cost Engineers
www.napdace.nl
31 33 247 3460
31 33 246 0470
PO Box 1058
3860 BB Nijkerk
The Netherlands
Certified Cost
Engineer (CCE)
Association of
Cost Engineers
(United
Kingdom)
www.acoste.org.uk
+44 (0)1270 764798
+44 (0)1270
766180
Lea House
5 Middlewich Rd.
Sandbach
Cheshire
CW11 1XL
United Kingdom
enquiries@acoste.
org.uk
Practicante
in Ingegneria
Economica (PIE)
Associazione
Italiana
d’Ingegneria
Economica (Italy)
www.aice-it.org
39 02 58304164
39 02 58300106
Via Luigi
Castiglioni
120123 Milano
ITALY
Ingeniero en
Costos (ICC)
Sociedad Mexicana
de Ingenieria
Economica,
Financiera y de
Costos (Mexico)
www.smiefc.com.mx
52 56 39 54 25
52 56 39 11 45
Anaxagoras No.
17-101, P.B.
Col Narvarte
Deleg. Benito
Juarez
Codigo Postal
03020
Mexico DF
MEXICO
smiefc@prodigy.net.mx
and ASPE have been offering certifications since 1976, much longer than the other organizations. However,
these certifications still have relatively small membership, with 912 CCE/CCC certificate holders (Williard,
2006) and 587 CPE certificate holders (Parrish, 2006). The newest certification, Certified Parametric Practitioner
(CPP), is offered by ISPA, with the first certification test held in 2002, and currently has only 21 certificate hold-
ers. (Brown, 2005)
Continued on page 21.
