purchasing

Certification

Certification Guidelines

In order to receive certification, you must be an eligible applicant. An eligible applicant is as follows:

• A current Texas state or local government employee;
• At the sole discretion of the director, a student currently enrolled in an accredited Texas university or community college; or who has graduated within the last three years from an accredited Texas university or community college; or
• A contractor retained by a state agency to perform specific functions, as detailed below:
  • Contractors retained to perform purchasing functions must complete the Basic Texas Purchaser course.
  • Contractors retained to perform contract development functions must complete the Certified Texas Contract Developer (CTCD) course and obtain CTCD certification.

After you have taken the exam, the Training and Policy Development team will receive your official exam scores from the Testing & Evaluation Services. Once we receive the exam scores, your certification will be processed within 30 business days. There is no fee associated with receiving your certification. However, there are processing fees for renewing certifications.

Note: Certifications will not be processed if the applicant has unpaid class invoices.

Certification Exam

After completion of the course, an eligible applicant will have three (3) months to take the exam. If there are extenuating circumstances, an eligible applicant may document those circumstances and submit a request for extension to the program. An extension must be requested no later than the end of the three-month period. The extension provided is at the sole discretion of the Director of the Statewide Procurement Division and may not exceed twelve (12) months.

Please complete the Testing Registration Form (PDF) and forward to the Testing & Evaluation Services contact information on the application. When your request for an examination is processed, you will receive an email from the Testing & Evaluation Services. You have 60 days to take the test. Examinees must present photo identification at the time of testing. Be sure to allow at least two hours for testing. Please visit the Testing & Evaluation Services website for physical address, hours, Saturday testing times and holiday closures.

Alternate Testing Site (Outside Austin)

If you want to take the certification exam at a testing center other than Testing & Evaluation Services, you must locate an accredited university or community college in your area and ask if they can supervise the exam. If the location agrees to do so, please complete the applicable information on the form and send the completed form to Testing & Evaluation Services. Once the location is approved to have the exam proctored at that location, the Testing & Evaluation Services will then mail them a copy of the exam. Please allow adequate time for the exam to be forwarded to the requesting testing center. In addition, alternate testing sites outside of Austin may have additional exam fees.

Extension of Time

A one-time extension of 60 days is available from UT Testing and Evaluation Services for a fee of $50. The extension must be requested during the original 60 day enrollment period. To extend the deadline for your exam, please fill out the Reprocessing Form (PDF) and forward to the Testing &; Evaluation Services.

Receiving Exam Results

If testing at the Testing & Evaluation Services, students may use online grading to acquire an immediate test grade. This option may not be offered at facilities outside of Austin. Please allow 10-12 business days to receive your exam results via mail from the Testing & Evaluation Services.

Failed Exam

To receive certification, you must receive at least an 80% passing score on the exam. You may repeat the test twice after the first failure, for a total of three (3) chances to pass the exam with an 80% or higher. If you do not pass after three (3) attempts, you must re-take the course.

The full fee for the test will be charged each time you have to re-test. The full fee for the course will be charged each time you re-take the course.

Training and Policy Development Assistance

Please contact the Statewide Procurement Division, Training and Certification Program at (512) 463-5355 or email ctp@cpa.texas.gov. If you have any policy or legislative questions, please email spd.policy@cpa.texas.gov.