News for the Acquisition Workforce

Effective Nov. 1, 2026, CON 7300V: Price Analysis will become a mandatory course for civilian agency contracting professionals pursuing FAC-C (Professional) certification. The change strengthens foundational pricing skills and maintains alignment and reciprocity with Department of War contracting certification standards.

Who this applies to: civilian agency acquisition professionals who are currently pursuing FAC-C (Professional) certification and have not received approval of their certification package by Oct. 31, 2026. Professionals who are already FAC-C (Professional) certified will remain certified and do not need to complete CON 7300V, though they may take it for continuous learning points.

Key points:

• CON 7300V becomes required for new FAC-C (Professional) certifications effective Nov. 1.
• Workforce members who have not completed their training requirements, passed the Contracting Certification Exam, or met the one-year experience requirement before Nov. 1 must complete CON 7300V.
• The Contracting Certification Exam content does not change. Workforce members who have already taken and passed the exam do not need to retake it.
• FY27 enrollment priority will go to professionals actively pursuing certification.
• FAI CSOD course sessions are open for registration.

What you should do: If you are currently pursuing FAC-C (Professional) certification, review the updated recommended curriculum path and determine whether the new CON 7300V requirement applies to you.

These highlights do not replace the full guidance. Read the Acquisition Flash in full to understand the implementation rules, enrollment priorities and updated recommended curriculum path.

For questions, contact your agency acquisition career manager or small agency representative.

GSA continues to streamline its acquisition policies through the GSA Acquisition Manual/Regulation (GSAM/R) Overhaul. The recent Wave 4 update advances GSA’s goal of creating a simpler, faster and more effective acquisition process.

Key highlight:

• Part 538: Removes more than 41 clauses, eliminating an estimated $173 million in contractor and government burden, simplifies pricing evaluations, and establishes true “evergreen” Multiple Award Schedule contracts.

Practitioners are encouraged to review the new Practitioner Album: GSAR Part 538 for a summary of the changes and key updates.

Join Warfighting Acquisition University on Oct. 29 from 1 to 2 p.m. ET for Acquisition Planning, Market Research, and Requirements Development Considerations for Fixed-Price Contracts. The session will show how requiring activities, program offices, contracting specialists, and contracting officers can work together to build fixed-price acquisitions that meet or exceed mission needs. The event is especially relevant for program managers, requirements personnel, CORs, and contracting professionals who develop performance work statements, statements of objectives, or contractual requirements. Attendees can earn one continuous learning point. Use this opportunity to sharpen acquisition planning, market research, and requirements development before the solicitation takes shape. Missed the previous session? The prior Fixed-Price Contracts webinar is now available on demand in the Fixed-Price Contracts Program – EO 14402 Playlist. Catch up on the series before the Oct. 29 session.

FQN 475 – Advanced Simplified Acquisition Procedures (5-Day), Oct. 19–23
FQN 432 – Information Technology Acquisition (3-Day), Nov. 16–20
ACQ 265 – Mission-Focused Services Acquisition, Nov. 16–19
FCR 201 – Contracting Officer's Representative Level 2, Nov. 16–20
ACQ 3700V – Acquisition Law, Nov. 16–20
FCR 404 – COR Refresher, Nov. 16–20
FQN 415 – Performance-Based Acquisition (5-Day), Nov. 16–20
FQN 160 – Acquisition of Agile Services (3-Day), Nov. 17–19
FPM 432 – Agile Project Management for the Federal Environment (3-Day), Nov. 17–19
CON 7300V – Price Analysis, Nov. 30–Dec. 3

Prepare with the FCN 3930 Contracting Exam Study Challenge—a live, interactive study session from the Federal Acquisition Institute. Held monthly on the third Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET, this session offers expert insights, engaging gameplay, and a chance to tackle challenging questions. Register through FAI CSOD, join the competition, and earn one CLP while sharpening your contracting knowledge. If you are eligible to take the exam, you can register for FCN 3930 in FAI CSOD. The next session is Oct. 20, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET. If you have questions, please contact: shawn.sandi@fai.gov.

Join GSA this October to kick off the year-long fiscal year 2027 Procurement Consolidation Training Series. Throughout the year, the series will help you strengthen your procurement consolidation strategies, explore centralized acquisition resources and connect directly with subject-matter experts. Register today and start fiscal year 2027 with a year of learning and collaboration focused on procurement consolidation.

October Training Sessions:
Oct. 13, 1 p.m. ET: Procurement Consolidation Series Kickoff, featuring Workstream 1 (Consolidated Contracts) and Workstream 2 (Centralized Acquisition).
Oct. 27, 1 p.m. ET: OCAS Deep Dive, highlighting the Office of Centralized Acquisition Services.
Oct. 27, 2 p.m. ET: Procurement Consolidation Open Office Hours, featuring live Q&A.

Apply now for the Winter 2027 Leadership Excellence for Acquisition Professionals (LEAP) program, offered by the Partnership for Public Service. For more than a decade, LEAP has helped high-performing GS-12 through GS-14 acquisition and contracting professionals strengthen their leadership skills. This five-month virtual program, running January through May 2027, helps participants build partnerships, make strategic decisions and drive positive change within their organizations. Learn more and apply here. Questions? Contact Jennifer Benbow at jbenbow@ourpublicservice.org.