Do I have to be a member of SAVE International® to be certified?
No, you need not be certified to be a member; nor need you be a member to become certified by SAVE. However, SAVE strongly encourages membership and confers financial incentives throughout the certification program that benefit members.
What is a “Module I” workshop?
The Module I workshop is the first of two courses approved by SAVE International® for certification training. Completion of the Module I course is required for all levels of SAVE International® certification.
The purpose of Module I training is to teach potential value study team leaders and team members the fundamentals of the value methodology: its background, theory, and application. The 40-hour workshop consists of 20 hours of lecture and 20 hours of project activity. The course ensures that all candidates for SAVE certification receive the crucial basic knowledge necessary for successful practice of value engineering.
There is no specific academic degree, work experience, or technical background required to participate in the Module I workshop. Instructors must be approved by SAVE International® to teach the Module I workshop.
The value methodology can be applied to improving quality, enhancing performance, improving schedule, increasing efficiency, reducing risk, safety, enhancing procurement, reducing cost and problem solving on a wide variety of projects, products, and processes. The Module I basic certification training workshop introduces certification candidates to the flexibility and effectiveness of the value methodology correctly applied via the job plan. To accomplish that, the Module I workshop content covers value engineering history, benefits of using the job plan, function analysis, FAST diagramming, various cost analysis techniques, creativity and innovation tools, presentation skills, etc.
The Module I workshop is typically the first step toward certification as a value practitioner. Participants of approved Module I workshops receive a certificate of completion and are eligible to take the examination for certification as an Associate Value Specialist.
How may I pay my certification maintenance fees or application fees?
You may either pay by check made payable and sent to:
SAVE International
136 South Keowee Street
Dayton, OH 45402 USA
Or
You may pay online via the online application form. If you are paying your certification maintenance fee, go to the Certification Maintenance Fee Payment Form, enter your certification number, and follow the instructions. If you are applying for certification or recertification, you may pay the application fee online when you submit your application. You may also pay via wire transfer. Please contact SAVE International® at info@value-eng.org for details.
I am currently enrolled in Graduate School. What would the AVS exam fee be?
The non-student fee schedule would apply to you. The $20.00 student fee is only for those enrolled in a SAVE approved VM course which is credited as a MOD I.
I paid my certification maintenance fee, so why can’t I find my member information?
Certification and membership are distinct and separate. SAVE International® assesses an annual maintenance fee against all AVS certifications. This fee must be paid in full to maintain your certification in good standing. Membership confers a steep discount on the certification maintenance fee rate. People who are certified as VMP or CVS but who are not members of SAVE or one of its affiliate member organizations must also remit an annual certification maintenance fee to maintain their certifications in good standing.
I took a MOD I two months ago, but was unable to take the AVS exam. I would like to take the exam. Is the price still the same? How do I go about taking it?
The fee for the exam if taken with the MOD I is either $0 if you are a member in good standing with SAVE, $240 if you are not. If you take the exam at another time, the fee is $60 for SAVE members and $300 for non-member.
To take the exam after a MOD I, you will need to select a proctor, and request that person to request to the Administrator, permission to be your proctor. Once that has been approved, the exam is mailed to the proctor who gives you the exam and then who returns it to the Administrator.
Does my membership dues include certification maintenance?
If you are an Associate Value Specialist (AVS), then your membership dues does not cover certification maintenance. Your certification maintenance fee is an additional charge shown on your membership renewal invoice.
I am planning on attending the upcoming annual conference and would like to take the CVS exam while I am there. If I bring my application with me, may I take the exam?
You must submit your application including your paper and documentation to the board for their review and receive their approval of the application prior to sitting for the exam. This process takes approximately three (3) months. Therefore, you would not be able to sit for the exam if you have not been previously approved.
I completed the Module I workshop, now how do I take the certification exam?
Oftentimes, the exam for AVS certification is administered at the end of the Module I workshop by the workshop instructor. If you wish to take the exam at some date following completion of the Module I workshop, then you must engage an approved proctor to administer the test to you. An approved proctor must be a CVS in good standing or a faculty member of an accredited college or university. The proctor must request the exam(s) from SAVE International® in writing or via email so that his or her status as a CVS in good standing or faculty member can be verified.
What is a VM Program Manager?
The certification board offers two “tracks” for certification as a CVS.
The first “track” is the traditional method and is designed for persons who facilitate and / or lead VM studies or participate as a team member in VM studies. A minimum of twelve studies is required for certification and or recertification.
The second “track” was established by the board to enable VM professionals who are not teaching, nor participating in studies, to achieve CVS status by recognizing their professional role as either a corporate or governmental VM program manager. A VM program manager’s duties include the management and or direction of an in-house VM program. The Program Manager is not only responsible for the success of a study, but is also responsible for the overall success of a VM Program. A minimum of four (4) years as a VM program manager is required for qualifying as a CVS. An exception to the four year requirement would be for a person who changes jobs during the four year period and shows partial time as a practitioner and partial time as a program manager. This track is not intended for consultants or those who manage a consulting practice but rather for “users” of VM to achieve their organizational objectives.
Either track leads the person to their “CVS”.
I have agreed to proctor an AVS exam; what do I need to do?
First, SAVE thanks you for serving as a certification program proctor. As a proctor, you must place your request for as many exams as you have candidates taking the exam. SAVE will verify that you are either a CVS in good standing or a faculty member of an accredited college or university.
Upon verification, SAVE will mail you the requested number of exams enclosed with electronic answer cards in sealed envelopes. Attached to the exam(s) and equal number of return envelopes will be a letter of instruction that will explain the examination process in accordance with SAVE International® policy. Be sure to read the instruction letter as soon as you receive the exam package. Upon completing the examination session, the proctor returns all used and unused exams to SAVE.
SAVE strongly recommends that exam requests be placed not less than two weeks prior to the test date.
What is the lead time required for exam requests?
SAVE International® requests that proctors order exams not less than two weeks prior to the scheduled test date to allow for timely delivery. Exams, with instructions, are mailed to proctors only. SAVE does not email or fax exams. Exams may not be copied, scanned, or otherwise photographed or reproduced. Completed and unused exams must be returned to SAVE not more than two weeks following the test date.
I am preparing my application for recertification of my workshop. Why do I have to submit my workbook? You should have it on file?
The board requires that all certifications and re-certifications include two copies of the proposed workbook. This is both for your benefit and “ours” to help ensure that the workshops being taught are presenting at least the minimum required information.
To date, a significant percentage of all workbooks submitted have not met the minimum requirements. Also, you may now submit everything electronically which greatly expedites the review and approval process. Should you wish to submit hard copies, you may request to have them returned to you by providing a return mailer.
(It is important to note that the Board Members and the Administrator have all taken an oath of privacy to protect your materials.)
I let my certification expire; how do I reactivate it?
If you were certified as an Associate Value Specialist, then you must pay all delinquent and current fees to reinstate your AVS certification to good standing. If you have not maintained an active membership during the time that your certification lapsed, then you must pay the non-member certification maintenance fee rate.
If you were certified as Value Methodology Practitioner or Certified Value Specialist and have allowed your certification to expire either due to failure to pay past annual certification maintenance fees and/or failure to recertify, then you should refer to the Certification and Recertification Manual for guidance. In short, however, if your VMP or CVS certification is more than 12 months past due for fee payment or recertification, then you will be obligated to begin the certification process anew.
I am a CVS and no longer practicing VE. How do I go about changing my status to Retired?
Simply write or email the Administrator who will note your file and you will no longer have to pay the maintenance fees. Should you decide to go back to work, email the Administrator to that effect at which time your maintenance fees will commence again.
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