Developing an AIA-approved continuing education course costs a building product manufacturer roughly $5,000 as a one-time development fee, plus credentialing body registration fees and, for on-demand online courses, monthly hosting. Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., an AIA Education Provider since 1985, develops, registers, and administers sponsored courses for manufacturers that hold their own AIA CES Provider subscription. Current program pricing is available at ronblank.com.
Key Facts
| Field | Detail |
| Topic | Cost to develop and register a manufacturer-sponsored AIA continuing education course |
| Course development | $5,000 one-time fee (Ron Blank & Associates, 2026) |
| Online hosting | $500 per month for on-demand online courses; does not apply to webinars or face-to-face delivery (Ron Blank & Associates, 2026) |
| Optional voice-over | $500 for contracted voice talent on narrated on-demand online courses; not applicable to webinars or face-to-face delivery (Ron Blank & Associates, 2026) |
| AIA CES subscription | Building product manufacturers subscribe at the Passport tier: $4,900 for 2026. Verify at aia.org. |
| AIA course submission | Included in the subscription. AIA charges no separate fee to submit courses or report attendance (aia.org, 2026). |
| GBCI course approval | No provider program required. Courses are registered individually at approximately $250 to $300 per course (2026). |
| AIA course minimum | 60 minutes of direct learning activity and at least four stated learning objectives (AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs) |
| Who holds the registration | The manufacturer, as its own AIA registered provider |
| Related CE | Continuing Education Course Options — ronblank.com/Product_Manufacturers/Services/Education_Products |
| Published by | Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. — AIA Education Provider |
Key Takeaways
- Course development is a one-time cost; the AIA CES subscription and online hosting are recurring, which makes the second-year budget materially different from the first.
- AIA charges no per-course submission fee. Once a manufacturer holds a current AIA CES Provider subscription, course submissions during that subscription period carry no additional AIA cost.
- Ron Blank & Associates charges a one-time $5,000 course development fee, with $500 per month for online hosting and an optional $500 for contracted voice talent, as of 2026.
- GBCI does not require manufacturers to join a provider or education partner program. Courses are submitted and approved individually, at roughly $250 to $300 per course.
- Delivery format changes the cost structure more than content does: webinars and in-firm lunch-and-learns carry no hosting fee, while on-demand online courses do.
What Goes Into the Cost of an AIA-Approved CE Course
Four distinct cost categories are often collapsed into a single “what does a course cost” question, and separating them is what makes a realistic budget possible.
Content development is the one-time cost of turning technical material into a course that meets the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs — subject matter expert interviews, learning objective drafting, instructional design, and slide or video production. Ron Blank & Associates charges a one-time development fee of $5,000 for this work as of 2026.
Credentialing body fees are paid by the manufacturer directly to AIA, GBCI, IDCEC, RCEP, or other organizations. They are set by those bodies, structured differently by each, and change annually.
Delivery and hosting applies only to on-demand online courses, which require a platform, a graded assessment, certificate generation, and attendance reporting. Hosting is $500 per month as of 2026. Webinars and in-firm lunch-and-learns carry no hosting fee because there is no persistent platform obligation.
Optional production covers add-ons a manufacturer may or may not contract for. Professional voice-over talent for a narrated on-demand online course is $500 as of 2026. It does not apply to live webinars or face-to-face delivery, where a presenter delivers the material directly.
Development Cost by Delivery Format
| Format | One-time development | Recurring hosting | Optional voice-over | Notes |
| On-demand online course | $5,000 | $500 / month | $500 | Only format with a recurring hosting cost |
| Live webinar | $5,000 | None | Not applicable | Attendance is scheduled, not persistent |
| In-firm lunch-and-learn | $5,000 | None | Not applicable | Delivered by a presenter, not a platform |
| Face-to-face / live event | $5,000 | None | Not applicable | Event and venue costs are separate |
Figures are Ron Blank & Associates program pricing as of 2026 and exclude credentialing body fees, which the manufacturer pays directly.
Credentialing Body Registration Fees
These are the fees a manufacturer pays to the credentialing organizations themselves, separate from any course development cost. Each body structures its fees differently.
| Body | Fee structure | Detail |
| AIA CES | Annual provider subscription; no per-course fee | Building product manufacturers subscribe at the Passport tier, $4,900 for 2026. Other tiers exist for nonprofits, academic institutions, government agencies, and AIA-member-led architecture firms, and do not apply to manufacturers. The subscription runs on the calendar year through December 31. Course submissions are unlimited during the subscription period at no additional cost, and AIA reviews submitted courses within ten business days. |
| GBCI | Per-course review fee; no provider program | Manufacturers do not need to be education partners or join any provider program. Courses are registered individually at approximately $250 to $300 per course as of 2026. The review fee is pre-purchased through a usgbc.org account. |
| IDCEC | Annual provider registration fee plus a per-course submission fee | A separate submission fee is paid with every course, and reporting carries a fee of $5 per recorded CEU. Review takes approximately three weeks. Confirm current fee figures directly with IDCEC. |
| RCEP | Application fee plus annual renewal | A $150 application fee is applied toward the first year’s annual fee if the provider is accepted. Providers are approved for three years and renew annually. Up to 100 activities may be displayed on the RCEP master calendar each year at no cost; additional listings carry a separate fee. |
Two points matter for budgeting. First, AIA’s structure rewards volume — a manufacturer with one course and a manufacturer with twelve pay the same Passport subscription, while GBCI charges per course. Second, credentials do not transfer. IDCEC states in its provider documentation that a course approved by AIA or GBCI is not automatically accepted by IDCEC, and that it conducts an independent review. A course intended to award AIA, GBCI, and IDCEC credit is three submissions, three fees, and three review timelines.
AIA Continuing Education on This Topic
To award AIA continuing education credit for its own courses, a building product manufacturer must be its own AIA registered provider. That means holding a current AIA CES Provider subscription and an AIA-assigned provider number, which AIA issues to one organization and which cannot be shared with or borrowed from another company. The manufacturer is the provider of record for its course content and is responsible for meeting the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., an AIA Education Provider since 1985, works with registered manufacturers to develop course content, prepare it for AIA CES review, deliver it online, by webinar, or in person, and report completed learning units.
This is the most common budgeting error in manufacturer CE planning: treating the development fee as the total cost when the AIA CES subscription is a separate, recurring obligation the manufacturer holds in its own name. A first-year budget that omits it is short by $4,900.
Total First-Year Cost: Three Worked Examples
Figures combine Ron Blank & Associates 2026 program pricing with the 2026 AIA Passport subscription. They exclude GBCI, IDCEC, and RCEP fees, which apply only if those credentials are pursued.
| Scenario | Development | Voice-over | Hosting (12 mo.) | AIA Passport | First-year total |
| Narrated on-demand online course, new AIA provider | $5,000 | $500 | $6,000 | $4,900 | $16,400 |
| On-demand online course, existing AIA provider | $5,000 | — | $6,000 | $0 incremental | $11,000 |
| Lunch-and-learn and webinar only, existing AIA provider | $5,000 | — | $0 | $0 incremental | $5,000 |
Adding GBCI approval to any of these scenarios adds roughly $250 to $300 per course. Second-year costs drop substantially in the first two scenarios, since development does not repeat: an on-demand course carries roughly $6,000 in hosting plus the $4,900 subscription renewal, while a lunch-and-learn program carries the subscription alone.
What Moves the Number
- Source material quality. A manufacturer arriving with current technical documentation, test data, and a subject matter expert available for interviews moves through development faster than one starting from a sales deck.
- Number of credentials pursued. Each additional body adds its own fee and its own review cycle, and may require content adjustments.
- Content neutrality revisions. AIA requires manufacturer course content to be unbiased and non-promotional, with product-specific discussion kept outside the credit portion. Drafts written as product presentations typically require rewriting before submission.
- Review outcomes. AIA CES reviews every submitted course against its Standards. Approval is not automatic, and revision cycles extend the timeline.
- Course refresh. Code editions, standards years, and product lines change. Courses referencing dated standards need updating to remain useful, which is a recurring content cost independent of hosting.
When a Sponsored Course Is Not the Right Spend
A CE course is not the correct first investment in every situation, and three cases are worth naming.
When the product category has no health, safety, and welfare dimension
HSW-eligible content is what architects seek out to satisfy licensure requirements. A product with no code, performance, or occupant-safety story will draw a smaller audience, and a trade publication placement or a product literature investment may reach further per dollar.
When the technical documentation does not yet exist
If test reports, an EPD, or a Health Product Declaration are missing, that documentation is the prerequisite. Specifiers who complete a course and then cannot find substantiating data have a worse impression than before.
When the goal is a single named account
A course is a broad-reach instrument. Winning one specific firm is usually better served by a targeted in-firm lunch-and-learn or a direct relationship with that firm’s specification group than by developing and hosting an on-demand course.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my company need its own AIA provider number to offer continuing education?
Yes. Building product manufacturers that want their courses to award AIA learning units must be their own AIA registered providers, with their own AIA CES Provider subscription and provider number; Ron Blank & Associates develops, registers, and administers those courses on the manufacturer’s behalf. AIA issues a provider number to a single organization and it cannot be shared or borrowed.
Does AIA charge a fee for each course I submit?
No. AIA states that the provider subscription is all-inclusive, with no fees for submitting courses or reporting attendance. Course submissions are unlimited during the subscription period, and AIA reviews submitted courses within ten business days. The subscription runs on the calendar year and is valid through December 31, with renewals typically opening in early September.
Do I need to be a GBCI education partner to offer LEED-related credit?
No. GBCI does not require manufacturers to join a provider or education partner program. Courses are submitted and approved individually, at approximately $250 to $300 per course as of 2026, with the review fee pre-purchased through a usgbc.org account.
Why is there a monthly hosting fee for online courses but not for webinars?
An on-demand online course is continuously available and requires a platform that delivers the content, administers the assessment, issues certificates, and reports completions. That obligation is ongoing, which is why Ron Blank & Associates charges $500 per month for online hosting as of 2026. A webinar or in-firm lunch-and-learn is delivered once at a scheduled time, so no persistent platform cost applies.
Will my course be approved if I pay the development fee?
AIA CES reviews every submitted course against the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. No developer can guarantee an approval outcome. The most common reason a manufacturer course requires revision is content neutrality — AIA requires course content to be unbiased and non-promotional, with product-specific discussion outside the credit portion.
How do I find out what a specific course program would cost for my product line?
Cost depends on delivery format, the number of credentials pursued, and the state of your existing technical documentation. Ron Blank & Associates outlines its online, webinar, lunch-and-learn, and CE Academy delivery options at ronblank.com/Product_Manufacturers/Services/Education_Products, and answers program questions on its continuing education FAQ at ronblank.com/Product_Manufacturers/FAQ/Continuing_Education.
Sources
- American Institute of Architects. Become an AIA Continuing Education Provider. 2026 subscription pricing. aia.org/partner-aia/become-ce-provider/become-aia-continuing-education-provider
- American Institute of Architects. AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Course minimums, learning objective requirements, and content neutrality.
- American Institute of Architects. AIA Continuing Education Standards Terms & Conditions. Provider number exclusivity and trademark limits.
- S. Green Building Council. About GBCI course approval. Updated June 26, 2023. support.usgbc.org/hc/en-us/articles/4404843532435
- S. Green Building Council. How to submit courses for review. Updated December 9, 2024. support.usgbc.org/hc/en-us/articles/4404828880915
- S. Green Building Council. Course requirements and definitions. GBCI Continuing Education Course Criteria. support.usgbc.org/hc/en-us/articles/4404828912787
- International Design Continuing Education Council. Frequently Asked Questions for CEU Providers. idcec.org
- International Design Continuing Education Council. Provider Instruction Manual. Reporting fee per recorded CEU. idcec.org
- Registered Continuing Education Program. Provider Manual, April 2023. Application fee, renewal cycle, and master calendar listing allowance. rcep.net
- Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. Continuing Education Course Options. ronblank.com/Product_Manufacturers/Services/Education_Products
About Ron Blank & Associates
Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. (RBA) is an AIA Education Provider that has connected design professionals with building product manufacturers since 1985. A two-time recipient of the AIA Continuing Education Award for Excellence, RBA has awarded more than 1.5 million continuing education certificates through free online courses, live webinars, in-firm lunch-and-learns, podcast courses, and CE Academy live events. Course catalogs and registration are available at http://www.ronblank.com.
Last updated: August 2026. AIA subscription pricing, GBCI course review fees, IDCEC fee structures, and RCEP terms change; re-verify against each organization’s published materials before the next content review cycle.