National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying

The State of Colorado is seeking to extend or renew a sole-source contract with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) to administer professional licensing examinations for engineers and surveyors, with a proposal due October 15, 2026. This is a sole-source procurement under contract number 27-0065.

NCEES shall administer computer-based testing (CBT) examinations including Fundamentals of Engineering (FE), Fundamentals of Surveying (FS), and Principles & Practice of Surveying (PS), along with the 16-hour PE Structural pencil-and-paper examination administered regionally. Four annual CBT testing windows, each lasting three months, are conducted through Pearson VUE testing centers. NCEES must establish a primary state contact, maintain a toll-free call center staffed 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday, provide online chat support, and operate a secure web-based registration system. CBT results must be released within 7–10 days; pencil-and-paper results within twelve weeks. NCEES collects examination fees directly from candidates at approved rates: CBT examinations range from $225 to $400; pencil-and-paper structural examinations cost $500; and NCEES Record review costs $100. Fee increases are limited to once per twelve-month period and require ninety days' written notice and mutual agreement, with rates capped at those charged in other jurisdictions.

NCEES bears responsibility for examination security, candidate accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, business continuity and disaster recovery planning, and cooperation in legal challenges to examination validity. The contractor must maintain all candidate data as State property with strict confidentiality protections and secure transmission; the State retains audit rights including test site observations. Candidate records must be retained for at least three years. Candidates may cancel CBT exams more than forty-eight hours prior for a refund minus a $50 administrative fee, or cancel pencil-and-paper exams by designated deadlines for a refund minus a $50 processing fee.