ACC-RI employees perform well on NCMA certification test

By Ms. Liz Adrian (AMC)September 5, 2012

ACC-RI employees perform well on NCMA test
Eighty-three percent of ACC-RI employees passed the National Contract Management Association's Certified Federal Contract Management exam, including the QCNCMA CFCM Study Group Facilitators (left to right): Michelle (Shelley) Breitbach, Gerry Haan, L... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Rock Island Arsenal, Ill. - The Quad City Chapter of the National Contract Management Association announced that 83 percent of the Army Contracting Command-Rock Island employees who completed a 12-week training program and took the Certified Federal Contracts Management certification exam passed the test and are now Certified Federal Contract Managers.

The CFCM certification validates contracting professionals' education, training and experience in the Federal Acquisition Regulation, said Gerry Haan, president of the Quad City NCMA Chapter.

"We're very happy that we had that high of a passing percentage on our first time doing the CFCM certification," said Haan.

The CFCM certification test was held June 28, but preparation for the test began a few months prior. The Quad City Chapter held regular study groups for approximately three months in order to familiarize themselves with the first 52 chapters of the FAR.

"We studied five chapters of the FAR per week, read at home or outside of the group, and everyone brought a couple of questions on each FAR part," said Haan. "Then we would quiz each other for the rest of the hour. We did that for 10 weeks and after those 10 weeks, we had two weeks where we reviewed and took the test."

Haan said the study group taught him a lot about the areas of the FAR that he was unfamiliar with, and said he believed that the study group did contribute to the Quad City Chapter's high passing rate.

"From personal experience, I can say that it did help me pass the test," said Haan. "We took a practice test the first week of the study group and I didn't pass."

The ACC-RI employees who passed the CFCM test are also better prepared to take the test for the Certified Professional Contracts Management certificate, should they choose to take it, said Haan.

"The CPCM certificate is NCMA's senior credential type certificate that basically shows you have knowledge of the FAR and commercial contracting as well," said Haan.

The chapter hopes to hold another CFCM study group next fiscal year. Haan said in order to take the test, one must have an undergraduate degree, 80 hours of Continuous Learning Points, and at least one year in the contract management field. Membership in the NCMA is not required, but the test costs more for non-members.

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Army Contracting Command-Rock Island