Contracting Professional’s Career Roadmap

It is very important to clearly understand your roles and responsibilities as a Contracting Professional.

To Do List:

• Watch this video entitled “The Many Facets of the Contracting Professional” to learn about the various roles and responsibilities of the Contracting Professional.
• Review the responsibilities of Contracting Professionals which have been outlined in the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Modernization Memo, dated January 19, 2023.
• Have an innovative mindset! Take the course FAC 098 - Contract Innovation Exploration and learn what it means to have an innovative mindset which is so important in the contracting career field.

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.

To Do List:

• Review and understand the FAR Guiding Principles at FAR 1.102.
• Read and understand this important statement from FAR 1.102(d) as these words are the foundation of the work of a Contracting Professional:
  • Each member of the acquisition team (which includes the customer and members from the finance, legal, program management and other communities) must exercise personal initiative and sound business judgment in providing the best value product or service to meet the mission needs. In exercising initiative, members of the acquisition team may assume that if a specific strategy, practice, policy, or procedure is in the best interests of the Government and is not addressed in the Federal Acquisition Regulation, nor prohibited by law (statute or case law), Executive Order, or other regulations, that the strategy, practice, policy, or procedure IS a permissible exercise of authority.
• Take the online course FAR 100: Introduction to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) - This is a two (2) hour online course that explores the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), gaining an understanding of how it is administered, structured and updated.
• Review your agency’s online agency-specific FAR supplements. Notice how these regulations are structured and aligned with the FAR.

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.
 

To Do List:

• Review the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Modernization Memo dated January 19, 2023.
• Review the DoD Contracting Competency Model(Contract Management Standard).
• Review the requirements for the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (Professional).
• Find out the name and contact information for your agency’s Acquisition Career Manager (ACM) or Small Agency Representative (SAR) using FAI’s ACM/SAR Directory.
• Determine if your agency has any department, agency, or bureau specific FAC-C (Professional) requirements.

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.

To Do List:

Federal Acquisition Institute Cornerstone on Demand (FAI CSOD)

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.

• Create a FAI CSOD Account.
• Watch the Welcome Video and Training Guides and Videos.

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.

• Create a SAM.gov account and become familiar with the site.

The Acquisition Gateway

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.

• View the Acquisition Gateway Welcome Video and spend some time getting familiar with the types of community discussions, tools, resources, tutorials that are available on the Gateway.
• Browse the Acquisition Gateway tutorials which includes numerous step by step guides and video resources to learn how to use the different available to you on the Acquisition Gateway.
• Once you are logged-in to the Acquisition Gateway, join the OFPP Project In Reach Group to be connected to the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. Get familiar with the group and what policy and tools are offered on the site.

Open Opportunities

• Sign up for an account through Open Opportunities which is a website where you can gain experience with hands-on training, share your expertise and work with others across the government.

Where in Federal Contracting? (WIFCON)

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.

• Browse the WIFCON website to become familiar with the information that is available.

Virtual Acquisition Office (VAO)

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.

• Find out if your agency has a VAO subscription and, if so, register for an account. Browse the website to become familiar with the information and publications that are available.

Contract Writing System

• Each agency has a different Contract Writing System that is used to create contract solicitations. Ask your supervisor which system your agency uses and, if possible, sign up for a user account and sign up for system’s training if available.

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.

To Do List:

• Research to determine if your agency has a formal mentoring program/mentoring agreement.
• Review OPM’s Mentoring Library and OPM Best Practices for Mentoring.
• Find and interview potential mentors that meet the following general qualifications (sometimes a mentor can be a supervisor, but most of the time it is someone else):
  • A high performing, seasoned 1102 Contracting Officer or Contract Specialist;
  • Someone you trust and respect that has the time to devote to mentor you in your career development;
  • A genuine interest and desire to help develop less experienced (entry level) Contracting Professionals;
  • Onsite visibility into your day-to-day work; and
• Develop and sign a mentoring agreement with your mentor
• Have regular mentoring sessions, begin by sharing your self-assessment
• Develop a Mentoring Action Plan
• Evaluate/Re-evaluate the Mentoring Relationship
• Be aware of your actions and avoid doing these things:
  • Criticize your mentor
  • Rely on your mentor to solve all of your problems or give answers to all of your questions
  • Cancel meetings and/or visits at the last minute
  • Commit yourself to obligations you cannot keep
  • Be late to work or meetings
  • Be absent – physically and/or mentally

To Do List:

• Create short-term (6 month-3 years) goals. Some examples of short-term goals for a new Contracting Professional might be to take a certain number of formal training courses or obtain the FAC-C (Professional).
• Create long-term (3-5 years) goals. Some examples of long-term goals for a new Contracting Professional might be to obtain an unlimited warrant or to become a team leader.
• Work with your supervisor and/or mentor early on to identify these goals for yourself and re-visit them yearly to make adjustments.
• Working with your supervisor and/or mentor, create an Individual Development Plan (IDP) for the upcoming year which should be based upon the short and long term goals and include not only formal FAC-C training, but also include experiential/developmental activities from the 1102 Experience Development Tool.

To Do List:

• Using your IDP, search, plan, register and attend formalized FAC-C (Professional) training. Check FAI’s training page for available seats in Virtual Instructor-Led Training. All courses can be found in FAI CSOD.
• Once you have met the training and experience requirements, take the FAC-C (Professional) certification exam, and apply for the FAC-C (Professional). Find out more information about the FAC-C (Professional) Certification Exam by reading the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
• Once you are certified, begin earning credentials and continuous learning points (CLPs), FAC-C (Professional) holders must earn 80 CLPs during the CLP two year common continuous learning period. Review FAI’s Continuous Learning webpage for more information.
• Review FAI’s webpage on Credentials - There are Federal credentials and DAU credentials that can be obtained. Watch the FAC-C Credentials Overview video for the acquisition workforce.
• Consider pursuing the National Contract Management Association’s (NCMA’s) professional certifications: 1) The Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM), or 2) The Certified Federal Contract Manager (CFCM).

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.

To Do List:

• Use the 1102 Experience Development Tool with your supervisor/mentor to identify and document participation in specific 1102 job tasks, creation of documents, acquisition strategies, categories of spend and contract types in an effort to gain a depth and breadth of experience in the career field. Make sure to include any desired experiences on your annual IDP and share with and obtain approval from your supervisor.
• On a regular basis, review the 1102 Experience Development Tool, assess your skill gaps and look for ways to expand your experiences:
  • Use Acquisition Open Opportunities website to identify and search for unique opportunities to gain experience and assist other contract offices.
  • Network with other Contracting Professionals that you meet in an effort to share experiences and work products.
  • Join Communities and network within the Acquisition Gateway (make sure you are logged-in first).
  • Consider a rotational assignment or detail within your agency or at another agency.
  • Participating on intra - or interagency teams to address specific acquisition challenges or other broader leadership issues, such as Integrated Project Teams (IPTs) or joining professional associations, such as the National Contract Management Association (NCMA).

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.