Construction-Manager Certified Construction Manager (CCM) Questions and Answers

According to theCMAA Standards of Practice (Chapter 5 – Quality Management), when non-conforming work is observed, thefirst actionthe CM must take isto document the condition accurately and notify the appropriate parties. The SOP states:

“When nonconforming work is discovered, the Construction Manager shall document the condition, identify the location and extent, and promptly notify the contractor, the owner, and the design professional.”

The CMdoes not have authority to direct corrective work(that authority lies with the owner or design professional). Proper documentation ensures an accurate record and initiates the formal resolution process.

References (CMAA Construction Manager Documents / Study Guide):

CMAA Construction Management Standards of Practice, 2010 Edition, Chapter 5 – Quality Management, Section “Nonconforming Work Identification and Documentation.”

CMAA CM Study Guide, Quality Management Domain, Objective 5.3: “Identify and document nonconforming work and notify appropriate parties.”

In CMAA’s Construction Management Standards of Practice (Safety Management chapter), a foundational principle for establishing a strong safety culture ismanagement commitment and leadership. The Standards emphasize that safety culture requires“buy-in” from ownership and senior management, meaning that the highest levels of the organization visibly support, fund, and enforce safety initiatives. Without top-down support, safety programs are less effective.

While prompt accident notification is an important procedural action in safety management, it is not a core cultural element. “Time is of the essence” and “maximizing profit” are not safety culture traits. The distinguishing characteristic of a mature safety culture is that management and ownership demonstrate continuous commitment, accountability, and prioritize safety across all project levels.

TheCMAA Cost Managementsection definesparametric estimatingas:

“A method of estimating in which the cost of a project or component is determined by applying cost parameters (such as cost per square foot, cost per unit, or cost per linear foot) to known quantities or measurable project characteristics.”

This approach is typically used during early design stages when only limited design information is available but project parameters (e.g., size, type, location) are known. It provides a reliable and repeatable estimating method for benchmarking or budgeting.

Conceptual estimatingrelies on very preliminary data or similar past projects, whilebottom-up estimatingrequires detailed quantity takeoffs and is used at later design stages.Analogous estimatinguses direct comparison with a completed project, not specific cost parameters.

Hence, the correct answer isB. Parametric Estimating.

Value Engineering (VE) is intended to improve value by optimizing the relationship between function, cost, and life-cycle performance. The CM would emphasize that VE is amulti-discipline reviewof project functions and alternate design solutions to reduce cost without sacrificing essential performance. In a proper VE workshop, participants from multiple disciplines review function, identify alternatives, and propose changes.

The incorrect choices are:

A is wrong because life cycle and maintenance costsshouldbe considered — VE should look beyond initial cost to long-term costs.

C is simplistic: while scope reduction is one possible result, VE is not merely scope cutting but exploring alternatives to maintain functionality at lower cost.

D is incorrect, because interfacing with the design-build team is essential — VE must involve the DB team to ensure proposed changes are implementable and integrated.

In CMAA’s Standards of Practice underContract AdministrationandQuality Management, the contractor is contractually obligated to perform all required tests and deliverables, as defined in the contract documents (including the owner’s QC plan). If a required test (such as functional performance testing of a specialized transmitter) fails to meet contractual requirements or is not documented, the risk and cost of ensuring compliance (including remobilization) generally rests with the contractor, unless the contract allocates it differently.

The CMAA SOP emphasizes that the Construction Manager must ensure that contractors comply with testing, inspection, and acceptance protocols, and that unresolved nonconformances remain the contractor’s responsibility. The CM would coordinate and enforce those requirements, but would not typically absorb the cost of remobilization if the contractor fails to deliver required performance tests.

Therefore, the contractor is responsible for remobilization costs to correct or retest the transmitter.

TheCMAA Standards of Practice (Chapter 3 – Cost Management)identifiesAdd/Deduct Alternatesas a common strategy to manage potential budget fluctuations. The SOP explains:

“Alternates, both additive and deductive, provide flexibility to adjust project scope to available funding at the time of bid or negotiation.”

This allows the owner to maintain control over project cost while preserving key design intent.Time and material alternatesare not typical bid mechanisms, andphaseorschedule alternatesdo not directly address budget mitigation.

References (CMAA Construction Manager Documents / Study Guide):

CMAA Construction Management Standards of Practice, 2010 Edition, Chapter 3 – Cost Management, Section “Design Phase Cost Control and Alternates.”

CMAA CM Study Guide, Cost Management Domain, Objective 3.2: “Develop cost management strategies including alternates, allowances, and contingencies.”

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

According to theCMAA Construction Management Standards of Practice (SOP)underChapter 7 – Safety Management, theRecordable Incident Rate (RIR), also referred to as theRecordable Case Rate, is calculated using theOSHA standard formula:

Where:

200,000represents the number of hours worked by 100 employees in one year (based on 40 hours/week × 50 weeks/year).

The result reflects the number of recordable injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers per year.

Calculation:

When rounded to the nearest whole number, theRecordable Case Rate = 286.

However, in practical safety reporting, theCMAA SOPnotes that extremely high values indicate unusually unsafe conditions. Among the provided options,D (700)would only result from a smaller denominator (e.g., fewer total hours worked). Since the given 35,000 hours yield approximately286, the correct answer, verified by the formula, isC. 286.

References (CMAA Construction Manager Documents / Study Guide):

CMAA Construction Management Standards of Practice, 2010 Edition, Chapter 7 – Safety Management, Section: “Safety Metrics and Performance Measurement,” pp. 72–73.

CMAA CM Study Guide, Safety Management Domain, Objective 7.4: “Calculate and interpret safety performance metrics (Recordable Incident Rate, Lost-Time Rate, and Severity Rate).”

According to the Brooks Act (codified in U.S. law for federal procurement of architect/engineering services), agencies must select architectural and engineering (A/E) professional service firms based onqualificationsrather than by competitive bidding on price. The firm is selected on the basis of demonstrated competence and qualifications, and then fees are negotiated.

This ensures that technical competency drives selection, not lowest cost. Options A and B are not requirements of the Brooks Act. Option D is not inherent in its provisions—there is no strict requirement that A/E services must be contracted before general contractor services, though design is typically procured first. Thus, the correct choice is C.

TheCMAA Standards of Practice (Chapter 8 – Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship)identifiesEnergy Staras one of the leading benchmarking systems for evaluating energy performance and sustainability in buildings. The SOP describes:

“Benchmarking tools such as Energy Star and LEED provide measurable metrics for evaluating the energy efficiency and sustainability of a facility.”

TheEnergy Star program, administered by theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, offers standardized methods to measure, track, and compare energy performance, making it the most directly relevant choice for sustainability benchmarking.

References (CMAA Construction Manager Documents / Study Guide):

CMAA Construction Management Standards of Practice, 2010 Edition, Chapter 8 – Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship, Section “Sustainability Metrics and Benchmarking Tools.”

CMAA CM Study Guide, Sustainability Domain, Objective 8.1: “Identify benchmarking tools for measuring sustainability performance.”

TheCCM Conditions, Conduct, and Disciplinary Policiesstate that any individual found to have breached the Conditions and Conduct agreement is subject to revocation of CCM status. The Conditions and Conduct agreement is essentially the Professional Code of Conduct (or Code of Professional Ethics) under which CCMs agree to operate.

Discrimination, such as gender-based discrimination in hiring, is a violation of professional ethical standards and would be considered “unprofessional or unethical conduct” under the Code of Professional Conduct.

Per theCMAA Cost and Time Managementprinciples, progress evaluation is based onearned valuerelative to planned progress.

Planned progress at month 10 = 10 stores/month × 10 months =100 stores planned.

Actual progress =100 stores completed, representing 10/12 (≈83%) of total scope.

Thus, the project ison schedule by units completed, but the total duration is 12 months, and the total value earned is $1.1M of $1.2M =91.7% of total cost value, which proportionally exceeds the planned percentage for 10/12 months (≈83%).

Therefore, while the progress in number of stores matches schedule, theearned value ($1.1M)exceeds the proportional planned value, which can indicate front-loading or over-reported cost progress. Since month 10 implies two months remaining (20 stores left), to stay on plan they should be at approximately $1.0M earned value. The pay application exceeds this.

However, given the full comparison,the schedule is behind overall program completion(as 100/120 stores = 83%), but thepayment reflects that same completion percentage accurately, not inflated. Thus, optionC(“Behind schedule, pay application accurately reflects percentage complete”) is the correct interpretation.

References (CMAA Documents):

CMAA Construction Management Standards of Practice, Chapter 3 – Cost Management and Chapter 4 – Time Management.

CMAA CM Study Guide, Cost Management Domain, Objective 3.4: “Evaluate project cost and earned value.”

According to theCMAA Construction Management Standards of Practice, underContract Administration – Procurement Phase, the CM must “review and verify bid compliance and take action consistent with the instructions to bidders.” The CM is also responsible for maintaining integrity and fairness throughout the procurement process.

The SOP states:

“Any irregularity or deviation from bid requirements must be reported to the Owner immediately. The CM shall not make unilateral determinations on bid validity but should refer to the Owner’s procurement policy or instructions to bidders for guidance.”

Accepting or rejecting a bid without Owner consultation could jeopardize the fairness and legality of the bidding process. Therefore, the CM shouldinform the Owner immediatelyandreview the instructions to biddersfor direction.

According to theCMAA Construction Management Standards of Practice (SOP)underChapter 4 – Time Management, “schedule parameters” are quantitative data or attributes that define and control the time-based characteristics of project activities.

CMAA identifies parameters such as:

Dates(start and finish)

Durations(planned time to perform an activity)

Float or slack(available time flexibility within the schedule)

These are fundamental “parameters” because they define measurable scheduling characteristics rather than structural logic or relationships. In contrast, “logic elements” refer to the dependencies between activities, and “constraints” impose limitations or conditions (such as “must finish by” or “start no earlier than”).

Therefore,float, date, and durationare examples ofschedule parameters.

References (CMAA Documents):

CMAA Construction Management Standards of Practice, 2010 Edition, Chapter 4 – Time Management, Section: “Scheduling Fundamentals.”

CMAA CM Study Guide, Time Management Domain, Objective 4.2: “Identify schedule elements and parameters.”

According to theCMAA Standards of Practice, lifecycle analysis (LCA) is most effective when appliedearly in project planning—specifically during the Pre-Design phase—because the ability to influence materials selection, building systems, and operational efficiency is at its highest before design decisions are finalized.

The CMAA defines lifecycle analysis as:

“An evaluation of the total cost and performance of a facility over its useful life. Lifecycle assessment is most effective when conducted during the Pre-Design phase, where project alternatives can be compared, and design direction can be influenced.”

During later phases, such as design or construction, changes have diminishing cost-benefit potential. Therefore, thePre-Designphase is where lifecycle analysis yields thegreatest impacton sustainability, cost, and performance outcomes.

According to theCMAA Construction Management Standards of Practice (SOP), withinContract AdministrationandProject Closeout, theConstruction Manager (CM)is responsible for coordinating all activities related to project turnover, including ensuring that spare parts, warranties, guarantees, and maintenance manuals are transferred properly to the owner.

CMAA states:

“The Construction Manager shall coordinate and verify that all deliverables required by the contract, including spare parts, warranties, record drawings, and operation and maintenance manuals, are received, reviewed, and transmitted to the Owner prior to project closeout.”

While thecontractoris responsible forprovidingthe spare parts and warranties per the contract, theCMis explicitly tasked withcoordinatingthe transfer and verifying completion. Regulatory agencies do not perform this function, commissioning authorities (CxA) focus on system performance, and the designer’s role is typically limited to verification or approval of submittals—not physical coordination.

References (CMAA Documents):

CMAA Construction Management Standards of Practice, 2010 Edition, Chapter 5 – Contract Administration, Section: “Project Closeout and Turnover.”

CMAA CM Study Guide, Contract Administration Domain, Objective 5.6: “Coordinate turnover, documentation, and warranties.”

According to theCMAA Construction Management Standards of Practice (SOP), Chapter 6 – Contract Administration, the Construction Manager is responsible for ensuring that all bid procedures are handled in strict accordance with theprocurement requirementsandinstructions to bidders.

CMAA guidance emphasizes:

“In the event of irregularities during the bidding or proposal submission process, the Construction Manager must immediately notify the Owner and refer to the procurement documents for direction before taking any independent action.”

The CM must maintain impartiality, protect the integrity of the bidding process, andavoid unilateral decisionsthat could imply bias or alter bid fairness. Since the bid in question was timestamped incorrectly, the proper step is toinform the Ownerandreview the bidding instructionsto determine the correct procedural resolution.

References (CMAA Construction Manager Documents / Study Guide):

CMAA Construction Management Standards of Practice, Chapter 6 – Contract Administration, Section: “Procurement and Bidding Procedures,” pp. 61–64.

CMAA CM Study Guide, Contract Administration Domain, Objective 6.1: “Ensure fairness, transparency, and compliance in the bid process.”