The Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Program is for contracting professionals in the federal government performing contracting and procurement activities and functions. The purpose of this program is to establish general education, training, and experience requirements for those contracting professionals. The FAC-C applies to all executive agencies, except the Department of Defense.
Legacy FAC-C Requirements
NOTE: In order to be considered for a FAC-C legacy certification, you must initiate your certification request in FAI CSOD no later than Feb. 15, 2023. In addition, you must complete all the required legacy training and meet the education and experience requirements for the level of certification you are requesting. All legacy applicants must apply for certification by Sept. 30, 2023.
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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 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 acquisition career manager.
432 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.
Legacy Competency Model
The legacy FAC-C training courses were built using this competency model.
Legacy FAC-C Policies
Legacy FAC-C Policy Documents (rescinded as of Feb. 1, 2023).
- May 7, 2014 Memo on Revisions to the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting from OFPP
- Jan. 20, 2006 Memo on The Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Program from OMB, REVISED December 2008
- Jan. 20, 2006 Memo on The Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Program from OMB
