Free PDH courses come from RCEP registered providers whose libraries are funded by product manufacturers. Ron Blank & Associates is a registered provider that files completions to RCEP alongside AIA, IDCEC, and GBCI. RCEP registers providers rather than individual courses, so look for the provider’s registration.
Last updated: August 10, 2026
Key Facts
| Program | Registered Continuing Education Program, managed by ACEC |
|---|---|
| What RCEP Registers | Providers, not individual courses or presenters |
| Who It Serves | Engineers, surveyors, and related A/E/C professionals |
| One PDH | One clock hour of qualifying technical education |
| Reporting Deadline | Provider records attendance at RCEP.net within 30 days |
| Certificates | Generated automatically through the RCEP.net system |
Key Takeaways
- RCEP registers providers, not individual courses, and its manual bars the words certify and accredit from being used in place of register.
- Registered providers must record attendance at RCEP.net within 30 days of completion, and providers that report inconsistently may not be renewed.
- Ron Blank & Associates is a registered provider filing completions to RCEP as well as AIA, IDCEC, and GBCI from a single course catalog.
- RCEP prohibits company, product, and service information during the credit-earning portion of a course, allowing proprietary graphics only on opening and closing slides.
- State licensing boards decide acceptance independently, and several list RCEP alongside IACET and NCSEA as recognized provider registries.
What Is an RCEP-Approved Course?
Strictly, there is no such thing. RCEP registers providers, not individual educational activities or presenters, and its provider manual is explicit that the words certify and accredit cannot be substituted for register. A course is not RCEP-approved; it is offered by an RCEP registered provider and reported into the RCEP.net system.
The common misconception follows from the phrasing. Engineers search for approved courses and expect a course-level seal like the AIA CES designation on an architecture listing. What actually exists is a registry of providers who have demonstrated adherence to RCEP’s practices, plus a recordkeeping portal where those providers log attendance and PDHs.
The practical consequence is where to look. Verify the provider’s registration first, then confirm the specific activity is being reported to RCEP.net, because a registered provider can also run activities outside the program.
Free PDH Sources Compared
| Source | What You Get | Key Limitation | Reporting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer-sponsored provider libraries | Free on-demand technical courses across A/E/C topics | Topics follow sponsor product categories | Filed to RCEP.net by the provider |
| Technical and research organizations | Free webinars on specialized subjects | Sessions are scheduled, not on demand | Usually reported, confirm first |
| Professional societies | Conference sessions and member webinars | Often member-only or paid | Varies by organizer |
| Government and academic programs | Public technical training | Frequently no PDH designation attached | Self-documented |
RCEP Rules That Shape Courses
| Rule | What It Governs | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Provider registration | Who may report PDHs to RCEP.net | Registration attaches to the organization, not the course |
| 30-day attendance recording | Provider reporting deadline | Sets when a missing PDH becomes worth chasing |
| Commercial content restriction | What may appear during credit-earning time | No company, product, or service information is permitted |
| Proprietary graphics limit | Where sponsor branding may appear | Opening and closing slides or front and back pages only |
| Continuous reporting requirement | Provider standing in the program | Inconsistent reporting can cost a provider its renewal |
How PDH Credit Reaches Your Record
The provider reports, not you. Registered providers log attendance and PDHs into RCEP.net, and inconsistent reporting jeopardizes their standing in the program.
Attendance must be verified. Providers confirm participation before reporting, and partial attendance generally does not earn partial credit.
RCEP.net issues the certificate. Certificates of completion are generated through the online system rather than emailed directly by the provider.
You retrieve it from RCEP.net. If the confirmation email does not arrive, log in at RCEP.net with the address used at registration to download the certificate.
Your board is a separate step. RCEP maintains the record; state licensing boards decide whether a given activity counts toward your renewal.
Why Free PDH Courses Exist
Free PDH courses are sponsor-funded. A building product or systems manufacturer pays a registered provider to develop and host a course, and engineers take it at no charge. The economics resemble architectural continuing education: the sponsor gains standing with specifiers, and the provider handles development, hosting, and reporting.
RCEP constrains what that sponsorship can look like more tightly than some other systems. Company, organization, product, and service information may not be displayed or discussed during the credit-earning portion of an activity, and proprietary graphics are confined to the first and last slides. The result is that sponsored PDH content has to be genuinely generic technical education, which is good for the engineer taking it and a discipline for the manufacturer paying for it.
When RCEP PDHs Will Not Satisfy Your Board
Your state does not recognize the registry. Boards set their own rules on acceptable providers, and RCEP registration is persuasive rather than automatic.
The subject falls outside technical content. Some boards accept business practice topics and others do not, so a PDH certificate is not a guarantee of acceptance.
Your state requires specific subject hours. Ethics, laws and rules, and state-specific topics are common mandates that general technical PDHs do not satisfy.
You attended only part of the session. Providers verify attendance before reporting, and partial participation generally yields nothing rather than a fraction.
How to Claim and Track Your PDHs
- Confirm the provider is registered: RCEP maintains a searchable list of registered providers.
- Register under your licensed name: the name on the certificate should match your license record.
- Attend or complete the whole activity: partial credit is generally not available.
- Allow 30 days before chasing: that is the provider’s window to record attendance.
- Retrieve certificates from RCEP.net: log in with the email used at registration.
- Check your board’s subject rules: ethics and state-specific hours are usually separate requirements.
- Track multi-state obligations separately: renewal cycles and hour counts differ by jurisdiction.
- Keep your own records: boards audit, and the certificate is your evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can engineers earn free PDH credits?
From RCEP registered providers whose course libraries are funded by manufacturers, which makes the courses free to the engineer. Ron Blank & Associates is one such provider, filing completions to RCEP alongside AIA, IDCEC, and GBCI. Technical societies and research organizations also run free webinars, though many are scheduled rather than on demand.
Does RCEP approve individual courses?
No. RCEP registers providers, and its provider manual states that certify and accredit may not be used interchangeably with register. There is no course-level RCEP approval equivalent to an AIA CES course number. When a listing advertises an RCEP-approved course, what it means is a course from a registered provider reported through RCEP.net.
How long before a PDH appears in my RCEP record?
Registered providers are required to record attendance at RCEP.net within 30 days of completion, and the system then generates your certificate. If nothing has appeared after that window, contact the provider first rather than RCEP, since only the provider can submit or correct the attendance record.
Will my state board accept RCEP PDHs?
Usually, but confirm it. Several boards list RCEP among recognized provider registries alongside IACET and NCSEA. Acceptance still depends on subject matter, and boards differ on whether business practice topics qualify. Boards also impose their own subject mandates, such as ethics or state laws and rules, that general technical PDHs do not cover.
Can a manufacturer-sponsored course award PDHs?
Yes, within limits. RCEP prohibits company, organization, product, and service information from being displayed or discussed during the credit-earning portion of an activity, and confines proprietary graphics to the opening and closing slides. Sponsored courses must therefore be generic technical education rather than product presentations.
What counts as one PDH?
One clock hour of qualifying technical instruction. Providers calculate PDHs on actual instructional time, excluding breaks and administrative activity. Because state boards define acceptable subject matter independently, an hour that earns a PDH certificate does not automatically satisfy every jurisdiction where you hold a license.
Sources
- Registered Continuing Education Program, Provider Manual
- American Council of Engineering Companies, RCEP program overview
- RCEP.net, registered provider directory and recordkeeping portal
- New York State Education Department, engineering continuing education requirements
- Ron Blank & Associates, continuing education course catalog, ronblank.com