FAC-C Course Descriptions
FAC-C LEVEL I REQUIREMENTS
CON 100
Shaping Smart Business Arrangements
Description:
This course is a FAC-C Level I certification training course. Employees who are entering the acquisition career field will gain a comprehensive understanding of the environment in which they will serve. Students will develop professional skills for making business decisions and for advising other acquisition team members in successfully meeting customers' needs. Knowledge management and information systems will be introduced as well.
Objectives:
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Describe the acquisition/contracting mission and its impact on the American economic system;
- Describe the importance of the oversight roles of the Government Accountability Office.
- Explain the characteristics and responsibilities of the contracting professional in the role of a business advisor;
- Explain the distinctive interests of both the buyer and seller and the role those interests play;
- Describe commercial acquisition and government unique requirements of market research in identifying the best arrangements to meet mission requirements; and
- Explain e-business and information technology in supporting business processes.
Who Should Attend: Employees who are entering the contracting workforce or those new to the government.
Prerequisites: None
Length: 4 or 5 class days depending on the course provider
CON 120
Mission Focused Contracting
Description:
This course is a FAC-C Level I certification training course. Mission Focused Contracting is the Capstone Course for Level I Certification. This course engages the students in the entire acquisition process from meeting with the customer to completing the contract closeout process. Students will have an opportunity to learn and apply leadership, problem-solving, and negotiation skills. Using an integrated case study approach, students will apply the knowledge and skills.
Objectives:
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Provide contracting advice based on market research;
- Prepare a solicitation package;
- Prepare, award, and debrief a contract requirement;
- Evaluate price reasonableness and conduct price negotiations;
- Plan and conduct a post-award conference; and
- Modify a contract, exercise a contract option, and complete the contract closeout process.
Prerequisites: CON 100, 110, 111, 112
Who Should Attend: Students must complete the assignments prior to the class start date. This material will be covered on the final exam. Details will be provided prior to the class start date.
Length: 10 class days
FAC-C LEVEL II REQUIREMENTS
CON 202
Intermediate Contracting
Description:
This course is a FAC-C Level II certification training course. This intermediate training course is designed for GS-1102 Contract Specialists and others who are beginning their mandatory FAC-C Level II certification training.
Objectives:
After successful completion of this training course, the student will be able to:
- Determine the government's need
- Solicit, evaluate offers, and award contracts
- Develop a contract administration plan
- Monitor performance of contractors
- Modify contracts
- Process payments
- Terminate and close out contracts
- Gain the skills to perform critical duties required to plan for complex acquisitions and evaluate, award, and administer complex contracts
Who Should Attend: Experienced contracting workforce employees or non-contracting personnel who play a role in the acquisition process.
Prerequisites: FAC-C Level I certification.
Length: 10 days
CON 204
Intermediate Contract Pricing
Description:
This course is a FAC-C Level II certification training course. This intermediate level course builds on the pricing skills covered in the FAC-C Level I certification curriculum. Through group case studies, students will apply techniques to handle more complex pricing situations. Students must bring a calculator to class.
Objectives:
After successful completion of this training course, the student will be able to use analytical techniques and applicable references and resources to:
- Analyze prices and costs submitted in complex situations to determine if they are fair and reasonable
- Formulate cost or pricing positions for a pre-negotiation memorandum that support a fair and reasonable price decision for different types of contract modifications
- Settle a termination
- Price equitable adjustments pursuant to delays or a stop work order
- Analyze lease vs. purchase decisions
- Analyze progress payment requests
Who Should Attend: Experienced contracting personnel, cost/price analysts, and other government personnel involved in analysis and pricing of contract actions.
Prerequisites: FAC-C Level I certification.
Length: 10 days
CON 210
Government Contract Law
Description:
This course is a FAC-C Level II certification training course. Participants will gain comprehensive knowledge of principles of government contract law, their impact on government acquisitions, and the skills to apply these principles to reach sound business judgments. Legal principles will be introduced and discussed, followed by analysis of actual cases that illustrate those principles from the Comptroller General, boards of contract appeals, and courts.
Objectives:
After successful completion of this training course, the student will be able to:
- Define the elements of a contract and the federal government's authority to contract;
- Describe the law of agency;
- Identify basic statutes, regulations, case law, and administrative law that define the federal acquisition system;
- Identify sources of commercial terms and conditions;
- Recognize and avoid situations having legal liability.
Who Should Attend: Experienced contracting personnel
Prerequisites: FAC-C Level I certification.
Length: 5 days
CON 215
Intermediate Contracting for Mission Support
Description:
Intermediate Contracting for Mission Support is a case study in which students apply the knowledge and skills learned in the Level I Contracting courses and CON 214. Students demonstrate their ability to develop and execute business strategies to meet customer requirements. This case helps to develop critical thinking, customer needs analysis, procurement strategy development, and source selection skills necessary for successful contract performance.
Objectives:
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Develop a variety of options/alternate strategies to meet mission needs and promote customer satisfaction
- Apply appropriate laws, regulations, and policies to a complex procurement
- Apply formal source selection procedures
- Conduct a competitive discussion
- Execute the appropriate contract arrangement to support customer needs
Who Should Attend: Intermediate-level contracting personnel with Level I Contracting certification and minimum 2 years of contracting experience.
Prerequisites: FAC-C Level I and CON 214.
Length: 8 days
CON 218
Advance Contracting for Mission Support
Description:
In this course students apply the knowledge and skills learned in the Levels I and II courses. Students demonstrate their ability to negotiate fair and reasonable prices and to consider the legal implications for various contract situations.
This case study helps to develop critical thinking, cost analysis, negotiation, and contract administration skills necessary for successful contract performance.
Objectives:
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Develop a proactive strategic approach to satisfy the customer’s evolving requirements
- Take appropriate action to resolve various situations with legal implications
- Use a DCAA audit report to prepare a negotiation objective
- Apply the full range of contract pricing techniques to develop a pre-negotiation objective
- Develop a negotiation strategy for a noncompetitive negotiation
- Conduct a noncompetitive negotiation
- Manage contract performance in accordance with the contract
Who Should Attend: Intermediate-level contracting personnel with Level I Contracting certification and minimum 2 years of contracting experience.
Prerequisites: CON 214, CON 215, CON 216, and CON 217.
Length: 10 days
FAC-C LEVEL III REQUIREMENTS
CON 353
Advanced Business Solutions
Description:
This course is a FAC-C Level III certification training course. Through realistic scenario-based learning, students work in teams to practice developing sound business solutions as a valued strategic and expert business advisor. Student course work is designed to contribute solutions to senior leadership and local supervisors and to provide resources for the Contracting career field via the course community of practice.
Objectives:
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Effectively participate with project teams, exercise business leadership, and apply expertise (technical, business, and financial) resulting in business solutions that improve mission support;
- Innovate and use best practices in combination with critical thinking, problem solving, and dilemma resolution skills for improved planning, execution, and performance management outcomes;
- Develop business solutions that reflect consideration of risk and impacts on performance and synthesize policy as well as interests of functional team members and the marketplace; and
- Contribute to the development and implementation of change through an improved understanding of the legislative, regulatory, and policy processes.
Who Should Attend: Experienced Contracting professionals with Level II certification.
Prerequisites: FAC-C Level II certification.
Length: 10 class days
PBA
Performance-Based Acquisition
Description:
The training course addresses the unique aspects of acquiring services and embodies the 7 Steps to Performance-Based Service Acquisition.
Objectives:
After successful completion of this training course, the student will be able to:
- Discuss the unique aspects of service acquisition;
- Analyze requirements with respect to the ability to contract based on performance
- Determine if the requirement document is performance based;
- Select the method of contracting and source selection process in a performance-based environment;
- Prepare a QASP; and
- Administer a performance-based service contract.
Who Should Attend: Personnel who have a general understanding of the acquisition process.
Length: 5 days
ERR 200
Objectives:
Emergency Response and Recovery
Description:
This course leads to certification in Emergency Response and Recovery (ERR) Contracting and membership in the ERR Cadre. In addtion, it provides members with the knowledge necessary to procure goods and services required to support emergency and disaster recovery activities.
Objectives:
After succesful completioin of this training course, the student will be able to:
- Describe the responsibilities of key players in the ERR contracting process
- Explain the acquisition process at a disaster and describe how it differs from standard contracting
- Analyze procurement requests
- Understand the required documents and process for completing and filing those documents at a JFO
- Procedure needed goods and services during a disaster
- Describe flexibilities in the FAR Part 18 permitted for disaster contracting as well as limitations
Who Should Attend: Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) certified GS-1102 contracting professionals, or others performing similar functions, who have volunteered to assist FEMA and other agencies during the recovery phase of national emergencies and disasters will benefit from attending this course.
Prerequisites: IS 100 -Introduction to Incident Command System
IS 800B -National Response Framework, An Introduction
Contracting Level I certification
Read the OFPP Emergency Acquisition Handbook
Length: 2 days