NSPE Board of Directors

NICET REPORT

March 27, 2008

NSPE Board of Directors

2008SpringMeeting

Alexandria, VA

Leonel Saenz, Jr., SET

NICET Observer

At itsMarch 2008 meeting, the NICET Board of Governors approved the Institute’s FY 2009 Budget with projected revenue of $4,261,000 and expenses of $4,351,990. This includes a Revenue Share to NSPE of $208,900. This budget was approved based on a projected FY 2008 Year-End Fund Balance of $190,121. This projected surplus shouldeasily off-set the projected FY 2009 budget deficit and still allow a $75,000 transfer into the NICET Reserve Fund.

The NICET staff is expected to remain at 30 full-time positions and one part-time position in FY 2009, but is expected to handle an increasing work load by bringing greater efficiencies to headquarters operations. Currently all but three positions are filled, and the search continues to fill theseremaining positions.

Testing volume for FY 2008 is proceeding as projected toward the 13,500 tests budgeted, with an increasing number of those being administered via Computer Based Testing (CBT). Projections for FY 2009 are for continued growth in testing volumes (14,000 test budgeted), and the introduction of CBT within existing programs to begin replacing paper & pencil testing. Also being introduced in the Construction Materials Testing fields will be “performance-based” testing administered via CBT. Traditional performance-based testing would be a logistical nightmare for NICET – requiring a monstrous training effort for examiners, not to mention the huge effort required to locate suitable testing sites/facilities, with the same/calibrated testing equipment and materials, and the nearly impossible goal of obtaining the same exact testing conditions for each examinee. And while development of “performance-based” items for CBT is generally more expensiveup-front, administration is much more “fair, valid and reliable” for the examinees, and ultimately much less expensive for NICET to administer.

In early October 2007, it was discovered that an“Industry”training manual had compromised the integrity of at least one NICET examination by publishing NICET test questions within the manual. Legal efforts to remove the offending materials from the marketplace and to recover damages from the authorsof this manual based on violation ofNSPE/NICET held copyrights have hit several roadblocks, and have been suspended for at least the present. In the meantime, use of the compromised NICET examination has been discontinued, tighter restrictions have been implemented on reference materials allowed into NICET testing sessions and efforts have begun to update all held copyrights and ensure adequate legal protection of all future works by NICET authors. Investigations into possible other compromising Industry materials continues.

NICET March27, 2008 Report – continuedPage 2

Certification program development activities continue in the areas of Automatic Sprinkler System Layout, Construction Materials Testing, Fire Alarm Systems, Highway Maintenance and Renovation, Roadway Design, Stormwater and Wastewater System Inspection, Transportation Systems Construction, and Electronic Security Systems. Several new programs within the Fire Protection and Security Industries are being investigated. Industry Partnerships are expected to help this effort with contributions of $100,000 or more annually.

The NICET Marketing Plan for FY 2008has concentrated on increased communications with all stakeholders through electronic and print medium, participation in more Industry events to showcase NICET certification, gaining additional media coverage in “engineering industry” publications through low-cost articles, editorials, press releases, etc., and continued efforts to update/improve the NICET website to be even more customer friendly. FY 2009 will see a continuation, and even expansion, of efforts begun in FY 2008.

A joint Task Group with the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and NSPE Licensure & Qualifications to Practice Committee has prepared a joint SFPE/NSPE/NICET Position Statement on the roles and responsibilities of engineering technicians and engineers regarding “design” and “layout” of fire protection systems. A final draft has been approved by the NICET Board of Governors, and is being presented to the SFPE Board of Directors and to the NSPE L&QP Committee for review in April 2008. It is expected that this documentwill then be presented to the NSPE Board of Directors and to the NSPE House of Delegates in July 2008 for final approval.

Respectfully Submitted,

NICET Board of Governors

Leonel Saenz, Jr., SET, Chair

James H. Wathen, PE, PLS, Vice Chair

Philip L. Gaughan, SET,Recording Secretary

Danada McMurtry, Public Member

William J. Aaron, Jr., SET

Arthur B. deWit, PE

Rudolph Henry, CT

Wayne D. Moore, PE