On Dec. 14, three years after starting the Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) program, Procurement Specialist Michele Winterfeldt was informed that she had earned the Universal Public Procurement Certification.
Commonly understood to be the gold standard for public procurement officers, the certification program included classes on legal aspects, contract administration, and CPPB prep, from The Institute for Public Procurement as well as classes, webinars, and conference sessions through professional procurement organizations like National Association of Educational Procurement and California Association of Public Procurement Officials. The process concluded with a final exam.
“The classes and material gave me the framework and a holistic perspective on public procurement, which experience alone did not provide,” Winterfeldt said. “It was immediately relevant to my everyday work and filled in some of my knowledge gaps. I am a better procurement specialist today because of pursuing the CPPB certification. I am thankful for those who encouraged and supported me in pursuit of this certification. My hard work and investment paid off and it feels great to have achieved this goal.”