CSI Academy · EPC Engineering Track · 2026 Program
EPC Certification Program
Practitioner certification on the O-PAS™ Standard for EPC project delivery. Three CSI-issued credentials for engineers specifying, designing, procuring, and delivering process control systems under the open standard.
The Gap
Owner-operators are starting to require O-PAS in RFQs
O-PAS is moving from pilot projects into procurement language. Owner-operators are beginning to require it in their RFQs — and most EPC I&C engineers have never been trained on it. That gap is a project risk today, and a competitive gap for the EPC firms whose clients are already asking the question. This program is how an EPC firm proves its I&C bench can deliver against that requirement.
Facing that requirement on a live bid rather than planning ahead? See O-PAS for EPCs: specification, estimating and project execution — what changes in scope, how to estimate it, where the responsibility boundaries sit, and what conformance does and does not establish.
What the Credential Attests
Five competency domains, anchored to the EPC project lifecycle
Every credential certifies assessed competency across five domains — organized around what an EPC engineer must actually do at each project phase, not around the structure of the standard.
Standard & Architecture Literacy
O-PAS structure, reference architecture, DCN, connectivity framework, and the security baseline.
Specification & Procurement
O-PAS-compliant requisitions and control philosophies; evaluating vendor conformance claims against actual conformance certificates.
System & Network Design
Architecture development under O-PAS: DCN allocation, network design, redundancy, security zones and conduits.
Execution & Commissioning
FEED integration, interface management, FAT/SAT strategy for modular multi-vendor systems, brownfield cutover.
Commercial, Risk & Lifecycle
The lifecycle cost case, contracting implications, MAC role evolution, and risk allocation in open-architecture projects.
Three proficiency levels
Comprehend — explain it credibly. Apply — produce and review correct deliverables. Direct — lead the discipline scope on a real project.
Program Structure
Three certification tiers, built for EPC project delivery
Represent it credibly
For: Project managers, proposals and estimating teams, engineering leadership.
- Half-day live session, or self-study via Courses 1–2
- 60-minute knowledge exam · one retake included
- Certifies domains D1 + D5 at Comprehend level
$599 per seat
Includes Courses 1–2 (self-study path). Your exam session is scheduled after enrollment.
Write, review, and defend the deliverables
For: I&C leads, automation and controls engineers, systems engineers.
- Two-day live workshop · cohorts of up to 20
- All six CSI Academy courses included as pre-work
- 90-minute scenario exam plus a graded applied exercise: red-lining a real requisition and bid tab against O-PAS requirements
- One exam retake and one exercise resubmission included
$2,500 per seat · all-in
★ Cohort pricing for EPC firms — one line item per engineer
Lead the scope, FEED through SAT
For: Senior I&C engineers, project engineering managers, lead automation engineers.
- Requires the Practitioner credential + attested project experience
- Live intensive plus a capstone: a complete O-PAS execution plan for a supplied FEED-level reference project
- Panel review and a 45-minute oral defense before CSI's principals
$5,000 per seat
Credential Integrity
Assessed, not attended
Real assessment
Every tier is examined. Practitioners pass a proctored exam and a graded hands-on exercise built from real EPC deliverables. Project Leads defend a complete execution plan before a CSI review panel.
Verifiable
Every credential carries a certificate number verifiable by employers and clients through the public registry on csi-automation.com, plus a numbered certificate and LinkedIn-shareable badge.
Maintained
Credentials are valid for three years and renewed through 24 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) — CSI Academy content, industry conferences, or documented O-PAS project work.
First Cohort · Fall 2026 · Limited to 20 Seats
Certify the bench, not just the individual
The first Practitioner cohort is forming now. A typical engagement: a 10-seat Associate + Practitioner package for an I&C department, with Project Lead certification for the discipline leads — one B2B invoice, and a verifiable answer to the owner-operator question “who on your team has delivered under O-PAS?”
The Course Library
Six courses underpin the program
Practitioner enrollment includes access to all six self-paced video courses as pre-work. Associate self-study candidates complete Courses 1–2. Browse the course library →
O-PAS Fundamentals
Business Case for OPA
OPA Architecture in Practice
Migration Planning & Execution
Procurement & Contracting for OPA
Cybersecurity in Open Architectures
Why CSI
Authority built inside the standard
Standards Authority
Trevor Cusworth served as OPAF Co-Chair for six years and remains Marketing & Outreach Lead for the Forum. CSI's founding principal, Don Bartusiak, was Forum Co-Chair and a primary architect of the Open Process Automation initiative.
Commercial License
CSI operates under a commercial license from The Open Group authorizing use of the O-PAS Standard in commercial publications, offerings, and services — the basis on which this program is delivered. Certifications are issued by CSI Academy.
Production Deployments
CSI has delivered brownfield OPA migrations across refining, chemicals, and utilities, is a co-founding partner of COPA, and contributes actively to the standard as a founding participant in the Forum. The people who grade the capstones are the people deploying the standard.
CSI's joint lifecycle analysis with Wood PLC and Cargill models a 60–70% total-cost-of-ownership reduction over 25 years. Model your own facility →
Download Program Overview
Get the full program details
Complete the form to receive the program overview — the competency framework, tier details, assessment structure, pricing, and cohort dates. Your information goes to the CSI team only.
Program at a Glance
Credentials
CSI EPC Associate · $599
CSI EPC Practitioner · $2,500 all-in
CSI EPC Project Lead · $5,000
First Practitioner cohort
Fall 2026 · 20 seats
Validity
3 years · CPD renewal · public registry
Cohort & enterprise inquiries
trevor@csi-automation.com
O-PAS™ and Open Process Automation™ are trademarks of The Open Group. CSI is an independent commercial licensee of the O-PAS Standard. References to O-PAS do not imply certification or endorsement by The Open Group. Certifications described on this page are professional certifications issued by CSI Academy and are distinct from product conformance certification administered by The Open Group.