News for the Federal Acquisition Workforce

July 1, 2020

Virtual Interactive Cross-Functional Courses Take advantage of FAI’s four virtual interactive cross-functional courses and earn 4 CLPs! Discover the value of acquisition professional collaborations and understand the role of COs, CORs, PMs, and other members of the larger acquisition team.  Learn when to engage with industry and the vital role they play in the process.These short courses can all be completed between other responsibilities in a day or two. They include FAC-072 Foundational Overview of the Acquisition Team (Integrated Project Team), FAC-073 Requirements Development, FAC-074 Obtaining the Best Solution through Contracting, and FAC-075 Achieving Program/Project Goals. This series of short courses support OFPP's requirement for cross-functional training on critical thinking in the acquisition process identified in the Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act of 2016. Review the course descriptions in FAITAS or register for the courses on DAU Virtual Campus.

Keeping Current with COVID-19 Training! FCL-A-0019, COVID-19 Acquisition Policy Training, has been updated to reflect a date extension for the COVID-19 National Interest Action (NIA) code in FPDS. Sign up for this revised course through FAITAS!

OFPP Leadership Town Hall July 9 OFPP invites acquisition workforce members to participate in a town hall with OFPP Leadership.Town halls will take place over the next several months to help shape plans to support a new Acquisition Workforce 2025 initiative. We want to hear your ideas and thoughts! To participate, please send an email to Joanie Newhart, Associate Administrator for Acquisition Workforce Programs, at jnewhart@omb.eop.gov with the subject “Town Hall”. The first town hall is scheduled for July 9 with Administrator Dr.Michael Wooten and Deputy Administrator Lesley Field.

Let Acquisition Open Opps Help You! Are you looking for new ways to attract unique skill sets to your projects and programs? If so, Acquisition Open Opportunities AOO is for you! AOO is a platform where acquisition professionals can share their knowledge and expertise and gain hands-on learning opportunities while in their current job. This platform can help you meet your program needs in a cost-effective way! For more information on how AOO can help your organization, please contact aoocommunitymanager@gsa.gov.

LEAP Knowledge Sharing Survey The Leadership Excellence for Acquisition Professionals (LEAP) program aims to combine technical execution with strong leadership skills to achieve agency missions. One of the program's requirements is to develop a results project that affects the acquisition community. We invite you to take this short survey by July 2 so we can gain more information about the acquisition community. Your responses are appreciated and will be used to improve our knowledge sharing sites.

Recording Available: Data Management Event Did you miss the most recent event in GSA’s seminar series, focused on Data Management? A recording of the event, which featured speakers from the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of Management and Budget, the Navy, and the Category Management PMO, is now available on the Acquisition Gateway.

Acquisition Today is published the first and third Wednesday of each month.  If you have information that you would like to share with the federal acquisition workforce community via Acquisition Today, you may submit your article for consideration by completing this form. If you have feedback that you would like to share with FAI, please email us at contact@fai.gov.

Any reference to, or information discussing, a specific commercial training organization, or its products, processes, or services within this Acquisition Today newsletter does not constitute or imply an endorsement by FAI, GSA, or the United States Government of the commercial training organization, or its products, processes, services, producers, or providers. The views and opinions expressed in any referenced document, website, linked information, or any other information, contained in the newsletter regarding a commercial training organization do not necessarily state or reflect those of FAI, GSA, or the United States Government. All references to commercial training organizations are for information purposes only.  Neither the FAI, GSA, or the United States Government, nor any of their employees, assumes any legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information from a commercial training organization's referenced information, linked information, services, products, producers, or providers.