Contracting Professionals serve the Federal Government as business advisors with the goal of acquiring products and services that provide the best value to the Government. In this role, Contracting Professionals use agency, program, and marketplace knowledge, as well as contracting processes and best practices, to guide their customers and craft smart business arrangements that assist with achieving mission results for their agency. Contracting Professionals should be intimately familiar with the goals of their program offices and customers and use their acquisition and business knowledge to forge solutions by creating a partnership with their customers. Contracting Professionals are responsible for the entire business cycle, from using relevant marketplace knowledge to inform strategy and planning activities to managing contractor performance and maintaining useful business relationships into the future.
The purpose of this roadmap is to provide Contracting Professionals and their supervisors with a guide to getting started in the 1102 career field. It provides a framework for the career, including gaining a basic understanding of the acquisition process, the competencies and mandatory training required, guidelines for selecting and working with a mentor, guidelines for goal setting, and best practices for documenting experiences on the job. New Contracting Professionals should work through the steps and the “to-do lists” early in their professional career.
Select the numbers below to view the details and to-do lists about each step in the roadmap.
Contracting Professional’s Career Roadmap
New Contracting Professionals should become familiar with the Federal Acquisition process at a high-level before entering into formalized acquisition training.
It is very important to clearly understand your roles and responsibilities as a Contracting Professional.
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) governs the acquisition process by which executive agencies of the United States federal government acquire (i.e., purchase or lease) goods and services by contract with appropriated funds. The FAR is grounded by the Guiding Principles which are found at FAR 1.102. These principles provide a foundation from which sound business judgment and business acumen decisions are made.
The Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) was originally issued pursuant to the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Act, 41 U.S.C. § 1101 et. seq., and OFPP Policy Letter 05-01. The Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Modernization Memo was issued by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy on Jan. 19, 2023 with the goal of modernizing FAC-C. The Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) (Professional) was established on February 1, 2023 and included a refreshed contracting competency model, a single-level certification, updated certification requirements and the introduction of credentials which are mission-focused training packages.
The technical competencies are covered extensively throughout the FAC-C (Professional) training and are very easy to define. The professional competencies, which are often referred to as “soft skills”, refer to a person’s non-technical abilities and are more aligned with a person’s disposition and personality. There are no specific courses directed at the professional competencies, however, it is recommended that Contracting Professionals review the professional competencies with their supervisor and/or mentor and seek learning opportunities that will grow these competencies as well.
As a contracting professional, in order to perform various tasks you will be required to access a number of systems in order to successfully perform your job duties.
FAI CSOD is the government-wide acquisition workforce career management system. You can browse for learning opportunities, view your in-process and completed training, get certificates and find certification information.
SAM.gov
SAM.gov is the official registration portal for all entities that wish to do business with the Federal Government. It is also where Contracting Opportunities, Wage Determinations, and Exclusions (suspension and debarments) and FPDS reports can be found.
The Acquisition Gateway is a workspace for acquisition professionals and federal buyers to connect with resources, tools and each other to improve acquisition government-wide.
WIFCON is a website that provides quick access to acquisition information such as contracting laws and pending legislation, current and proposed regulations, guidance, courts and boards of contract appeals, bid protest decisions, contracting newsletters, and selected analysis of federal acquisition issues. Note: The discussion forums in WIFCON are not in and of themselves official interpretations of FAR requirements, and that contracting controversies should be brought to agency contracting management and legal counsel for final interpretation, rather than attempting to rely on the WIFCON discussion forums.
The VAO is a commercial tool that contains a wealth of information and training for acquisition professionals, however, a paid subscription is required to log-in.
Contract Writing System
Contracting Professionals are encouraged to identify a peer, technical and/or leadership mentor to assist them in navigating their career. If agencies don’t have formal mentoring programs, Contracting Professionals are encouraged to obtain a mentor informally.
Contracting Professionals can learn certain technical skills through training, but they learn most effectively how to apply these skills through on-the-job and other experiential learning.
Once you have worked through all the check-lists and “to-do” lists found in this tool, which may take several years, you should be well on your way to a successful career as a Contracting Professional – good luck! If you have any questions about this tool, you may contact Teresa Reefe at the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) at teresa.reefe@fai.gov.
