The American Purchasing Society
About APS
The American Purchasing Society, Inc. is an organization of buyers, purchasing managers, executives, and others interested in the purchasing profession. We were founded in 1969 and have members from every state and 28 countries worldwide.
APS objective is to provide professional procurement training and improve the business purchasing function through education and our certification program. APS is the first organization to establish a certification program for professional buyers and purchasing managers and APS Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP) program is unique because it not only measures the competence of the applicants through a written examination but also evaluates their career growth. The American Purchasing Society’s professional procurement training objectives are achieved through training programs and our own educational publications of interest to business and the purchasing community.
Who is Eligible?
CPP, CPPM candidacy is open to all persons in purchasing, materials management, or in an executive position who are members of the American Purchasing Society or who work for a company that holds a valid membership in the Society. All members who qualify are encouraged to apply for procurement professional certification although certification is not necessary to maintain membership.
CPP, CPPM candidacy is also open to nonmembers who are in purchasing, materials management or in an executive position; however, these individuals will not receive any price discounts offered only to members in good standing with the Society
NOTE
All CPP applicants are required to take and complete the “Preparation for Certified Purchasing Professional Exam” 3 week online course, which includes the CPP examination. Please visit the Courses and Seminars page for more information on the prep course.
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Courses
Benefits of Certification
These purchasing certification programs are important to people in purchasing and supply chain management for a number of valid reasons.
Business management recognizes the growing complexity and heavy demands of the purchasing and supply chain operation. Executives need the assurance that their purchasing and supply chain managers and buyers are adequately trained, reliable, and dedicated to their professions.
There is a growing realization in the business world that only professionals can get the job done in a professional manner. The American Purchasing Society award of certification provides general management with a high degree of confidence in the ability and integrity of the people who have been or will be selected to do the job.
Also, there is ample precedent reflecting the benefits of professional certification in the history of other areas of business operation, such as engineering, accounting, law, computer engineering, etc.
Other facts supporting the need for certified supply chain managers and certified purchasing professionals include a marked degree of improvement in personal confidence, satisfaction, and pride, which results from certification – and it is manifested by improved performance on the part of the certified individual. Also, purchasing management certification permits closer control of spurious purchasing and supply chain practices and offers opportunities for increased earning levels in purchasing and supply chain operations based on recognition of professional competence and performance. A nationwide survey conducted by the Society indicated that those who earned the CPP from APS earned an average of 23.4% more than other purchasing and supply chain professionals.
The area of distribution, logistics and warehousing is a quickly blossoming type of business in the U.S. and other places.