ASHRAE reports that revised requirements for its certification program will provide earners with recognition by United States government agencies for contracts requiring commissioning services.

Due to take effect Sept. 15, 2016, ASHRAE’s commissioning certification program will validate competency against the Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines scheme requirements for the Building Commissioning Professional set forth by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Commercial Workforce Credentialing Council (CWCC). The goal is to achieve U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognition by the summer of 2017 of services provided by these certificants. The ASHRAE certification will be known as the Building Commissioning Professional (BCxP).

Current ASHRAE certified Commissioning Process Management Professionals (CPMPS) will be able to renew against these new scheme requirements beginning in 2017. Those who do so will earn the ASHRAE BCxP certification designation valid for three years.

“This update will not only help ensure the continued validity and relevance of ASHRAE’s commissioning certification but also add value,” said ASHRAE President David Underwood, who holds an ASHRAE commissioning certification. “DOE recognition of ASHRAE’s commissioning certificate will help ensure quality services are provided by these professionals as well as increase consumer confidence in the service provided and ultimately ensure the quality and performance of buildings.”

ASHRAE had a role in developing the guidelines through its participation on the board of advisors for the NIBS’ CWCC. The CWCC works to establish voluntary national guidelines to improve the quality and consistency of commercial building workforce credentials.

The purpose of the Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines is to reduce the confusion and uncertainty around workforce credentialing, lower costs, and support better credentials, better workers, and better buildings. The guidelines set an industry-validated Job Task Analysis (JTA) for each of four, key energy-related jobs, building energy auditor, building commissioning professional, building operations professional and energy manager, as certification schemes and learning objectives for training programs.