EPI Annual Maintenance Requirements

Code of Ethics

During the applications process, each Certificant agreed to adhere to the BGC Code of Ethics.  It is a condition of certification that all Certificants practice ethical behavior to the best of their abilities.

Any individual may file an ethics complaint by completing the Ethics Charge Statement Form located in the Ethics section. All complaints are treated seriously and, where warranted, further investigated by the BGC Ethics Review Committee, which may include the use of Legal Counsel. The Committee is appointed by the BGC CEO. A Certificant found to be in violation of the  BGC Code of Ethics will be subject to a range of sanctions up to and including decertification.

Notice of Felony Convictions

Please note that any practitioner who has been convicted of a felony must report it to the BGC within 90 days of the conviction.

Contact Information & Communications

Certificants are responsible to maintain up-to-date contact information in the BGC roster to ensure that communications are sent to a current address. Once a year, BGC asks that all Certificant verify their contact information on record. Certificant should do this as often as needed, not necessarily waiting for the annual prompt.

BGC communicates with Certificants on a regular basis, primarily using email. If the Certificant does not have an email address on file, some (but not all) communications may be sent via postal mail. For email, the Certificant must use an email address that is not blocked or filtered (which can sometimes occur with company, military, or academic IT systems). When this occurs, a personal email address may be more effective for ensuring that electronic communications are received by the Certificant.

Changes to certification program requirements are announced on this website. In addition, as the change warrants, email or postal communication may also be sent directly to the Certificant.

It is the responsibility of the Certificant to read the communications and ensure understanding.

Annual Fees

Payment of annual fees is a condition of maintaining certification. Fees are paid in advance of the upcoming year. Annual fees are non-refundable.

Certificants are sent several email notices of payment beginning in September. During this time period, it is important to have up-to-date contact information for the Certificant.

Fees must be postmarked or paid online by the due date. If not paid on time, the Certificant will owe an additional late fee and will be classified as “not in good standing” with BGC. The Certificant will be listed as such on BGC public rosters and will also have reduced functionality on any BGC private rosters.

If fees are unpaid for two successive years, the Certificant will be decertified in the third year.

Each year, BGC evaluates the need for a fee increase. Annual fee increases are set primarily based on an annual cost of living adjustment, but additional costs may be factored in each year.