8.4.1. Certification Programs

SPD Closed State Purchasing Division has established the Georgia Procurement Certification Program, which identifies minimum skill sets and training requirements necessary to complete procurement tasks. SPD Closed State Purchasing Division State Purchasing Division offers three (3) specialized certifications as shown in Table 8.3 Certification:

Table 8.3 Certification
Title	Components of Certification	Audience
Georgia Certified Purchasing Associate (GCPA) or Basic Certification	Basic Certification	Employee who need basic understanding of State procurement tools, procedures, and policies and will be creating Request for Quotations solicitations.
Georgia Certified Purchasing Manager (GCPM)	GCPAGeorgia Certified Purchasing Associate	Employee must complete GCPAGeorgia Certified Purchasing Associate Basic Certification prior to being eligible to pursue GCPMGeorgia Certified Purchasing Manager status.
	RFPRequest for Proposals Certificate*	Employees responsible for writing and managing the RFPRequest for Proposals process.
	RFP Negotiation Certificate*	All employees are not required to take this course for GCPMGeorgia Certified Purchasing Manager Certification. APOAgency Procurement Officerss/CUPOCollege/University Procurement Officers alone will have the authority to conduct Negotiations on behalf of the State Entity and will be required to complete this course.
	Contract Management Certificate*	Employees responsible for writing and administering the contracts.
	Team Georgia Marketplace™ Certificate*	For Team Georgia Marketplace™ users only.
Georgia Certified Purchasing Card Administrator (GCPCA)	P-Card Certification	Employees whose responsibilities include coordinating and administrating the P-Card Program at their facilities.

*Indicates completing the study of a specialized procurement process.

Key deadlines for completing certain certifications/certificates are defined in Table 8.4 Other certifications and associated deadlines may be announced through official announcements:

Table 8.4 Training Deadlines
Description	Completion Deadlines
Georgia Certified Purchasing Associate (GCPA) or Basic Certification	For APOAgency Procurement Officerss/CUPOCollege/University Procurement Officers and other procurement professionals… Within nine months of hire for all new APOAgency Procurement Officerss/CUPOCollege/University Procurement Officers. Within twelve months of hire for all new procurement professionals. To request an exception, contact SPDState Purchasing Division via email at processimprovement@doas.ga.gov.
RFPRequest for Proposals Certificate	For APOAgency Procurement Officerss/CUPOCollege/University Procurement Officers… Within nine months of completing GCPAGeorgia Certified Purchasing Associate or Basic Certification. Notwithstanding the deadlines noted above, the RFPRequest for Proposals training classes included in the RFPRequest for Proposals Certificate must be completed prior to the posting of any RFPRequest for Proposals which identities the APOAgency Procurement Officers/CUPOCollege/University Procurement Officer as the RFPRequest for Proposals issuing officer. For all other procurement professionals… Within the deadline established by the APOAgency Procurement Officers/CUPOCollege/University Procurement Officer except that the RFPRequest for Proposals training classes included in the RFPRequest for Proposals Certificate must be completed prior to the posting of an RFPRequest for Proposals which identifies the procurement professional as the RFPRequest for Proposals issuing officer. To request an exception, contact SPDState Purchasing Division via email at processimprovement@doas.ga.gov.
Georgia Certified Purchasing Manager (GCPM)	For APOAgency Procurement Officerss/CUPOCollege/University Procurement Officers… Within six months of completing RFPRequest for Proposals Certificate Notwithstanding the deadlines noted above, the RFPRequest for Proposals training classes included in the RFPRequest for Proposals Certificate must be completed and Negotiations Certificate received prior to negotiation of any RFPRequest for Proposals which identifies the APOAgency Procurement Officers/CUPOCollege/University Procurement Officer as the Negotiating Party for the State Entity. For all other procurement professionals… Within the deadline established by the APOAgency Procurement Officers/CUPOCollege/University Procurement Officer except that the RFPRequest for Proposals training classes included in the RFPRequest for Proposals Certificate must be completed prior to the posting of an RFPRequest for Proposals which identifies the procurement professional as the RFPRequest for Proposals issuing officer. APOAgency Procurement Officerss/CUPOCollege/University Procurement Officers alone will have the authority to conduct Negotiations on behalf of the State Entity. To request an exception, contact SPDState Purchasing Division via email at processimprovement@doas.ga.gov.

SPD Closed State Purchasing Division will coordinate with the APO Closed Agency Procurement Officers/CUPO Closed College/University Procurement Officer to assess the training needs of state entity procurement personnel, and will make procurement training available to assist in the development of highly skilled state entity procurement staff. SPD Closed State Purchasing Division encourages each APO Closed Agency Procurement Officers/CUPO Closed College/University Procurement Officer to submit recommendations to SPD Closed State Purchasing Division on procurement training topics by submitting emails to training@doas.ga.gov.