10 free, exam-style Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free CPPB practice test to study every exam domain.
A county issues a solicitation for landscaping services with clearly defined specifications and a detailed scope of work. Three vendors submit sealed responses by the deadline. At the scheduled opening, the procurement officer reads each vendor's pricing aloud to all attendees. Which solicitation method was MOST likely used?
Correct answer: C - Invitation for Bids (IFB) per the established guidelines
A procurement officer's sister recently accepted a sales position at a company that frequently bids on the agency's contracts. The procurement officer has no financial interest in the company and has always evaluated bids impartially. According to procurement ethics best practices, the officer should:
Correct answer: A - Disclose the relationship and recuse from the evaluation in this context
A department director verbally tells a vendor to begin additional work not included in the existing contract. The director has no delegated contract authority, but the vendor proceeds based on the director's title and position. The vendor later submits an invoice for the unauthorized work. Which type of authority does this situation BEST illustrate?
Correct answer: D - Apparent authority according to common usage
A school district has standardized on a particular brand of interactive whiteboard across all 30 of its campuses. When outfitting a new school, the procurement officer justifies purchasing the same brand without competition to maintain compatibility and reduce training costs. Other manufacturers produce similar whiteboards. This procurement is BEST classified as:
Correct answer: B - Single source, because alternatives exist but one is preferred in the relevant framework
A public agency receives five bids for a vehicle fleet maintenance contract. The apparent low bidder submitted all required documents and met every solicitation requirement, but a reference check reveals the company lost its last three municipal contracts due to chronic understaffing and late service delivery. This concern relates to the bidder's:
Correct answer: A - Responsibility in the relevant framework
A contracted janitorial service provider has failed to meet the cleaning frequency standards specified in the contract for three consecutive months. The contract administrator has documented the deficiencies and held two informal meetings with the vendor, but performance has not improved. What is the contract administrator's MOST appropriate next step?
Correct answer: C - Issue a formal cure notice with a correction deadline as commonly understood
A city's parks department needs to procure new playground equipment and wants to encourage manufacturers to propose creative solutions that meet safety standards. The buyer should develop which type of specification?
Correct answer: B - Performance specification describing desired outcomes as commonly understood
A small purchasing department has one employee who creates purchase requisitions, selects vendors, approves purchase orders, and confirms receipt of goods. Which fundamental procurement principle does this arrangement violate?
Correct answer: D - Segregation of duties under typical conditions
A general contractor on a publicly funded construction project fails to pay its electrical subcontractor for completed work. Which type of bond provides protection to the subcontractor in this situation?
Correct answer: C - Payment bond under typical conditions
A small municipality wants to purchase police vehicles using a state cooperative contract to save time and obtain volume pricing. Before placing the order, the buyer should FIRST:
Correct answer: A - Verify that local procurement code authorizes cooperative contracts in the relevant framework
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