News for the Acquisition Workforce

Starting now, agencies need to submit the proposed Made in America waiver to a new digital waiver portal via SAM.gov prior to issuing a waiver pursuant to FAR 25.103(b). To help contracting officers get acquainted with the new portal, OMB's Made in America Office is hosting office hours scheduled for November 18 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. ET and November 22 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. ET. For more information including meeting link and phone number, please email MBX.OMB.MadeInAmerica@omb.eop.gov

The Acquisition Gateway is now managed by the Government-wide Category Management Project Management Office (GWCM PMO). During this transition, the Acquisition Gateway will be updating the content to improve relevance for users. To meet the new team or ask questions about the transition, join the GWCM PMO at their office hours Monday, November 29, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET.

FAI and University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) recently struck up an agreement that you do not want to miss out on! UMGC will award six graduate credits towards a master's degree in Acquisitions and Contracts Management for earning the FAC-C or FAC-COR. What does this mean for you? If you hold both certifications, you can earn 12 graduate credits, and may already be one-third* of the way to earning a master's degree in Acquisition and Contracts Management at UMGC! Stand even taller in the federal government by adding a master's degree from UMGC to your resume. To learn more about using your certifications for credit, or the other federal benefits that UMGC offers, contact Kathleen Hebbel. *FAC-COR satisfies the requirements for ACM 610 and FAC-C satisfies the requirements for ACM 620.

FAI training is back and bigger than ever with even more FAC-C, FAC-COR, and FAC-P/PM sessions for FY22. Visit FAI’s website to view training sessions for the Federal acquisition workforce. Don’t wait to sign up; seats go fast! Training provided by FAI is free of charge to students or their agencies.

FAI is pleased to announce a new online training course in FAI CSOD! FAC-094 Improving Transparency in the Federal Marketplace: Digital Nonavailability Waivers is a 30 minute, web-based training worth .5 CLP. This course introduces the new digital waiver process for proposed nonavailability waivers under the Buy American Act and the role the new Made in America Office has in that process.

Two of FAI's online courses, FAC 063 Buy American statute and FAC 057 COR Refresher, have recently been updated and published. Register through FAI CSOD to ensure you stay aware of all the latest changes to policies and procedures.  Earn 2 CLPs for each course.  

The 2021 Acquisition, Program Management, and Small Business Excellence Award Winners Are Here!

As part of the efforts to recognize acquisition professionals who contribute to outstanding improvements in acquisition throughout the federal government, the Chief Acquisition Officers Council (CAOC) annually seeks nominations for its Acquisition, Program Management and Small Business Excellence Awards. Nominations were solicited for Federal employees engaged in team or individual acquisition activities that led to excellent results in FY 2020. After a months-long review of the nominations, the winners were announced and awards were presented virtually at the American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council’s (ACT-IAC) Imagine Nation Executive Leadership Conference on November 9, 2021.