News for the Acquisition Workforce

The Chief Acquisition Officers Council is still accepting submissions for the 2024 Acquisition Excellence Awards. These prestigious awards recognize outstanding achievements in federal acquisition, honoring individuals and teams for their excellence, innovation, and best practices. The submission deadline is fast approaching, with only two weeks left to submit nominations. Don't miss this chance to showcase exemplary work and contributions to the acquisition community. Visit the FAI website to submit your entry here.

FAI is excited to bring you NEW fiscal year 2025 FAC-C, FAC-COR, FAC-P/PM, credential, and continuous learning virtual instructor-led training in FAI CSOD, through January 2025! View the complete list of new course offerings on FAI.gov. Seats will be first come, first served, and, as always, there will be no tuition cost to students or their agencies. Do not delay; seats fill fast!

Join GSA for Delegation of Procurement Authority training on the new OASIS+ contract program today, July 17, at 1:00 p.m. ET. OASIS+ meets government agencies’ mission needs by providing a full range of service requirements that integrate multiple service disciplines and ancillary services and products. Register now!

Successful completion of the Digital IT Acquisition Professional (DITAP) training program earns students a DITAP training certificate, 80 CLPs, and the ability to apply for the Digital Services Credential (DITAP) (formerly FAC-C-DS) through FAI's credential program. FAC-C (Professional) holders with at least two years of experience and assigned to acquisitions consisting primarily of digital services over FAR 13.500(c) thresholds are required to attend the DITAP training program. FAC-COR Level II/III and FAC-P/PM Level II/III holders with at least two years of experience and assigned to acquisitions consisting primarily of digital services over FAR 13.500(c) thresholds are encouraged to attend DITAP training to create a cohesive team that fully understands how to buy digital services. There are several vendors who provide the training: Management Concepts, EAGLES, ICF, CivicActions, Graduate School USA, and Skylight. Learn more about DITAP by visiting the TechFAR Hub.

The Confidence Rating technique allows evaluators to assign ratings reflecting their confidence in offerors’ understanding of requirements and likelihood of successful performance. Customs and Border Protection awarded a services contract using only the confidence rating for evaluation. GAO ruled this method proper when the RFP stated confidence rating as the sole evaluation technique and the conclusion was reasonable. Learn more about the benefits of confidence rating in the PTAI PDF Playbook! Have you implemented innovative techniques? Share them here!

Want to use the OASIS contract family this buying season? Sign up for the next OASIS Delegation of Procurement Authority (DPA) training on July 30, 2024. The DPA gives contracting officers access to the OASIS Unrestricted and OASIS Small Business contract vehicles and teaches best practices for task order issuance. Register now and receive one CLP!

The Commercial Platforms program hosts weekly live demo sessions that highlight key features and benefits to streamline and simplify micro-purchasing. Sessions rotate through the program’s awardees: Amazon Business, e-Procurement Services, Fisher Scientific, G-Commerce, Grainger, NOBLE, Pacific Ink, and Staples. Federal purchase cardholders should check with their agency's point of contact to see which platforms are available to them before registering. Contact CommercialPlatforms@gsa.gov with any questions. These sessions are for government only and not intended for industry.

Check out ASI Education's latest quick and funny video. In it, they explore the hilarious reality of the new FAR update in the year 3000, which promises faster and more streamlined processes but comes in a comically enormous size. Don’t miss this entertaining take on the future of government regulations! **Disclaimer:** GSA/FAI shares this video for informational purposes only. The inclusion of this content does not imply endorsement of the company, its services, or any opinions expressed within the video.