The Professional Certification Program uses a process of competency assessment that is consistent and fair as well as measured against world best practice standards.
Foundation™-Level (Knowledge of Best Practice)
This level is aiming to measure whether a candidate would be able to act as an informed member of a proposal / bid team within a proposal environment using appropriate methods to support process. To this end they need to show they understand the principles and procedures and terminology of accepted methods of work.
APMP-Foundation-Level Certification is the starting point for professional growth and is best for proposal professionals with one year of experience.
Your one-year minimum experience working in a bid and proposals related environment will be verified with a reference you choose.
It is a one-hour multiple choice, pass-fail, open book exam with 75 questions. Candidates must answer 42 test questions correctly to pass. The examination tests 35 topics in five key competence areas. All questions are in English.
Participants can take the exam as part of a Certification Preparation Course (offered by an Approved Training Organisation), or they can directly take the online Foundation Level exam on their own. We recommend preparing thoroughly, especially for non-native English speakers. These training sessions teach the specific terminology as well as appropriate answering techniques.
Source: CSK/APMP
Practitioner™-Level (Experience and Application of Best Practice)
This level is aiming to measure whether a candidate would be able to apply process and procedures to running and managing a proposal / bid within a proposal / bid environment that supports process and procedures. To this end they need to exhibit the competencies required for the Proposal Practitioner qualification, and show that they can apply and tune principles, process and procedures to address the needs and problems of a customer response.
Practitioners not only have shown extensive knowledge of best practices, but also have demonstrated against global standards that they can both apply them individually and lead teams in their use. The APMP Practitioner-Level is open to all APMP members who have achieved Foundation-Level
Candidates need to provide a reference who can verify their experience.
Professional™-Level (Advocacy)
APMP Professional-Level Certification clearly demonstrates business and personal achievement through their leadership, creativity and communications ability. Professionals qualify by making a significant business development related impact on their organisations or on a chosen business development community. In addition they must practice excellent communications skills in impact presentation and answering behavioral questions.
The APMP Professional-Level is open to all APMP members who have achieved Practitioner-Level.
Candidates need to have at least seven years experience in a bid and proposal environment. They need to provide a reference that will be asked to rate them on nine behavioral and attitude based competencies in the areas of managing and motivating others to carry out required actions.
Candidates for Professional level certification prepare a Proposal Professional Impact Paper. The PPIP documents a significant impact that they have made in the bid/proposal or business development profession. They must demonstrate that they have made a real contribution to the success of either their own organisation, one of their clients or to the profession as a whole as a direct result of application of their business development skills. The document, APMP Professional Certification Panel Interview Standards and Guidelines, available for download below, is the reference for preparing for the Professional level presentation and questions.
After completing the PPIP, candidates will participate in a 45-minute panel interview (telephone or face-to-face) where they present and answer questions about their PPIP.