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Do I need to be a member of DBIA to apply for certification? |
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No. All are welcome to apply. However, DBIA members receive a member rate for all DBIA courses, conferences and renewal. |
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What is the difference between the Assoc. DBIA and the Professional DBIA Certification? |
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Experience is a key factor for the Professional DBIA™ (Designated Design-Build Professional™). This credential recognizes professionals in the industry who possess a quantified level of expertise in design-build project delivery. These professionals have both education and experience in the design-build industry.
The Associate DBIA™ is the entry-level certification, a way for individuals who may not meet the experience requirement of the Professional DBIA™ but possess the knowledge and understanding expected of a design-build professional. Once additional experience has been gained in design-build project delivery, the Assoc. DBIA is eigible to apply for the professional certification (DBIA™). |
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Should I submit my application before or after I take the required courses? |
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It is recommended that candidates submit their application as soon as possible for Board approval. This will also allow the DBIA Director of Certification to assist the candidate with the process. However, candidates do not have to submit their application before beginning required courses. |
PLEASE NOTE: CANDIDATE MUST HAVE A CERTIFICATION APPLICATION SUBMITTED AND APPROVED BY THE BOARD BEFORE SITTING FOR THE CERTIFICATION EXAM.
(Details on DBIA courses - required and elective) |
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Do I have to take the required courses in order? |
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It is recommended that candidates take Fundamentals of Project Delivery before the Principles of Design-Build Project Delivery course. However, we recognize that is not always possible. Some candidates have taken the two courses in reverse and still found both educational, since the Fundamentals course covers a range of project delivery systems while Principles focuses on the concept of design-build project delivery.
Given the technical content, we highly recommend the Design-Build Contract and Risk Management course be the last of the required courses you take. |
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What is the Design-Build Exam Prep Course? |
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This instructor-led, one-day refresher course is specifically designed to help prepare you for the DBIA™ certification examination. Course content includes an overview of the concepts learned in DBIA’s three core/required courses, with emphasis on the eight domains areas covered in the examination. |
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Does the Design-Build Exam Prep Course count as elective credits? If so, how many? |
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The Exam Prep Course is a one-day refresher count and will count as six (6) elective contact hours. |
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What is on the exam? How long is it? |
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The exam has 100 multiple choice questions and covers eight domains: Project Delivery; General Attributes of Design-Build; Project Team Organization; Procurement; Estimating/Specifying; Contracts and Legal; Project Management; Ethics/Professionalism. Candidates have a maximum of two (2) hours to take the exam. |
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Can you take the exam before you have completed the 18 hours of elective credit? |
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Yes. Candidates are eligible to take the exam if candidate’s application has been approved and (s)/he has attended all three core courses (Fundamentals, Principles and Contracts). If the candidate passes the certification exam, (s)/he are still REQUIRED to meet the 18 elective contact hour requirements before receiving certification. |
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How long do I have to earn the 18 elective credits? |
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There is no time limit for obtaining elective credit. However, DBIA recommends that candidates obtain credit by taking advantage of continuing education opportunities and complete the hours as soon as possible. |
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When will I get my exam results? |
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Candidates are notified in writing, by U.S. mail, 15 days after the exam administration. Results will not be given by phone or email. Results will be PASS/FAIL, rather than a numerical score. All candidates must have an approved application on file before sitting for the exam. If the application is not complete, candidates have 60 days to submit missing information. After 60 days, the exam results become invalid and they will have to complete the application and retake the exam to earn their certification. |
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If I have attended DBIA annual or specialty conferences in the past, do those hours still count towards the certification? |
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Elective credit will be accepted for conferences held from 2002 on. DBIA maintains records of conference and course attendees. Please allow at least three weeks for us to search our historical records for this information. |
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If I instructed a DBIA course, will I be able to apply credit towards the certification? |
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One (1) hour of continuing professional education credit will be awarded for each hour completed as an instructor or discussion leader to the extent that the particular activity contributes to the professional competence of the individual as determined by the Certification Board. In addition to certification credit hours for presentation time, instructors, discussion leaders and speakers may receive certification credit hours for actual preparation time, on the basis of two hours for each hour of teaching, unless he/she can demonstrate that the subject matter involved was sufficiently complex to require additional study or research. For example, a one-hour presentation prepared from scratch by an instructor would be worth three (3) hours of credit.
Candidates may not claim certification credit hours for repeat presentations, unless it can be demonstrated that the content of the presentation was substantially changed and that the changes required significant additional study or research. For educators, no hours will be given to college instructors for the delivery of their "for credit" classes and/or preparation of these classes or preparation of these classes.
You are allowed a maximum of 12 contact hours for instructor/discussion leader credit. |
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Where else can I get elective credit? |
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DBIA annual conferences, specialty conferencesand DBIA Regional programs. From time to time the Certification Board approves related courses from other industry associations, such as USGBC and AIA. Individuals should feel free to submit other similar programs for Board approval. (When submitting a request for credit from an organization other than DBIA, you'll need to include information about the program. This can be a copy of the agenda, speaker bios, the program agenda, etc. - information to demonstrate the program's applicability to design-build project delivery.)
You are allowed a maximum of 12 contact hours for instructor/discussion leader credit for courses from other industry associations. |
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What's my status in regard to certification? How many CEUs have I earned? |
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At every stage of the process, we send you a checklist showing where you are and how many CEUs you've earned. Please refer to the checklist we sent you - when you earn additional CEUs or there's any change, we will inform you. |
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How do I maintain my credential? |
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In order to maintain your certification status, you must accrue 24 hours of approved continuing education every two years. As for the initial requirements, you can use credits from DBIA conferences or courses or, alternatively, serving as an instructor or speaker, serving in a DBIA leadership capacity or through programs from other organizations. And, as above, you can use a maximum of 12 hours from each of the alternative options for credit. We have detailed guidelines for renewal for more information. |