The Carolinas Association of Governmental Purchasing offers a voluntary certification program (CLGPO) for government purchasing officers. Its purposes are to:
- Provide a greater service to taxpayers through more efficient purchasing.
- Recognize achievement of an established level of competency and proficiency among purchasing officials.
- Provide continuing professional development of purchasing officials and enhance their professional image.
Application Form
Applications for certification, re-certification or lifetime certification may be downloaded from this page or obtained from the chair of the CAGP Certification Committee, or the School of Government.
Applications must be submitted to:
CAGP Certification Committee
c/o Eileen Youens
School of Government, CB #3330
UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3330.
Requirements for Certification
- Membership in Carolinas Association of Governmental Purchasing (CAGP).
- Experience as a buyer for a minimum of three years within the eight-year period before the date of application
for certification. A statement from the applicant’s employer(s) affirming that the applicant performed the duties
of a buyer, regardless of job title, and verifying the dates of employment as a buyer, must accompany the application.
For purposes of this requirement, duties of a buyer consist of performing technical work in the procurement
of a variety of supplies, materials, apparatus, equipment, and services. Examples of work involved in the
duties of a buyer include: preparing specifications; analyzing purchase order requests; conferring with requisitioning
personnel regarding specifications, quantity, and quality of merchandise; conducting (or assisting with)
bid openings; soliciting price quotations; evaluating bids and quotations and making recommendations for
award; interviewing sales representatives; examining invoices; maintaining and updating files and information
on sources of supply for various commodities including catalogues and price lists; coordinating (or assisting
with) public auctions; preparing and receiving bids for sale of surplus property.
Required Core Courses
(core courses DO NOT COUNT toward the required 22 certification points)
- Basic Principles of Local Government Purchasing
- Intermediate Purchasing Seminar
- Contracting for Construction and Design Services
- One (1) CAGP Spring or Summer Conference
- Management Training Course (6 hours of instruction; course to be selected by applicant)
Each of the core courses is offered one time per year at the School of Government, The University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. A candidate may take the certification exam after completing all of the core courses. A candidate
may submit an application to take the certification exam before completing all of the core courses as long as
the applicant has successfully completed all of the core courses before actually taking the exam.
The Basic Purchasing core course requirement may be waived for applicants who have sufficient experience and
qualify to enroll in Intermediate Purchasing without taking the Basic Purchasing course.
Twenty two (22) Certification Points
In addition to the core course requirements, the applicant must have earned at least 22 certification points in order
to become certified. One point will be awarded for each seven hours of professional education instruction. Points
will also be awarded for formal degrees and service to the association, as set forth below.
Formal Education
Four certification points will be awarded for a Bachelors degree. For community college, college, or university
courses, up to 5 certification points will be awarded for purchasing-related courses which are not a part of a bachelors
degree program for which points are credited above. Applicants must submit a copy of the official institutional
transcript with the application. These points will be granted at the discretion of the Certification Board depending
upon the degree of relevance to purchasing, and will not necessarily be awarded on a one course, one point basis.
Professional Education
Up to 21 points may be awarded for professional education courses. Courses sponsored by established professional
purchasing organizations (such as CAGP, ISM, NPI, NASPO, NIGP), or by a public institution or public agency
(local, state or federal) dealing with a purchasing-related subject will automatically be accepted.
No more than 3 of the 21 professional education points will be awarded for courses deemed by the Certification
Committee to be indirectly relevant to public purchasing. Examples include courses in customer service, management
training, supervisory skills training, money and banking, business communication, computer training, and risk management.
Points awarded in this category will be at the discretion of the Certification Board and will not necessarily
be awarded on a one course, one point basis. A maximum of 3 points will be awarded for completion of the
Municipal and County Administration courses sponsored by the School of Government.
Service
Points for service to the association will be awarded as follows: One point for CAGP board membership; 1 point
for chairing a standing committee; 1 point per course for being an instructor for any core course.
No more than 2 points per year will be awarded for service, and no more than 6 points total for service will count
toward the required 22 points for certification.
Examination
Applicants for certification must successfully complete an examination administered by the School of Government.
The examination consists of three parts: North Carolina purchasing law (including the Uniform Commercial Code);
case problems involving application of proper purchasing law and practice; and questions regarding present and
future issues facing the purchasing profession. Three hours are allowed for completion of the examination. The
examination is given at the CAGP Spring Conference, one time per year on the day before the first day of the Local
Government Purchasing School, which is usually held in early March.
An applicant must complete all of the core courses in order to take the exam, but is not required to have accumulated
all 22 certification points before taking the exam. Applications to take the exam must be submitted no later
than December 1 preceding the examination. An application to take the examination will be accepted even if all of
the core courses have not been completed, as long as the remaining required core courses will be completed before the
applicant actually takes the examination.
A candidate who fails one or more parts of the examination may retake those parts no sooner than 90 days after
the initial examination. If the candidate does not pass the part or parts on the second try, he or she must retake a
core course that covers the subjects contained in the part or parts failed. After completing the appropriate core
course, the candidate can retake the failed part or parts of the examination.
Re-certification
Certification must be renewed every five years. To be recertified, the candidate must earn a minimum of ten points
during each five-year period. Points for recertification are earned in the same manner as for initial certification.
Lifetime Certification
Individuals who have obtained certification under the CLGPO program are eligible for lifetime certification in
either of the following situations:
- Aged fifty-five with fifteen or more years of experience in public purchasing; or
- Twenty or more years of experience in public purchasing, regardless of age.
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