Registered Building Service Manager

Registered Building Service Manager (RBSM) Designation

BSCAI's Registered Building Service Manager (RBSM) designation is the most prestigious symbol of excellence for building service contracting management. By earning the RBSM designation, you'll become part of an elite group of commercial cleaning professionals — worldwide — and the accolades you will receive towards your business goals will be tremendous.

View the RBSM Brochure

Earn Your RBSM Designation in Four Simple Steps

Step 1: Submit Your Application

Apply online for the RBSM exam with a $275 fee. Your application grants access to Volumes 1-7 and the Guide to Green Cleaning in e-book format, available for 365 days. If the exam is not completed within this timeframe, it will be marked as a failed attempt.

Complete the online application

Step 2: Order Study Materials (Optional)

If desired, order printed study materials from the BSCAI Marketplace for additional support.

Order study materials

Step 3: Take the Exam

Log on to start the four-section online RBSM exam. With online testing, you have 14 days to complete all sections, each of which can be taken at your own pace within this period. Exams are true/false and multiple-choice, with instant results and email confirmation upon completion—no proctor needed!

Step 4: Review Your Results

To pass, you must score 70% or higher on each section. If needed, retakes are available within a year for a $100 fee.

RBSM Exam FAQs

What does the exam cover?

The exam is broken down into four sections:

  • Part 1: Hard floors, metal surfaces, carpets, fabric cleaning
  • Part 2: Chemicals and chemistry, restroom cleaning, general technology, safety, green cleaning
  • Part 3: Security, insurance and legal, unions, quality control, communications, customer relations, basic math
  • Part 4: Personnel management, general management 

Are practice exams available?

Practice exams are only available in first edition study materials and are intended only to ensure you covered the material in the book but not intended to replicate the look and feel of the actual exam questions.

What happens if I don't pass the exam?

To date, two thirds of our examinees pass all sections of their first examination. If a candidate doe not achieve a minimum passing score of 70% on any of the four exam sections, they can retake any section they do not pass again within one year.

Renew Your RBSM Designation

Keeping your RBSM designation current is simple! Follow the steps below:

  1. Click here to retrieve a copy of the RBSM renewal form and application.
  2. Fill out the RBSM renewal form and application and email the completed form to certification@bscai.org. 
  3. Pay the $100 recertification fee. 
    Payment options:
    1. Pay by Check: Mail a check to the BSCAI at 8326 Solutions Center, Chicago, IL 60677. 
    2. Pay by Credit Card: To pay online via credit card, login to your personal www.bscai.org account and navigate to the user portal. Click on the bell icon with a red notification in the upper right corner, then click "Outstanding Balances" to view and pay the invoice. 
  4. The payment and knowledge review must be completed to renew. Please allow up to two months to receive your new certificate. 

Lifetime Certification

All BSCAI RBSM designees, upon reaching the age of 62 and who have renewed their designation at least three times, are designated for life. For example, someone who became certified in 2013 and recertified in the years 2015, 2017 and 2019, would be eligible for lifetime certification in 2021. No further reporting or payment is required other than notifying the BSCAI certification department in writing of meeting the age and recertification requirements.