The FAC-C contains three (3) levels of certification that provides the required education, training and experience for contracting professionals. The FAC-C shall be recognized by all federal civilian agencies as evidence that an employee meets core requirements to perform contracting functions.
While training requirements for the FAC-C are closely aligned with the DAWIA training requirements, they are not identical. A current and valid Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification is considered to be equivalent to a FAC-C at the same certification level, however a FAC-C does not necessarily meet the requirements for DAWIA. Reciprocity will be determined by DoD on an individual basis.
Agency Unique Certification Requirements: Federal agencies may have unique certification requirements in addition to the Federal Acquisition Certification (FAC) requirements. Members of the civilian acquisition workforce are encouraged to consult their agency acquisition workforce policies, internal agency websites, and/or their Acquisition Career Manager for additional information.
FAC-C Requirements (Effective 10/1/2019)
Below are the full education, experience and training requirements for each FAC-C level as of October 1, 2019. Per the May 7, 2014 OFPP Memo, changes to the FAC-C training requirements will be maintained in the table below.
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Level I |
Level II |
Level III |
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| One (1) year of contract work experience based on the Contract Specialist (GS-1102) Qualification Standard | Two (2) years of contract work experience based on the Contract Specialist (GS-1102) Qualification Standard | Four (4) years of contract work experience based on the Contract Specialist (GS-1102) Qualification Standard |
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| Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution or 24 semester hours of business-related college courses | Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution or 24 semester hours of business-related college courses | Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and 24 semester hours of business-related college courses |
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Note: All courses with the prefix CON must be provided by a DAU equivalent vendor. Equivalency end dates for CON 091, CON 121, CON 124, CON 127, CON 170, CON 200, CON 216, CON 280, CON 290 and CON 360 are considered valid for Federal certification until 9/30/23. It is strongly recommended that courses be taken in the order presented. |
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Before beginning Level II training, all Level I training must be completed
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Before beginning Level III training, all Level I and II training must be completed
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1Experience The requirements for experience are generally based upon the Contract Specialist (GS-1102) Qualifications Standard. Experience may be time spent on the job in a contracting-related job assignment, either in the private or public sector, which reflects the accumulation of knowledge, skills and abilities during years of progressively responsible work assignments. There is no exception to the experience requirement and candidates must provide evidence of their experience to their certifying official. Experience can be tracked using the 1102 Experience Development Tool. Satisfaction of experience requirements from one certification level may be applied to the satisfaction of experience requirements of a higher certification level.
2Education While the Senior Procurement Executive (SPE) of a civilian agency may waive the education and training requirements for an applicant for a GS-13 position and above, this waiver is not transferable to another agency and does not apply toward the requirements for the FAC-C. For more information on the education requirement, visit OPM’s Classification and Qualification page.
3Training Fulfillment may be used by contracting professionals with significant experience as an alternative way to meet the training requirements for certification. Fulfillment should be used when appropriate and in compliance with agency policy. The fulfillment process is based on documentation that demonstrates how a workforce member met or accomplished each of the performance outcomes and learning objectives in a specific course. This may be based on contracting experience, alternative training, or another type of certification in the area of contracting and procurement by another organization or other developmental activities. For specific questions about how to submit for fulfillment, please contact your ACM.
4CON 090 & FCN 190 are being phased out by courseware vendors during the period 10/1/2019 through 6/30/2020. Certificates from either course will be acceptable for FAC-C Level I until 9/30/2021. FAI also maintains a list of previously retired legacy courses and their expiration dates.
532 Hours of Electives The 32 hours of electives may be one course or a series of courses. Each course should be at least eight hours in length and can be classroom, online, or a combination of the two. Topics must be related to acquisition and may include general business courses such as statistics or budgeting. Topics of subject areas may also be in a technical area related to the individual’s specific work, such as IT. Agencies have the option of specifying the courses their workforce members must take to meet the 32 hours of electives.