In order to obtain ICEC accreditation for Project Management programs, the applicant organization must demonstrate that their programs fully meet the standards adopted by the International Project Management Association (IPMA). Click here for information about the IPMA program and here for information about the IPMA’s requirements for each level of their program.

Click here to see the ICEC criteria for accreditation of certification and CPD programs.

Click here to go to Supplemental guidelines for ICEC recognition of speciality Certification and Continuing Professional Development Programs.

ICEC Member associations desiring accreditation of certification and continuing professional development programs may apply on-line.

Member association should address any questions to the ICEC Secretariat.

The following programs currently hold ICEC accreditation:

Quantity Surveying

• Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors Quantity Surveying CPD Program – Accreditation expires 1 July 2025;
• Association of South African Quantity Surveyors Quantity Surveying CPD Program – Accreditation expires 1 July 2025;
• New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors Quantity Surveying CPD Program – Accreditation expires 1 July 2025.
• Philippine Institute of Certified Quantity Surveyors APC Certification Program – Accreditation expires 1 July 2025;
• Royal Institution of Surveyors, Malaysia Quantity Surveying CPD Program – Accreditation expires 1 July 2025; and
• Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers CPD Program – Accreditation expires 1 January 2025.

Cost Engineering / Cost Consulting – Professional Level

• IBEC Certificador Professional Certification Program (Brazil) – Accreditation expires 1 July 2025; details about the program can be found at https://ibeccertificador.org.br/
• Association of Cost Engineers (United Kingdom) ACostE Tiered Accreditation Programme – Accreditation expires 1 July 2025; (details about the program can be found at www.acoste.org.uk)
• Association of Cost Engineers (United Kingdom) Certified Cost Engineer (CCE) Programme – Accreditation expires 1 July 2025; (details about the program can be found at www.acoste.org.uk)
• Associazione Italiana d’Ingegneria Economica (AICE – Italy) Total Cost Management Certificate Level A – Accreditation expires 1 January 2024.
• Dutch Association of Cost Engineers Certified Cost Engineer (CCE) Diploma Program – Accreditation expires 1 January 2022;
• Sociedad Mexicana de Ingenieria Economica, Financiera y de Costos (Mexico) Ingeniero en Costos (ICC) Program – Accreditation expired 1 September 2007.

Cost Engineering / Cost Consulting – Graduate Level

• Associazione Italiana d’Ingegneria Economica (AICE – Italy) Total Cost Management Level B – Accreditation expires 1 January 2024;
• Associazione Italiana d’Ingegneria Economica (AICE – Italy) Total Cost Management Level C – Accreditation expires 1 January 2024;

Project Management – Certified Projects Director (IPMA Level A)

• Slovenian Project Management Association (Slovensko Združenje za Projektni Managementa) – Accreditation expires 1 July 2025.

Project Management – Certified Senior Project Manager (IPMA Level B)

• Czech Association of Project Management (Spolecnost pro projektové rízení) (Czech Republic) – Accreditation expired 1 August 2009.
• Slovenian Project Management Association (Slovensko Združenje za Projektni Managementa) – Accreditation expires 1 July 2020.

Project Management – Certified Project Manager (IPMA Level C)

• Czech Association of Project Management (Spolecnost pro projektové rízení) (Czech Republic) – Accreditation expired August 2009.
• Slovenian Project Management Association (Slovensko Združenje za Projektni Managementa) – Accreditation expires July 2020.

Project Management – Certified Project Management Associate (IPMA Level D)

• Czech Association of Project Management (Spolecnost pro projektové rízení) (Czech Republic) – Accreditation expired 1 August 2009.
• Slovenian Project Management Association(Slovensko Združenje za Projektni Managementa) – Accreditation expires 1 July 2020.

Guidelines for the accreditation of Cost Engineering, Project Management, Quantity Surveying and related Continuing Professional Development and speciality certification Programs

Click here to download the Guidelines as a PDF file Preamble:

In order to be accredited by the International Cost Engineering Council (ICEC), a certification or continuing professional development program must be consistent with the objectives prescribed by ICEC. To that end, certification and continuing professional development programs will be considered against the following guidelines.

General Guidelines

1. Purposes of Continuing Professional Development and Specialty Certification Programs

• To raise the professional standards and improve the practice of cost engineering, quantity surveying, and project management by giving special recognition by their peers to those who, in fulfilling prescribed standards of performance and conduct, have demonstrated and maintained a high level of competence and ethical practices;
• To identify for employers, clients, and the public, persons with broad knowledge of and capability to professionally apply, the principles of cost engineering, quantity surveying, and project management;
• To establish a continuing program whose goal is the improvement of individual cost engineering, quantity surveying, and project management skills and professional development; and
• To clarify the body of knowledge and standards of conduct for the practice of cost engineering, quantity surveying, and project management.

2. Areas of Certification Specialization

Applicants will be certified in the specialties of Cost Engineering, Cost Estimating, Cost Control, Planning and Scheduling, Project Management, Construction Cost Management, and Quantity Surveying, as well as other related areas.

3. Administration

• The Board of Directors of the Association granting the certification is responsible for establishing the rules governing academic achievement, job experience, and character reference requirements for those applying for certification;
• Responsibility for planning, directing, and administering the program rests with a certification body appointed by the Association Board of Directors;
• The certification body prepares, or causes to be prepared, the examinations, sample questions, study guide and required instructional texts;
• An examination administrator will administer each examination, and examination proctors will conduct the examination; and
• The certification body shall not determine who shall engage in or practice in a given specialty area, but rather shall certify those who apply for certification and are deemed qualified and capable of being recognized as certified individuals.

4. Structure of Certifying Body

• Be non-governmental;
• Conduct certification activities which are national or international in scope;
• Be administratively independent in matters pertaining to certification. However, appointment of members of the certifying body may be by the sponsoring organization;
• Have a certifying body which consists of a majority of certified individuals; and
• Have formal procedures for the selection of members of the certifying body which shall prohibit the certifying body from selecting more than one-third of its members.

5. Resources of Certifying Body

• Have the financial resources to properly conduct the certification activities; amd
• Possess the knowledge and skill necessary to conduct the certification program.

6. Certification Program Operation

• Have a mechanism to evaluate individual competence that is objective, fair, and based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to function in the specialty area;
• Provide the public, consumers, and sponsoring organizations with an opportunity for input into the policies and decisions of the certifying body;
• Have formal evaluation mechanisms that insure relevance of the knowledge, skills, and abilities used to define the specialty area;
• Assure that any examinations used are designed to test the body of knowledge relevant to the specialty area;
• Utilize appropriate measures to protect the security of all examinations;
• Utilize pass/fail levels that are generally accepted in the psychometric community as being fair and reasonable; and
• Utilize evaluation mechanisms that attempt to establish both reliability and validity for each form of an examination.

7. Public Disclosure of Certification

• Publish a document which clearly defines the certification responsibilities of the certifying body and outlines any other activities of the certifying body which are not related to certification;
• Make available general descriptions of the procedures used in test construction and validation, test administration, and reporting of text results;
• Publish a comprehensive summary or outline of the information, knowledge, or functions covered by any examination which may be required; and
• Publish at least annually a summary of certification activities, including number of applicants, number certified and number recertified.

8. Responsibilities to Applicants

• Shall not discriminate among applicants as to age, sex, race, religion, national origin, disability, or marital status;
• Provide all applicants with copies of formalized procedures for application for, and attainment of, certification;
• Have a formal policy for the periodic review of applications and testing procedures to insure that they are fair and equitable;
• Have competently proctored testing sites that are readily accessible at least once annually;
• Have prompt reporting of test results to applicants;
• Make available to applicants failing an examination information on general areas of deficiency;
• Maintain confidentiality of each applicant’s examination results; and
• Have a formal published policy on appeal procedures.

9. Responsibilities to the Public and Consumers

• Strive to insure that any examination adequately measures the knowledge, skill, and abilities required for practice in the specialty area;
• Award certification only after the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the individual have been evaluated and determined to be acceptable;
• Maintain a publicly accessible roster of those persons certified by the certifying body;
• Have formal due process policies and procedures for discipline of certificants, including revocation of the certificate; and
• Insure that any title or credential awarded by the credentialing body accurately reflects the specialty area.

10. Recertification

Have a process that has as its goal maintenance and enhancement of professional qualifications.

11. Titles

The use of any title granted by an accredited organization in recognition of meeting their continuing professional development or certification program is limited to those individuals who have met the requirements of the accredited program. The additional title of ICECA, International Cost Engineering Council Accredited, may be used in conjunction with the title or postnominals granted by the certifying association.

With respect to programs granting a the title of Certified Cost Engineer or any similar title including the word “engineer” or any variation thereof, it should be made clear that the title does not convey any legal right to practice engineering, which may be controlled by state, provincial, or national laws or regulations.

12. National Norms and Standards

Be in full compliance with all applicable national norms and standards adopted by the country from which the certification program is administered (eg, European Standard EN45013, British Standard 7513).

Supplemental guidelines of Speciality Certification and Continuing Professional Development Programs

Click here to download the Guidelines as a PDF file. To achieve ICEC recognition, certification and continuing professional development programs will be measured against the following guidelines:

1. The certifying body must have developed a detailed document specifying the “body of knowledge” or “minimum level of skills and knowledge” required by a practitioner in the specialty area. Evidence must be presented that the body of knowledge document has been developed and subjected to critique by practicing professionals in the field. The document must be reviewed and updated as necessary to maintain currency with the state-of-the- art no less frequently than once every five years.

2. Candidates for certification must meet one of the following two sets of requirements:

• Hold an accredited baccalaureate (four-year) engineering or related degree (or equivalent training and experience) and possess a minimum of two years of practical experience in responsible charge of work in the specialty area; or
• Be a corporate member of a nationally accredited institution in the field of cost engineering or construction cost management and have at least three years experience in that field following corporate membership in the accredited institution.

3. Certification shall be granted upon successful completion of a comprehensive examination covering the topics enumerated in the “body of knowledge” or “minimum level of skills and knowledge” document(s) for the specialty.

Note: For a period not to exceed twelve months after the date of recognition of the program, newly recognized certification or continuing professional development programs may grant certification to individuals on the basis of eminence or extensive education and/or experience without examination (ie, by grandfathering). After that time, no individual shall be certified other than by examination.

4. Because certification is to recognize continuing professional qualifications in current technology, the period of certification shall not exceed five years without recertification. It is further recommended that the period of certification be limited to three years if feasible in the opinion of the cognizant certifying body.

5. Recertification may be achieved either by examination or by presenting satisfactory evidence of some combination of continuing professional experience, continuing professional development, and professional society activity in the specialty area. In the latter case, while continuing professional experience should receive primary weighting in granting recertification, the requirements must include an average of at least twenty hours of continuing professional development in the specialty area per year. Continuing professional development activities may include formal courses, technical meeting attendance, and related activities. Professional society volunteer activity, related professional community volunteer service, authoring of technical papers, and similar activities may be considered by the certifying body in lieu of a portion of the continuing professional development or professional experience requirements. All activities for which recertification credit is granted must have been conducted during the immediately preceding period of certification. No credit may be granted for activities occurring at any prior time.

6. Certification may not be granted for a period exceeding five years.* If recertification requirements are not met on or before the expiration date of current certification, recertification may be achieved by examination. When extenuating circumstances prevent an individual from recertifying within the prescribed time interval, the certifying body may grant a limited extension. The certifying body, however, may grant the title of “emeritus” or “retired” to fully retired persons who were currently certified at the time of retirement and who no longer engage in professional practice in the specialty area. Retirees who subsequently re-enter the profession as consultants or through re-employment must renew their certification in the manner specified in Item 5 above.

* Certification programs which are based upon the attainment of an academic degree in cost engineering or which are equivalent to the United Kingdom Chartered Engineer status need not abide by this five-year limitation provided that, in order to obtain ICEC recognition, certificants produce evidence no less often than every three years that they have met the requirements of paragraph 5 above in a manner acceptable to ICEC.