Certification Requirements
The FAC-C contains three levels of certification that allows for appropriate education, training and experience for contracting professionals managing a range of contract vehicles, from low-risk contracts (such as supplies) to high-risk, complex acquisitions (such as Information technology (IT) systems). Each level has specific education, training, and experience requirements. The FAC-C shall be recognized by all federal civilian agencies as evidence that an employee meets core requirements to perform contracting functions.
Agencies covered by the FAC-C program may require additional training and experience beyond the basic FAC-C requirements. Additional training is training in support of the agency’s mission or the requirements of a contracting officer’s specific position. Agencies with DoD-funded requirements may require additional training and experience in accordance with DoD policy for their Contracting Officers who are appointed to support those DoD requirements.
While training requirements for the FAC-C are closely aligned with the DAWIA training requirements, they are not identical. Per the May 7, 2014 Memo on Revisions to the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) from OFPP, changes to the FAC-C training requirements will be maintained on the FAI website under the FAC-C Certification area.
Below are the education, experience and training requirements for each FAC-C level. This table is also available as a downloadable pdf file.
|
FAC-C Requirements |
|
Requirements for:
|
Level I
|
Level II
|
Level III
|
|
Experience*
|
1 year of contract work experience based on the Contract Specialist (GS-1102) Qualification Standard
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2 years of contract work experience based on the Contract Specialist (GS-1102) Qualification Standard |
4 years of contract work experience based on the Contract Specialist (GS-1102) Qualification Standard |
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Education**
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Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution or 24 semester hours of business-related college courses
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Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution or 24 semester hours of business-related college courses
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Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and 24 semester hours of business-related college courses
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Training
|
10 Core Courses:
|
8 Core Courses:
-
CON 216 Legal Considerations in Contracting
-
CLC 056 Analyzing Contract Costs
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CON 270 Intermediate Cost and Price Analysis
-
CLC 051 Managing Government Property in the Possession of Contractors
Plus all required Level 1 training
|
2 Core Courses Plus 1 Elective:
Plus all required Level I and Level II training
|
* Experience. 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 requirements and candidates must provide evidence of their experience to their certifying official. Satisfaction of experience requirements from one certification level may be applied to the satisfaction of experience requirements of a higher certification level.
** Education. While a 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.
*** 32 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.
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Training Requirements
The FAC-C has specific training requirements for each level. For certification purposes, each required certification course taken from a training provider must have been granted either DAU Equivalency or FAI Verification for that course. A list of the DAU Equivalent training providers and courses can be found in the DAU iCatalog. Online and classroom courses taken from DAU meet the requirement for DAU Equivalency. When electives are taken for certification purposes, those courses do not have to be either DAU Equivalent or FAI Verified.
Below is a list of the training requirements for FAC-C certification. This table is also available as a downloadable PDF file.
|
FAC-C Training Requirements |
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Level I
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Level II
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Level III
|
|
10 Core Courses:
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CON 121 Contract Planning
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CON 124 Contract Execution
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CON 127 Contract Management
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FAC 023 Basic Contracting for GSA Schedules
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FAC 031 Small Business Programs
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CLC 057 Performance-Based Payment & Value of Cash Flow
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CLC 058 Introduction to Contract Pricing
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CON 170 Fundamentals of Cost and Price Analysis
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8 Core Courses:
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CON 200 Business Decisions for Contracting
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CON 216 Legal Considerations in Contracting
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CLC 056 Analyzing Contract Costs
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CON 270 Intermediate Cost and Price Analysis
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CLC 051 Managing Government Property in the Possession of Contractors
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CON 280 Source Selection and Administration of Service Contracts
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CON 290 Contract Administration & Negotiation Techniques in a Supply Environment
Plus all required Level 1 training
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2 Core Courses Plus 1 Elective:
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CON 360 Contracting for Decisions Makers
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Select an HBS module other than HBS 428
Plus all required Level I and Level II training
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* 32 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.
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Course Prerequisites
Some courses have one or more prerequisites that must be taken prior to registering for the course. The prerequisites may be different if the course is being taken for continuous learning rather than certification.
Workforce members taking a classroom-based CON course directly from DAU must meet all DAU prerequisites. DAU prerequisites can be found in the online DAU iCatalog under CON Training Courses.
Below is a list of the FAI course prerequisites for both certification and continuous learning purposes. This list is also available as a downloadable PDF file.
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Course Prerequisites |
|---|
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Course ID
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Course Title
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For FAC-C Certification
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For Continuous Learning |
Comments
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|---|
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Level I |
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CON 100
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Shaping Smart Business Arrangements
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None
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None
|
|
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FCN 101
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Contract Basics
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None
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None
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|
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CON 121
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Contract Planning
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FCN 101 or CON 100
See note in the Comments box on the right when registering for this course.
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See note in the Comments box on the right when registering for this course.
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Workforce members are highly encouraged to take CON 121, CON 124, and CON 127 in order.
When registering for this course, civilian agency workforce members should enter the following in the General Remark box: “CON 090 has been waived for FAC-C”, and then continue with the registration process.
(see Note 1 below)
|
|
CON 124
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Contract Execution
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None
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None
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Workforce members are highly encouraged to take CON 121, CON 124, and CON 127 in order.
|
|
CON 127
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Contract Management
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None
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None
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Workforce members are highly encouraged to take CON 121, CON 124, and CON 127 in order.
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FAC 023
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Basic Contracting for GSA Schedules
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None
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None
|
|
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FAC 031
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Small Business Programs
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None
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None
|
|
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CLC 057
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Performance Based Payments and Value of Cash Flow
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None
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None
|
|
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CLC 058
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Introduction to Contract Pricing
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None
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None
|
|
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CON 170 (FED)
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Fundamentals of Cost and Price Analysis
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None
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FAC-C Level I Certified or higher
|
Recommended: Basic math refresher
(see Note 1 below)
Workforce members are highly encouraged to take CLC 057 (Performance-Based Payments) and CLC 058 (Introduction to Contract Pricing) before taking CON 170.
|
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CON 090 (FED)
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FAR Fundamentals
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None
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FAC-C Level I Certified or higher
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(see Note 1 below)
|
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FCN 190
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FAR Fundamentals
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None
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FAC-C Level I Certified or higher
|
|
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Level II |
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CON 200
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Business Decisions for Contracting
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FAC-C Level I Certified
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For members of the Contracting career field: FAC-C Level I Certified or higher
For all other career fields: None
|
|
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CON 216
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Legal Considerations in Contracting
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FAC-C Level I Certified
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For members of the Contracting career field: FAC-C Level I ertified or higher
For all other career fields: None
|
|
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CLC 056
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Analyzing Contract Costs
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None
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None
|
|
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CON 270 (FED)
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Intermediate Cost and Price Analysis
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Required: FAC-C Level I Certified and CON 170 and CLC 056
Also Recommended: A college level course in statistics, and basic proficiency in Excel
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FAC-C Level II Certified or higher
|
(see Notes 1 and 2 below)
|
|
CLC 051
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Managing Government Property in the Possession of Contractors
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None
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None
|
|
|
HBS 428
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Negotiating
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None
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None
|
|
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CON 280 (FED)
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Source Selection and Administration of Service Contracts
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Required: CON 270 and CLC 051 and HBS 428
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FAC-C Level II Certified or higher
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(see Notes 1 and 2 below)
|
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CON 290 (FED)
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Negotiation and Administration of Supply Contracts
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Required: CON 270 and CLC 051 and HBS 428
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FAC-C Level II Certified or higher
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(see Notes 1 and 2 below)
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Level III |
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CON 360 (FED)
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Contracting for Decision Makers
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Required: FAC-C Level I and II Certified
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FAC-C Level III Certified
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(see Note 1 below)
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Notes:
-
The FAC-C and DAWIA prerequisites for this course are different. The prerequisites on this chart are for course offerings that include “(FED)” to the left of the course identifier.
-
Workforce members taking CON 170, CON 270, CON 280, CON 290, or CON 370 for continuous learning purposes are responsible for ensuring they (a) have reviewed the learning objectives for the course, and, (b) have the required knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform in the class.
-
The identifier “(FED)” following a course code denotes a course that is specifically for the non-DOD contracting workforce.
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Retired Courses
Retired courses are courses that were previously used for certification. They have been retired because they are out of date or the certification program has changed. These courses are also referred to as Legacy Courses.
A retired course cannot be used for certification or fulfillment purposes unless there is a date in the right column in the chart below. After that date, the course cannot be accepted for certification purposes. This table is also available as a downloadable PDF file.
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Retired Course ID
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Accepted for Certification or Fulfillment Until
|
|---|
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CON 110 and FCN 110
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9/30/2015
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CON 111 and FCN 111
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9/30/2015
|
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CON 112 and FCN 112
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9/30/2015
|
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CON 120
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9/30/2015
|
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CON 214
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9/30/2015
|
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CON 215
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9/30/2015
|
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CON 217
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9/30/2015
|
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CON 218
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9/30/2015
|
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CON 353
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9/30/2015
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Reciprocity with Other Certifications
For contracting professionals coming from DOD, a valid, current Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification is equivalent to a FAC-C at the same certification level, provided the FAC-C education and continuous learning requirements have been met. When applying for a FAC-C, the individual is responsible for providing their agency acquisition career manager with the documentation supporting their DAWIA certification, education, and continuous learning history.
Because the contracting certification program in DAWIA has different education and training requirements, a valid, current FAC-C does not necessarily meet the requirements for the Contracting DAWIA certification. Civilian agency contracting professionals seeking positions subject to DAWIA must have both a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution AND 24 semester hours of business-related college courses at all levels. Reciprocity will be determined by DoD on an individual basis.
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DAU Equivalency/FAI Verification
Classes taken for FAC-C certification purposes starting with CON must be taken from a training provider (commercial vendor, college or university, or another organization) whose class has been determined by DAU to be DAU Equivalent. A class taken for FAC-C purposes starting with FCN must be taken from a training provider (commercial vendor, college or university, or another organization) whose class has been verified by FAI.
DAU Equivalent Providers. A list of DAU Equivalent vendors and classes can be found in DAU’s iCatalog under Equivalent Providers. Commercial vendors, colleges and universities, and other organizations can find more information about the DAU Equivalency Process in the DAU iCatalog under Equivalent Providers.
FAI Verified Providers. A list of FAI Verified vendors and classes can be found on the FAI Verification Program page. The FAI Verification process is currently being updated.
Fulfillment
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 provided by the workforce member that demonstrates how they met or accomplished each of the performance outcomes and learning objectives in a specific course. The accomplishment of the performance outcomes and learning objectives may be based on contracting experience, alternative training, or another type certification in the area of contracting and procurement by another organization or other developmental activities.
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Continuous Learning
To maintain a FAC-C, contracting professionals are required to earn 80 continuous learning points (CLPs) every two years, beginning with the date of their certification. Acquisition career managers (ACMs) monitor the continuous learning requirements for individuals holding FAC-Cs to ensure they meet these requirements. It is the contracting professional’s responsibility to ensure that his/her continuous learning requirements are met.
Hours in excess of the minimum requirements may not be carried forward for credit beyond the current period. In general, no single activity should be used to accumulate all CLPs required for maintenance of their certification. Contracting professionals should make an effort to participate in a variety of acquisition-related activities designed to give the member a well-rounded perspective of the acquisition function.
Contracting professionals are encouraged to take the classes recently added to the contracting certification program since obtaining their certification. Continuous learning can also be used to strengthen an individual’s skills and capabilities in the specialized areas in which they work. An example would be taking basic IT classes for those buying information technology. Taking courses outside the area of contracting such as project management helps broaden the contracting professional’s understanding of their customers.
Continuous learning is more than just taking classroom or online training. Points can be awarded for participation in professional organizations, publishing articles on contracting and procurement, speaking at events where the topic is contracting and procurement, rotational and developmental assignments.
When using these types of activities for CLP purposes, the contracting professional and their supervisor should pre-define the number of CLPs recommended for the activity. Below are sample activities and the number of CLPs recommended for completing them. This is a sample list and is not intended to be all-inclusive. Agencies can establish different CLP values for the listed activities; therefore, contracting professionals should seek agency guidance and consider the advice of their ACM in the assignment of CLP values for activities listed and those being contemplated.
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Recommended Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) |
|---|
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Sample Activity
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CLPs
|
|---|
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Formal and informal training (such as FAI and DAU classroom or online courses)
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1 CLP per hour of instruction
|
|
Accredited higher education courses (from a college or university)
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10 CLPs per semester or quarter hour (generally)
|
|
Continuing Education Unit (CEU)
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10 CLPs per CEU
|
|
Equivalency Exam for a course, i.e. “testing out”
|
Same points as awarded for the course
|
|
A learning event such as a seminar, brown bag, or presentation
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1 CLP per hour if attending the learning event
1 CLP per hour for preparation if leading the learning event.
A maximum of 20 CLPs per year for this type of activity
|
|
Attendance at professional association meetings
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1 CLP per meeting hour with a maximum of 20 CLPs per year
|
|
Participation in intra- or interagency groups where the topic is some element of acquisition
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1 CLP per meeting hour with a maximum of 20 CLPs per year
|
|
Association leadership role
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1 CLP per meeting hour with a maximum of 20 CLPs per year
|
|
Professional license or certification
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20 to 40 CLPs
|
|
Publication of an article or articles on an element of acquisition
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1 CLP per preparation hour with a maximum of 20 CLPs per year
|
|
On-the-job experiential learning
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1 CLP per hour of activity with a maximum of 20 CLPs per year
|
|
Mentoring
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1 CLP per hour of activity with a maximum of 20 CLPs per year
|
|
Rotational or developmental assignments
12 month assignment or detail
9 months
6 months
3 months
2 months
1 month
|
Based on learning achieved and length of assignment or detail.
CLP Recommendation:
80 CLPs
64 CLPs
45 CLPs
35 CLPs
30 CLPs
20 CLPs
|
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Core-Plus Specialization
The purpose of the FAC-C Core-Plus specialization is to establish additional training, experience, and continuous learning requirements for contracting professionals who are FAC-C certified and manage specific investments requiring specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities.
There currently are no FAC-C Core-Plus Specializations available. As FAC-C Core-Plus Specializations are developed, the workforce will be notified on FAI.gov and through FAITAS.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Visit the FAC-C Frequently Asked Questions page to find answers to commonly asked questions regarding FAC-C.
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Contracting Competencies
The FAC-C Program is built on competencies that refer to the knowledge, skills, and abilities contracting professionals must have in order to perform their contracting duties. Because the changes to the FAC-C Program were made to better align it with the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) program, the contracting competencies that are the foundation of the FAC-C certification training are the ones developed by DoD. The DoD competencies are available as a downloadable PDF file.
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Guidance on the 24 Hours of Business Courses Requirement
OPM’s guidance on the 24 hours of business may be found on the Questions and Answers Concerning Revised 1102 Standard page. FAI’s guidance on the 24 Hours of Business is also available as a downloadable PDF file.
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Links to Contracting Related Documents and Sites
FAC-C Memos
Below are OMB and OFPP guidance on the FAC-C program.
May 7, 2014 Memo on Revisions to the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) from OFPP
January 20, 2006 Memo on The Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Program (FAC-C) from OMB
April 15, 2005 Policy Letter 05-01 on Developing and Managing the Acquisition Workforce from OFPP
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Agency Unique FAC-C Requirements
In August 2016, FAI distributed a survey to identify the Federal civilian agencies' unique certification requirements. The table below provides an overview of the agency unique FAC-C requirements. The requirements below are in addition to the government-wide FAC-C requirements. If you have any questions about your agency's unique requirements, please contact your acquisition career manager (ACM). The agency unique FAC-C requirements are also available as a downloadable PDF file.
|
Agency*
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FAC Level
|
Experience
|
Training
|
Continuous Learning
|
|
DHS
|
Level I, II, III
|
|
FAC 043
|
FAC 043
|
|
DOJ
|
Level I, II, III
|
|
FAC 018, FAC 031, and FAC 043 (or proof of equivalent courses)
|
|
|
NASA
|
Level I
|
2 months of experience between Level I courses
|
CON 100 and CON 090
|
|
|
Level II
|
6 months of experience required after Level I is achieved prior to enrolling in Level II courses; recommend 2 months of experience between Level II courses
|
ACQ 101
|
|
|
Level III
|
1 year of experience after completion of Level II prior to enrolling in Level III courses; Level III courses limited to GS 13 and above
|
ACQ 202 and CON 370
|
|
|
SSA
|
Level II
|
3 years of cumulative experience
|
|
|
|
Level III
|
7 years of cumulative experience
|
|
|
|
VA
|
Level I, II, III
|
|
Welcome to the VA an Orientation for New 1102s; ECMS New User Training; FPDS Computer Based Training Certification - IDV; FPDS Computer Based Training Certification - Awards; CPARS Overview; and CPARS Quality and Narrative Writing
|
|
|
HHS
|
Level I, II, III
|
|
16 Hours of Appropriations Law training; Contact OAWSI@hhs.gov for any additional agency requirements
|
|
*No agencies reported unique FAC-C education requirements.
The following agencies reported that they do not have any agency-specific FAC-C requirements in addition to the government-wide requirements: Agency for International Development (USAID), Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Commerce (DOC), Department of Education, Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Labor (DOL), Department of the Treasury, Department of Transportation (DOT), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), General Services Administration (GSA), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), National Science Foundation (NSF), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Small Business Administration (SBA).
The following agencies did not respond to the survey: Department of Interior (DOI) and Department of State.
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Other Information
The Federal Contracting Career Field has a Functional Advisory Board (FAB) as a collaborative, federal-wide working group charged with shaping the management policies and practices of the Federal Acquisition Certification program which is chartered by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. The Contracting FAB Charter establishes the Contracting FAB (CON FAB) to perform continuous review, evaluation, and update of the contracting career field within Federal civilian agencies.
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