USCG Contracting Career Opportunity Program
Guest Post from Ms. Claire Grady, Acquisition Directorate (CG-9)
When it comes to the Federal acquisition workforce, there is good news and there is bad news. The bad news, there is currently a shortfall in qualified acquisition personnel and that shortfall is only dwarfed by the future forecasts. The good news, there has never been a better time to contemplate a career in acquisition! The Acquisition Directorate has been continually identifying strategies to recruit, retain, and incrementally build a multi-disciplined, certified acquisition workforce. As part of our efforts to develop contracting professionals, RADM Gary T. Blore, Assistant Commandant for Acquisition, initiated and championed an innovative approach to develop and grow the acquisition workforce, the Coast Guard Contracting Career Opportunity Program (CCOP).
This program, modeled after successful programs for civilian personnel, is designed to provide retirement eligible Coast Guard military personnel the formal training and work experience necessary for a future career in contracting. Upon successful completion of the program, participants will earn Federal Acquisition Institute Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Level II and be highly competitive to transition to the Coast Guard's civilian contracting workforce.
As outlined in the Solicitation Message, the CCOP is a two-year training program targeted to active duty personnel with varying degrees of contracting experience, for example, Chief Storekeepers and Finance and Supply Chief Warrant Officers. I strongly encourage other Coast Guard personnel who are currently filling or who have filled business, program management, and/or Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) positions to apply as well.
To qualify for the program, applicants must:
* Be completing their current tour of duty in 2010, be eligible for retirement, and have 17 to 27 years of service with the Coast Guard at the time of their application.
* Have a command endorsement and be recommended by their area's servicing Chief of Contracting Office (COCO).
* Have a bachelor's degree or at least 24 semester hours in one or a combination of the following areas: accounting, business finance, contracts, economics, industrial management, law, organization and management, purchasing, or quantitative methods.
* Possess contracting or procurement-related business and technical competencies.
* Possess strong leadership skills.
To be considered for the program's inaugural class, candidates must submit their application packages to the CCOP Panel Coordinator no later than May 30, 2009. Selected CCOP participants will be assigned and will report to CG-91 at Coast Guard Headquarters in the summer 2010, where they will be expected to submit their retirement letter one year after reporting.
The CCOP complements existing contracting workforce initiatives currently available to the civilian workforce, including the Coast Guard Career Entry-Level Opportunity (CEO) Program, the Department of Homeland Security Acquisition Professional Program, and the Government-wide Acquisition Management Intern Program. Civilians who possess education and experience similar to that required for the CCOP program and who are interested in pursuing a career as a contract professional are encouraged to apply for these professional contracting programs and for vacant Coast Guard procurement and contracting billets.
The Coast Guard has one of the best contracting workforces in the Federal Government. With the kind of forward thinking that resulted in this new program and our very talented military and civilian business professionals, the Coast Guard will be well positioned to meet the acquisition work force challenges of the future.
For questions regarding the CCOP or the civilian programs, please contact Mr. William Yeager at William.Yeager@uscg.mil.
When it comes to the Federal acquisition workforce, there is good news and there is bad news. The bad news, there is currently a shortfall in qualified acquisition personnel and that shortfall is only dwarfed by the future forecasts. The good news, there has never been a better time to contemplate a career in acquisition! The Acquisition Directorate has been continually identifying strategies to recruit, retain, and incrementally build a multi-disciplined, certified acquisition workforce. As part of our efforts to develop contracting professionals, RADM Gary T. Blore, Assistant Commandant for Acquisition, initiated and championed an innovative approach to develop and grow the acquisition workforce, the Coast Guard Contracting Career Opportunity Program (CCOP).
This program, modeled after successful programs for civilian personnel, is designed to provide retirement eligible Coast Guard military personnel the formal training and work experience necessary for a future career in contracting. Upon successful completion of the program, participants will earn Federal Acquisition Institute Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Level II and be highly competitive to transition to the Coast Guard's civilian contracting workforce.
As outlined in the Solicitation Message, the CCOP is a two-year training program targeted to active duty personnel with varying degrees of contracting experience, for example, Chief Storekeepers and Finance and Supply Chief Warrant Officers. I strongly encourage other Coast Guard personnel who are currently filling or who have filled business, program management, and/or Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) positions to apply as well.
To qualify for the program, applicants must:
* Be completing their current tour of duty in 2010, be eligible for retirement, and have 17 to 27 years of service with the Coast Guard at the time of their application.
* Have a command endorsement and be recommended by their area's servicing Chief of Contracting Office (COCO).
* Have a bachelor's degree or at least 24 semester hours in one or a combination of the following areas: accounting, business finance, contracts, economics, industrial management, law, organization and management, purchasing, or quantitative methods.
* Possess contracting or procurement-related business and technical competencies.
* Possess strong leadership skills.
To be considered for the program's inaugural class, candidates must submit their application packages to the CCOP Panel Coordinator no later than May 30, 2009. Selected CCOP participants will be assigned and will report to CG-91 at Coast Guard Headquarters in the summer 2010, where they will be expected to submit their retirement letter one year after reporting.
The CCOP complements existing contracting workforce initiatives currently available to the civilian workforce, including the Coast Guard Career Entry-Level Opportunity (CEO) Program, the Department of Homeland Security Acquisition Professional Program, and the Government-wide Acquisition Management Intern Program. Civilians who possess education and experience similar to that required for the CCOP program and who are interested in pursuing a career as a contract professional are encouraged to apply for these professional contracting programs and for vacant Coast Guard procurement and contracting billets.
The Coast Guard has one of the best contracting workforces in the Federal Government. With the kind of forward thinking that resulted in this new program and our very talented military and civilian business professionals, the Coast Guard will be well positioned to meet the acquisition work force challenges of the future.
For questions regarding the CCOP or the civilian programs, please contact Mr. William Yeager at William.Yeager@uscg.mil.
Posted at
6:08 PM
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