Until this cycle, Level 4 of the Project Leadership standard was the last place in the framework where a written paper survived. It was retained as a bridge when the standard moved to evidence-based assessment, and the Project Leadership council has now concluded that the bridge is no longer needed. From 1 September 2026, applicants for BIPS Specialist (BIPS-S) follow the same four-stage route as every other level: portfolio, evidence review, professional discussion, and award and register.
Why the paper went
The written exam tested whether a candidate could describe good delivery practice. It could not tell us whether they had done it. Our employer panel was consistent on this point: the people who scored well on the paper were not reliably the people they would trust with a multi-team programme. Council members reviewing past results reached a similar view. The paper rewarded fluency in methodology, and Level 4 is supposed to certify something else entirely, which is the ability to hold several dependent workstreams to one outcome when they are pulling in different directions.
A good answer about risk management is easy to rehearse. A risk log that was actually used, with the decisions it changed, is very hard to fake.
What assessors now review
The portfolio is built against the six capability areas of the standard. At Level 4 we expect evidence drawn from at least two complex or multi-team programmes, and we expect it to be the working record rather than a polished summary. Typical submissions include:
- Scope and change records showing where the candidate said no, and what happened next.
- Risk and issue logs with the actions they triggered, not just the entries.
- Forecasts set against actuals, with the commentary that went to the sponsor.
- Governance reports from a period when the programme was in difficulty.
- Peer-review statements from a sponsor, a fellow delivery lead or a PMO lead.
During evidence review, an assessor checks provenance and the candidate’s actual role in each item. Records can be redacted for commercial sensitivity; what matters is that the decisions are visible. The professional discussion then explores the trade-offs behind them. Assessors are specifically briefed to spend time on the difficult project, because that is where leadership shows.
Transition arrangements
Candidates already registered for the written route can complete it until the end of February 2027, or transfer to the portfolio route without an additional fee. Advisers can help existing BIPS Professional holders judge whether their current evidence is strong enough to apply now, or whether another programme cycle would make for a stronger submission.