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PECB CERTIFICATION MAINTENANCE POLICY

The aim of this policy is to ensure that all PECB Certified Professionals maintain an adequate level of knowledge and competence in their respective fields and engage in relevant Continual Professional Development (CPD) activities for further improvement of their knowledge.

PECB Certified Professionals who successfully comply with this Certification Maintenance Policy will be able to continually demonstrate competence, as well as expand knowledge.

The CPD requirements are set and overseen by the PECB Scheme Committee.

01Overview

PECB Certificates are valid for three years. In order to maintain a certificate, PECB Professionals are required to demonstrate that they are performing certification-related activities on an annual basis. In addition to that, PECB Professionals are required to pay an Annual Maintenance Fee (AMF).

Note: Annual Certification Maintenance Requirements can be found in Appendix 1 and 2 of this policy, respectively.

02Certification requirements

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2.1 Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Continuing Professional Development is a portfolio structure for demonstrating, documenting, and tracking the skills, knowledge, and experience acquired by professionals beyond their initial certification date.

CPD’s are important for updating professional experience, acknowledging achievements, and demonstrating professional activities conducted.

Activities that count for PECB audit credentials include audit or assessment experience related tasks, such as: » Planning audits » Conducting audit interviews » Managing an audit program » Drafting audit reports » Drafting nonconformity reports » Drafting audit working documents » Reviewing documentation » Conducting on-site audits » Performing nonconformity follow-up actions » Leading audit teams

Other activities related to the certification include: trainings, seminars, conferences, publications, presentations, coaching, private studies, articles, magazines, books, etc.

Activities that count for PECB project/implementation/management credentials include implementation or consulting-related experience, such as:

» Drafting an implementation business case » Managing an implementation project » Implementing controls » Implementing metrics » Implementing corrective or preventive actions » Performing a management review » Performing a risk assessment

Other activities related to the certification include: trainings, seminars, conferences, publications, presentations, coaching, private studies, articles, magazines, books, etc.

Activities that count for PECB Master Certification holders include a combination of audit and implementation activities.

In order to support members earn their CPD credits, PECB continually organizes webinar sessions containing CPD credits, opportunities for writing articles, and chances for participating in trainings and events.

2.2 Annual Maintenance Fees (AMF)

Annual Maintenance Fees are required to maintain a PECB Certificate and enable PECB to improve its services and schemes. Your payment helps PECB to be a functional organization which meets certification needs for its’ valuable members.

Note: CPDs and AMFs are not required for Foundation, Provisional, and Transition Credentials.

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03Reporting CPD and AMF3.1 Reporting of CPDs

PECB Certified Professionals will need to provide PECB with the required hours of auditing and/or implementation-related tasks they have performed.

CPD’s can be submitted at any time. To do so, you need to login into your dashboard here (www.pecb.com/login), click on My Certifications>CPD Info>Submit CPD.

3.2 Payment of AMF

A PECB Certificate requires the payment of the maintenance fee. The annual reporting begins with the initial certification date; however, the maintenance fee for the first year is included in the certification application payment.

Example:

» Issuance date: 2018-01-15; valid until: 2021-01-15 » First AMF: 2018-01-15 until 2019-01-15 – no payment of AMF required » Second AMF: 2019-01-15 until 2020-01-15 – payment of AMF required » Third AMF: 2020-01-15 until 2021-01-15 – payment of AMF required

The annual maintenance fee can be paid online through your dashboard, by logging here (www.pecb.com/login), clicking My Certifications and then the Submit AMF button.

For the last year of the certification cycle, the button to pay AMF will be changed from Submit AMF to Renew.

PECB continuously notifies each PECB Professional to maintain their certificate(s). The notifications are sent several times throughout the certification cycle. The first one is sent three months before the annual certificate issuance date, which based on the example above would be 2018-10-15. In this case, the payment of AMF would be due by 2019-04-15 (three months after the annual certificate issuance date).

Note: Failure to submit the AMF payment within the given deadline will result in the downgrade of your credential.

3.3 Annual notification

PECB Certified Professionals that report CPD hours and submit the full AMF payments on time will receive a confirmation from PECB, which will include the hours required to qualify for the three year certification cycle.

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04RenewalTo be able to renew a certificate, PECB Professionals will need to demonstrate that they have maintained their certificate(s) on an annual basis. However, they are not required to fulfill the requirements every year, but they need to have performed the required amount of CPD hours within the three years certification cycle (see Appendix 1).

For example, a PECB Professional that holds a Lead Certificate has performed 20 hours of certification-related activities in year 1; 10 hours in year 2, and 60 hours in year 3. Although during the first and second year the person did not perform sufficient certification-related activities, their triennial total is equal to the minimal triennial requirements. In this case, they fulfill the requirements to get recertified.

If after three years the recertification requirements are met, your certificate will be renewed.

The PECB Certificate(s) can be renewed online through the PECB Member Dashboard, by logging into your member dashboard (www.pecb.com/login), clicking My Certifications and then the Renewal button.

Note: PECB Certified Professionals who hold certificates that require maintenance and fail to provide evidence of certification maintenance requirements will have their credentials downgraded. Meanwhile, holders of Master Certificates will have their certificates revoked.

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A PECB Certificate can be downgraded to a lower credential due to the following reasons:

» AMF has not been paid. » CPD hours have not been submitted. » Insufficient CPD hours have been submitted. » Evidence on CPD hours has not been

submitted upon request. » The PECB Code of Ethics has been violated.

05Downgrade

PECB Professionals can apply for a higher credential once they can provide evidence that proves that they fulfill the requirements of the higher credential.

The PECB Certificates can be upgraded online through your dashboard, by logging here (www.pecb.com/login), clicking My Certifications and then the Upgrade button.

The application fee for an upgrade is $100.

06Upgrade

PECB can temporarily suspend the certification if the candidate fails to satisfy the requirements of PECB. Additional reasons for suspending certification include:

07Suspension

PECB can revoke (also referred to as “withdraw”) the certification if the candidate fails to satisfy the requirements of PECB. In such cases, the candidates are no longer allowed to represent themselves as PECB Certified Professionals. Additional reasons for revoking certification can be if the candidates:

» Violate the PECB’s Code of Ethics » Misrepresent and provide false information of

the scope of certificate » Break any other PECB requirements and rules

Individuals whose certificate has been revoked, are refrained to use of all references to a certified status.

08Revocation

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» PECB receives excessive or serious complaints by interested parties (suspension will be applied until the investigation has been completed.)

» PECB or Accreditation body (ies) logos are willfully misused.

» The candidate fails to correct the misuse of a certification mark within the determined time by PECB.

» The certified individual has voluntarily requested a suspension.

» PECB deems appropriate other conditions for suspension of certification.

Individuals whose certificate has been suspended, are refrained from further promotion of the certification while it is suspended.

Besides being active, suspended, or revoked, a certification can be voluntary withdrawn, or designated as Emeritus. More information about these statuses and the permanent cessation status, and how to apply, please visit Certification Status Options.

09Others statuses

The reported CPD hours must be supported by respective documentation confirming the CPD activities performed. Such documentation can be: Certificate of Completion, Attendance Record, Confirmation Letter, etc., and those should be kept in possession for one year after the completion of the previous certification cycle.

11Recordkeeping

PECB may select a random sample of PECB Certified Professional to audit and validate the CDP hours reported. If required, PECB Professionals must provide PECB written evidence of the reported activities.

All PECB Professionals are required to adhere to the PECB Code of Ethics. Failure to do so can result in investigations and/or disciplinary measures. The PECB Code of Ethics can be reviewed here: https://pecb.com/en/pecb-code-of-ethics.

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Audits of CPDs

PECB Code of Ethics

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Appendix 1 ꟷ Certification Maintenance Requirements

Certification

Annual requirements Total (hours)

Experience and educationExperience

and education

Foundation, Provisional, and

Transition0 None None

Implementer 20Hours of work experience, implementation or consulting-related

experience, training, private study, coaching, attendance at seminars and conferences, or other relevant activities.

60 hours

Auditor, Assessor 20

Hours of work experience, audit or assessment experience related tasks, training, private study, coaching, attendance at seminars and

conferences, or other relevant activities.60 hours

Manager 20Hours of work experience related to the certification field, training,

private study, coaching, attendance at seminars and conferences, or other relevant activities.

60 hours

EBIOS, MEHARI 20Hours of work experience related to the certification field, training,

private study, coaching, attendance at seminars and conferences, or other relevant activities.

60 hours

Lead Implementer 30

Hours of work experience, implementation or consulting-related experience, training, private study, coaching, attendance at seminars

and conferences, or other relevant activities.90 hours

Senior Lead Implementer 60

Hours of work experience, implementation or consulting related experience, training, private study, coaching, attendance at seminars

and conferences or other relevant activities.180 hours

Lead Auditor, Lead Assessor 30

Hours of auditing or assessment-related tasks, training, private study, coaching, attendance at seminars and conferences, or other relevant

activities.90 hours

Senior Lead Auditor 60

Hours of auditing or assessment-related tasks, training, private study, coaching, attendance at seminars and conferences, or other relevant

activities.180 hours

Lead Manager 30Hours of work experience related to the certification field, training,

private study, coaching, attendance at seminars and conferences, or other relevant activities.

90 hours

Senior Lead Manager 60

Hours of work experience related to the certification field, training, private study, coaching, attendance at seminars and conferences, or

other relevant activities.180 hours

CLFE 30Hours of field forensics or assessment-related tasks, training, private study, coaching, attendance at seminars and conferences, or other

relevant activities.90 hours

CLPI 30Hours of work experience, implementation or consulting related

experience, training, private study, coaching, attendance at seminars and conferences, or other relevant activities.

90 hours

CDPO 30Hours of work experience related to the certification field, training,

private study, coaching, attendance at seminars and conferences, or other relevant activities.

90 hours

CLSIP 30Hours of work experience related to the certification field, training,

private study, coaching, attendance at seminars and conferences, or other relevant activities.

90 hours

Master 90Hours of implementation, management or auditing-related tasks,

training, private study, coaching, attendance at seminars and conferences, or other relevant activities.

270 hours

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Appendix 2 – AMF Requirements

Certification AMF (rate per year)

Foundation, Provisional, and Transition None

All other certifications $100

Master $200

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