It would be interesting to know why the city's EPA decided it needed certified construction managers. One thing is certain "by raising the bar"they are no doubt increasing the cost and complexity of the construction process. It is less certain this additional step will improve the engineering since the biggest headache is the failure of domain specific knowledge not the inability to knit these domains together in a coherent whole. Incidentally journalism was made into a profession about a century ago as journalists increasingly became college educated and attended newly formed schools of journalism for example but it may have made little difference good and bad journalists were to be found both among the old timers and the formally educated. Journalists may have developed specific expertise in a subject but it was not because they learned it in school or passed an examination.

more customers for academia.. more egg heads that dont know how to do much more than study and jump through silly hoops. Bigger bills for the tax payers... yippie

I respect knowledge and I respect eggheads. Construction managers may not be either. About the only requirement a construction manager needs is not to be colorblind so he can distinguish the red , yellow or green colors on a status sheet and bellow out accordingly. I recognize I may be unfair to some good construction managers, but can anyone really justify what value they bring to to the table as contrasted say with a self organizing group of disciplines - disciplines that really know their stuff sorting out and working out their problems without the intervention of a so called construction manager? In fact with the revolution in information handling even the messenger boy aspect of construction management where the CM just takes a disciplines problems and transmits them unchanged to others is even less needed than in the past.

Interestingly , it appears that Mr. Donnelly is not registered in either NY or NJ as a PE.

With CM's of shallow ability "running" a project good engineers will run away from the project.

All of you responding negatively to this requirement obviously have no clue what is required to obtain the CCM from the CMAA. You have to have 4 years of EXPERIENCE of actual hands-on running a project and you have to have experience in ALL areas of a project including planning, budgeting, scheduling, construction management and even safety, PLUS you have to have a degree in architect, engineering, or construction management just to be qualified to sit for the exam. This requirement is a step forward so that the government ensures it has seasoned staff overseeing the projects to try to ensure somebody who's done this a time or two is sitting at the helm. I am a licensed architect and the CCM scares me worse than my 9 architectural license exams. The application itself just to prove you have the qualifications in order to sit for the exam are daunting and all EXPERIENCED based including requiring very specific, positive references from clients for each project listed. Do your homework before you start criticizing. This is a step to try to save the taxpayers money by putting people who've succesfully completing SEVERAL rodeos on top of the bull instead of some "egghead" construction superintendent with not project planning or owner's rep experience. try again nay sayers. NICOLLE FEDOR GRIFFIN, AIA, CONSTRUCTION MANAGER HOPING TO GET MY CCM....

11/21-Anonymous is correct in his estimation of the CCM requirements. I am both a PE and a CCM. My experience far outstrips most design engineers. The previous comments reflect a complete lack of the profession of Construction Management. It is precisely these attitudes, that anyone with a PE can be a Construction Manager which has driven owners, largely public, but also private, to embrace the CM profession as stewards of their interests. There still is the great debate between agency CM and CM at Risk, with pro's and con's for both, but one thing is for certain, when there is professional CM at the helm of a project, the project will have greater adherance to the contract documents, better quality and more frequently closer keeping to the budget.
AND, we are not afraid to sign our name to the comments we make.
Bradley Spain, PE CCM LEED-AP

Thank you Bradley for your comments! I completely agree with your comments, I've worked as a project engineer and had to change my skill set 10 years ago to gain the knowledge to work as a
CM Agent/Owner's Project Manager. Appreciate your input.
- Nicholas Macy, CCM, PMP

As was said some years ago, a man deserves no credit for successful experience for he is merely a repeating machine.

@Bradley Spain "HE" is a "SHE" and I did sign my name! Excellent comments sir. Nicolle Fedor Griffin, AIA

Wow, seems I have struck a nerve in the CM community. I agree that a PE does not make one a better engineer nor do I expect that a CCM will necessarily make for a better CM. Those who argue against this requirement, I suspect, are a vocal minority that serve as hired help rather than engaged professionals. As an owner, however, I find a large disparity in the skills sets of those claiming the title of CM. The expectation I have from the CMCI certification process is greater confidence that the CM's have demonstrated compentency in core skill sets and are actively engaged in the profession in a way that keeps them current with changes in the industry. Success in the past does not ensure success in the future. Successful projects today are not delivered that same way they were 10 years ago. To mitigate risk in my program, I want CMs with a all the necessary core competencies, a proven track record, and actively engaged in their profession to lead my complex projects.