News for the Federal Acquisition Workforce

July 15, 2020

Nominations for the 2020 Acquisition Excellence Awards Extended and Expanded To recognize acquisition professionals who contribute to outstanding improvements in acquisition throughout the federal government, the Chief Acquisition Officers Council (CAOC) is seeking nominations for the 2020 Acquisition, Program Management, and Small Business Excellence Awards. The CAOC has extended the nomination period for the Acquisition, Program Management, and Small Business Excellence Awards to Friday, July 31. In addition, the CAOC is permitting nominations for efforts from 2019 through July 2020. There has been some amazing work responding to the pandemic, the CAOC wants to ensure that this work is recognized now instead of waiting an additional year. Efforts responding to the COVID-19 pandemic can easily fit into any of these three awards. Awards will be announced at the October virtual Executive Leadership Conference and we look forward to celebrating excellence in our community together! Please distribute this note widely and nominate your stars! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Joanie Newhart at jnewhart@omb.eop.gov.

Register for Camp Gateway! Camp Gateway is a two week program of daily virtual training sessions on the Acquisition Gateway and category management. It will be held from July 27 to August 7. Camp Gateway is open exclusively to federal agency personnel. Earn one CLP for each fully attended class. Register today!

Category Management Educational Opportunities The Category Management (CM) PMO is continuing to build its repository of CM educational opportunities. Four new CLP-certified CM training webinars have been released, covering topics such as CM dashboards, the Acquisition Playbook, Demand Management, Acquisition Analytics, Tracking CM Goals, Implementing CM, and Updating Contract Inventories. View the sessions on the Acquisition Gateway.

Professional Services Office Hours August 13 Register for the next GSA Professional Services Office Hours, to be held on August 13 at 1:00 p.m. ET. In response to local, state, and federal requests, the General Services Administration (GSA) has conducted initial market research and prepared ordering guidance and procurement resources to help agencies quickly procure Enhanced Entry Screening Services (EESS) at government facilities within the U.S. and its territories. Attend for a closer look at the procurement resources posted on the Acquisition Gateway COVID-19 Hub, including an ordering guide, a market research report, a sample Performance Work Statement, a sample Request for Quote, and vendor data. Ask specific questions about procuring these services to support your agency. GSA's Professional Services Category monthly office hours are free, online classes designed to address federal customer agency questions about professional services acquisition. Register now to earn one CLP!

Knowledge Nugget: The Role of a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) Contracting Officer's Representatives (CORs) manage the daily operations of many projects and programs to deliver the best value for the American taxpayer! Watch this 4-minute micro-learning video where you will learn about the duties, responsibilities, and limitations of a COR, recognize the characteristics of a successful COR.

Federal Acquisition Certification Continuous Learning Fact Sheet Uncertain about what you need to maintain your Federal Acquisition Certification? FAI has developed a fact sheet to help. The fact sheet provides the number of continuous learning points needed to maintain a certification, sample activities for continuous learning, and valuable references, tools, and guides. Access and print the fact sheet on the FAI.gov web page under Continuous Learning Opportunities.

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