Inside

Candidate Handbook

Date of Publication: January 2014

 Contents

Introduction and Value Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Program Description and Eligibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Certificate Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Test Format and Scoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Resources Allowed during Test Taking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

What to Expect after Taking the Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Participant Privacy Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

InsideNGO Certificate in USAID Assistance Management | Candidate Handbook, January 2014

 Introduction and Value Statement

For more than 35 years, InsideNGO has been a recognized leader and provider
of training and education in the field of USAID Assistance (e.g., grants and cooperative
agreements). As a trusted resource to more than 300 NGO member organizations around the
world, InsideNGO is pleased to offer a professional development program and credential
targeted to this critically important field.

The InsideNGO Certificate in USAID Assistance Management

This Certificate represents InsideNGO’s commitment to educating and supporting
well-rounded professionals who are equipped with the knowledge and skill to successfully
navigate the complicated environment of USAID Assistance funding and skillfully apply
that knowledge in the workplace.

Successful Certificate Program participants, once enrolled, complete an appropriate

learning pathway and after earning a passing score on the comprehensive, integrated
assessment, become Certificate holders. Each learning pathway consists of one or more
foundational training programs delivered by InsideNGO. Instructor-led training programs
are supported through refresher and update webinars, online resources, and a collaborative
online discussion group hosted by InsideNGO that connects program participants and
facilitates peer-to-peer exchanges on timely and recurring USAID compliance,
procurement, and financial management topics.

During the program, participants will develop more effective and efficient ways to
approach USAID Assistance management, implementation, and administration.
Attaining the Certificate demonstrates commitment to an expert-validated standard of
excellence. Certificate holders are recognized as problem solvers applying best practices and
making sound decisions that will ultimately drive better results for their programs and
their organizations.

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 Program Description and Eligibility

Enrollment Completion of Assessment

Learning Pathway

• Standard Pathway
• Experience-based Pathway

Enrollment
To begin the program as a Certificate Candidate, interested individuals must complete the
Certificate enrollment process found at www.InsideNGO.org/Certificate and pay the Certificate
Program fee (see page 9).

The fee includes access to practice tests, additional content and preparatory materials, and one exam
registration. It does not include any course fees or additional exam attempts.

Completion of Learning Pathway

To become eligible to take the integrated assessment and earn a Certificate, all participants must
complete one of the two pathways described below.

Standard Pathway
Following formal enrollment in the program, the Standard Pathway requires completion of
coursework offered by InsideNGO in three core areas:

• USAID Rules and Regulations: Grants and Cooperative Agreements*

• Procurement Planning and Execution: USAID Grants and Cooperative Agreements
• Financial Management for US Government Funding
The USAID Rules and Regulations course is a prerequisite for participation in the other two
courses, but the remaining two courses can be completed in any order.

Experience-based Pathway
Practitioners with at least eight years of experience managing USAID Assistance awards may pursue
an alternative pathway to become eligible to take the integrated assessment. The applicant must first
provide documentation of significant experience and responsibility in USAID Assistance
management by completing the application for Experience-based qualification. Participants accepted
into the Experience-based Pathway are still required to complete InsideNGO’s USAID Rules and
Regulations* course in order to reinforce and refresh compliance-related knowledge and skills.

* Completion of InsideNGO’s USAID Rules and Regulations workshop within two years of registration counts toward
completion within the Certificate Program. InsideNGO strongly recommends participation in the Rules and Regulations
workshop every two years.

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 Program Description and Eligibility

Candidates pursuing the Experience-based Pathway are encouraged to consider enrolling in some or
all of the offered training courses to enhance their skills and knowledge prior to sitting for the exam.

Additional Support Available

Certificate Candidates have exclusive access to an online Candidate Portal with additional resources
to deepen knowledge within the Certificate domains and help Candidates prepare for the Certificate
Assessment. These resources include:

• Easy, one-stop access to current USAID and US government regulations related to the
Certificate domains
• Practice test questions
• Online discussion group for Candidate questions and peer-to-peer support
• Lifetime access to resources and updates after successful completion of the Certificate
requirements

Assessment
Candidates who complete one of the two pathways described above earn eligibility** to sit for the
integrated assessment and demonstrate their knowledge and expertise in the three primary domains
of the Certificate. Certificate Candidates have three years from their program enrollment date to
complete coursework and pass the exam to earn the Certificate. (NOTE: The terms “assessment,”
“exam,” and “test” are used interchangeably throughout this handbook.)

**Eligibility qualifications include completion of pathway and full payment of registration and all workshop fees.

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 Certificate Assessment

Test Overview
After successfully completing the requirements for either the Standard or Experience-based Pathway,
Candidates will receive notification from InsideNGO confirming that they are eligible to register for
the exam during a future testing window and explaining how to schedule the exam appointment.

The assessment will be offered during specific testing windows throughout the year that will be
listed on the InsideNGO Certificate program website (www.InsideNGO.org/Certificate).
Candidates must meet all required qualifications to be eligible to participate in the exam and must
follow the procedure described in this Candidate Handbook to ensure that they are able to sit for
the exam during their desired testing window.

Exams are conducted by InsideNGO’s partners, Questionmark and ProctorU. When a Candidate is
ready to take the exam, he or she will create an account within ProctorU’s testing system to schedule
and take the exam online. The exam is given online using an Internet connection to ProctorU’s
virtual testing center, requiring specific minimum technical requirements for each Candidate’s
computer and Internet connection. Candidates may take the exam at their convenience from
anywhere in the world that can support these minimum technical requirements.

The assessment includes approximately 90 multiple choice questions on the three primary domains
of the Certificate. Although most test takers will complete the assessment in two hours, participants
will have up to four hours total to complete the test. (NOTE: See Appendix for additional information
about the three Certificate domains.)

Periodically, InsideNGO may schedule testing at a designated testing administration center.

InsideNGO will inform all eligible Candidates when such a session is scheduled and available for
registration.

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 Certificate Assessment

Testing Registration
Candidates should visit www.InsideNGO.org/Certificate for upcoming testing windows.

After a Candidate has received email notification from InsideNGO that s/he has completed the
eligibility requirements to take the exam, the Candidate should determine during which future
testing window s/he would like to take the exam. Using the instructions in the eligibility
confirmation email from InsideNGO, the Candidate must schedule an exam appointment with
InsideNGO’s online testing partners, Questionmark and ProctorU.

Exam appointments must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance.

Testing Process and Access

After scheduling an exam appointment with ProctorU, Candidates will receive an email
confirmation and instructions for accessing the exam on the day and time of their appointment.
This email also includes a link to a website to confirm that the computer and Internet connection
meet the minimum technical requirements for the online exam.

NOTE: It is very important to confirm that the computer set-up meets these minimum requirements prior
to the exam, and Candidates will be required to pay a re-testing fee for any exam appointments that are
interrupted and unrecoverable due to technical difficulties.

At the date and time of the exam appointment, Candidates should click on the link in the
appointment confirmation email to go to the Remote Proctoring Center of ProctorU to connect
with the exam specialist who will serve as the Proctor throughout the testing period. The Proctor
will connect with the Candidate using both audio and video capabilities on the computer to be used
for the exam. The Proctor will walk the Candidate through a series of steps to confirm identity and
ensure that the testing area is secure and free from materials that could invalidate the exam.

Following the Proctor security confirmation, the Candidate will be logged into the exam and will
have four hours to complete the approximately 90 multiple choice questions. If at any point the
Internet connection is interrupted, ProctorU will make every attempt to reconnect the Candidate to
the virtual testing center and continue the exam without any deductions from the time limit.
If reconnection is impossible, Candidates will be contacted by email with information about
rescheduling the exam appointment.

Once a Candidate has completed and submitted the exam, the Proctor will confirm successful
submission and disconnect the Candidate from the virtual testing center.

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 Test Format and Scoring

Assessment questions evaluate mastery of knowledge related to the three domains of the Certificate
Body of Knowledge (see Appendix for overview):

• USAID Rules and Regulations: Grants and Cooperative Agreements

• Procurement Planning and Execution: USAID Grants and Cooperative Agreements

• Financial Management for US Government Funding

Format of Questions
All questions are multiple choice consisting of a question and four possible responses. Test takers
should select the one response that most accurately answers the question or statement provided in
accordance with USAID regulations and best practices. Remember: correct answers will correspond to
the USAID regulations and best practices contained in the Certificate Body of Knowledge training courses
and not the specific policies or practices in place at the Candidate’s organization. (Enrolled Candidates
can access practice test questions at www.InsideNGO.org/Certificate.)

Scoring Method
All correct answers are awarded one point, no points are awarded for skipped or incorrect answers,
and there is no penalty for selecting an incorrect answer (i.e., additional points are not deducted for
an incorrect response).

Assessments are scored electronically upon online submission of the test. Assessments or responses
may not be revised after the test is submitted.

Candidates must obtain a passing score within each domain in order to pass the full exam.

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 Resources Allowed during Test Taking

Permitted Resources
In order to mirror the realities of applying USAID regulations in the work setting, Candidates are
allowed and encouraged to consult the pertinent regulations that are described in the Body of
Knowledge. Candidates taking the exam through Questionmark’s virtual testing center will be
provided access to electronic copies of the pertinent regulations through the testing portal which
may be used at any time during the testing session. Candidates participating in a live testing
session are allowed to bring hard-copy versions of the regulations that were provided during their
coursework and are encouraged to consult www.InsideNGO.org/Certificate for current versions
of the applicable regulations. Additionally, Candidates are permitted to use their InsideNGO
course manuals and materials during the exam.

Prohibited Items
No resources outside of the electronic (online testing only) or hard-copy (live testing only) resources
listed above will be allowed in the testing environment. Such prohibited items include, but are not
limited to:

• Cameras, cell phones, optical readers, or other electronic devices that include the ability to
photograph, photocopy, or otherwise copy test materials
• iPods, MP3 players, headphones, or pagers
• Calculators, computers, PDAs, or other electronic devices with one or more memories

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 What to Expect after Taking the Test

Feedback Provided at Completion of Test

Upon submission of the online test, most Candidates will immediately receive notification of their
score in each of the three domains and their pass/fail result for the full exam. Candidates must
obtain a passing score in each domain in order to pass the full exam.

Awarding of Certificate
After passing the assessment, Candidates will receive a personalized certificate. Certificates are
printed and mailed to passing Candidates on a quarterly basis. InsideNGO will also provide
Certificate holders with specific language for referencing their Certificate on a resume or describing
their Certificate to a third party, including the date the Certificate was awarded.

Note: The InsideNGO Certificate in USAID Assistance Management is not a certification and therefore
must not be referred to as a professional certification. Such misrepresentation of the Certificate is grounds
for revocation of the designation by InsideNGO.

Retaking the Examination

Candidates on the Standard Pathway who did not pass the exam are able to retake the test during
any subsequent testing window following their initial attempt.

Candidates on the Experience-based Pathway who do not pass the exam are required to take the
InsideNGO practitioner course that corresponds to the domain(s) in which they did not receive
a passing grade in order to be eligible to schedule an exam appointment during a future testing
window.

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 Additional Information

Fee Schedule
$950 Enrollment Fee

$145 Re‐Testing Fee (if Candidate does not pass the exam the first time )

Fees must be paid in US funds to InsideNGO by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or wire
transfer.

Certificate Program Registry

InsideNGO will maintain an online registry of Certificate holders for public access. During the
enrollment process, Certificate Candidates can choose to be included in this registry upon successful
completion of the Certificate requirements.

Withdrawal of Program Enrollment

Following program enrollment, Candidates have three years to complete the eligibility requirements
and pass the assessment. Candidates may choose to withdraw their enrollment in the program at any
time by notifying certificate@InsideNGO.org. At the time of withdrawal, Candidates surrender all
enrollment fees and re-registration at a later date will require payment of all requisite fees at
InsideNGO’s current rates.

Revocation of the Certificate

InsideNGO reserves the right to investigate any potential misrepresentation of the Certificate and
revoke the designation as Certificate holder for any individual who is found to have violated the
terms of this Candidate Handbook.

Candidate Agreement
As stated in the Certificate Program Enrollment process and at the beginning of the test session, the
Certificate Candidate agrees to conduct him or herself in accordance with the policies and terms of
this Candidate Handbook, including, but not limited to:
• prohibition of the sharing of test information;
• utilization of unauthorized resources during the exam;
• truthful representation of the Candidate’s identity throughout the assessment eligibility
and exam administration process.

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 Additional Information

Grievances Process
Candidates may report any grievances or concerns regarding the Certificate Program to
certificate@InsideNGO.org. Reports are reviewed by the Certificate Advisory Panel on a quarterly
basis. All grievance reports must include:

• Candidate name, organization, email address, and phone number

• Detailed description of concern or grievance
• Date of incident

InsideNGO will make every effort to address concerns in a collaborative and transparent manner.
Detailed test information, including answer keys or detailed analysis of a Candidate’s test
performance, will not be shared under any circumstances.

ADA Compliance
Reasonable accommodations provide Candidates with disabilities a fair and equal opportunity to
demonstrate their knowledge and skill in the areas measured by the assessment. Reasonable
accommodations are decided based on the individual’s specific request, disability, documentation
submitted, and appropriateness of the request. Reasonable accommodations do not include steps
that fundamentally alter the purpose or nature of the assessment.

Reasonable accommodations generally are provided for Candidates who have a physical or other
impairment that substantially limits that person in one or more major life activities (e.g., walking,
talking, hearing, and performing manual tasks); have a record of such physical or other impairment;
or are regarded as having a physical or other impairment.

To apply for reasonable accommodations, the Candidate must request the accommodations and
provide documentation from an appropriate licensed professional, on the professional's letterhead,
that supports such request for reasonable accommodations. The documentation must include a
diagnosis of the disability and specific recommendations for accommodations.

Requests for accommodations must be submitted at least 30 days prior to the preferred test date.
It is recommended that this documentation be submitted at least 45 days prior to the preferred
testing date. For more information regarding reasonable accommodations, please contact
certificate@InsideNGO.org.

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 Participant Privacy Policy

InsideNGO will keep all Candidate personal and program information confidential and will
not sell or otherwise distribute Candidate information to any third parties except those
explicitly stated within this Candidate Handbook.

Candidates may elect during enrollment to be included in the Registry of Certificate Holders
upon completion of the Certificate. This designation may be changed at any time by
contacting certificate@InsideNGO.org.

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 APPENDIX

1 2 3
InsideNGO Certificate
in USAID Assistance Management
Body of Knowledge Overview
The Certificate will cover the following information in its three course domains:

Procurement Planning
USAID Rules and and Execution: Financial Management
Regulations: Grants and USAID Grants and for US Government
Cooperative Agreements Cooperative Agreements Funding

USAID Structure and Foundations of Procurement Elements of a Strong Financial

Funding Instruments Planning and Execution Management System
Administrative Procurement Regulations Financial Management
Requirements Overview Regulations Overview
• Financial & Program
Management Procurement Plan Development Daily Transactions
• Cost Share
Budget-Based Planning Internal Controls
• Program Income
• Revision of Budget & Prior Approvals and Waivers Segregation of Duties
Program Plans
• Audits & Spending Process Controls and Risks Timekeeping Systems
• Property Standards Procurement Planning Steps Supporting Documentation
• Procurement Standards
• Reports & Records Managing Procurement Budget Management
• Suspension, Termination & Through Change and Revision
Enforcement Accounting Concepts
• After-the-Award Fair and Open Competition
Indirect Costs
Requirements Procurement Documentation
• Marking and Branding Financial Statements
Procurement in Disaster Situations
Cost Principles for Non- Donor Audits
Profit Organizations Procurement Tools
Agreement Package –
Letter and Schedule

Standard Provisions

Source and Nationality

Requirements (22 CFR 228)

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