News for the Acquisition Workforce

The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council released Version 3.0 of the FAR Companion on Oct. 30, 2026, as part of the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) initiative.

The update includes expanded guidance on industry engagement, contractor performance, commercial contracting and acquisition planning. It also incorporates RFO smart accelerators, techniques from the Periodic Table of Acquisition Innovations and an embedded feedback form to gather practitioner input.

Federal acquisition professionals are encouraged to explore these updates and their potential applications.

FAI CSOD gives the acquisition workforce access to an expanded third-party learning inventory from Percipio, Udemy for Business, Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.

Each provider offers a different way to build skills and support your continuous learning goals:

• Percipio — Explore more than 45,000 learning opportunities, including courses, audiobooks and other learning resources covering leadership, change, productivity, personal development and more.
• Udemy for Business — Explore more than 12,000 practical courses covering Excel, data literacy, project management, leadership, AI and more.
• Coursera — Expand your professional development options with more than 22,000 flexible, on-demand learning opportunities.
• LinkedIn Learning — Find more than 11,000 quick, focused courses as well as deeper learning across professional, technical and workplace topics.

These resources are available through FAI CSOD. Explore the expanded inventory and find the learning option that best fits your goals and schedule.

The conversation around the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) is gaining momentum! Our October session attracted 1,650 viewers, with 83% of survey respondents reporting high satisfaction. Attendees praised the practical demonstrations, exchanged ideas, and requested more real-world examples and hands-on guidance.

Next up: Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. ET! Planned guest presenters include two federal program managers who will help explore FAR Forward from a program and project management (P/PM) perspective. While this discussion will focus on the P/PM community, contracting officers (COs) and contracting officer's representatives (CORs) won't want to miss these valuable perspectives!

And there's more! FAR Forward Office Hours will continue through May 2027, giving federal acquisition professionals more opportunities to explore implementation challenges, discover resources, ask questions and connect with colleagues. Upcoming topics include a preview of the new FAI Acquisition Learning Lab on Dec. 14, and practical considerations when establishing blanket purchase agreements under existing contracts on Jan. 11.

Upcoming sessions: Nov. 9, Dec. 14, Jan. 11, Feb. 8, March 8, April 12, and May 10, all at 1 p.m. ET.

Register for FAR Forward Office Hours

Important: Sessions are open to federal employees only. Register using your .gov or .mil email address. You'll receive a unique join link—do not share it. We use your link to verify attendance and automatically award one continuous learning point for attending.

Missed a session? Catch up on previous FAR Forward Office Hours recordings.

Don't just follow the changes. Join the conversation!

Don’t miss your final opportunity to complete FAI instructor-led training before the year ends. Review the last classes of 2026 below and register before seats fill or enrollment closes. 

RFO WS 101 - Revolutionary FAR Overhaul High Intensity Immersive Training - Foundations, Nov. 18, Dec. 8, and Dec. 15

RFO WS 102 - Revolutionary FAR Overhaul High Intensity Immersive Training - Commercial Construction Under the RFO, Nov. 19, Dec. 10

FCR 201 - Contracting Officer's Representative Level 2, Dec. 7–11

FCR 400 - Advanced Contracting Officer's Representative, Dec. 7–11

FCR 404 - COR Refresher, Dec. 7–11

FQN 415 - Performance-Based Acquisition (5-Day), Dec. 7–11

CON 2440V - Construction Contracting, Dec. 7–11

FQN 475 - Advanced Simplified Acquisition Procedures (5-Day), Dec. 7–11

FQN 200 - Administration Of Cost-Reimbursement Contracts, Dec. 7–11

FQN 070 - Cost and Price Analysis, Dec. 7–11

ACQ 315 - Understanding Industry (Business Acumen), Dec. 7–11

FCN 3920 - Contracting DAWIA/FAC-C Certification Preparation Course, Dec. 7–11

FQN 440 - Basic Source Selection, Dec. 7–11

CON 2420V - Architect-Engineer Indirect Rates, Dec. 8–11

FCN 550 - Cybersecurity - Supply Chain Risk Management (2-Day), Dec. 9–11

Put your knowledge to the test with the FCN 3930 Contracting Exam Study Challenge—a live, interactive study session from the Federal Acquisition Institute! Typically held monthly on the third Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET, this fast-paced session combines expert insights, challenging contracting questions, and engaging gameplay to help you sharpen your skills and prepare with confidence. If you are eligible to take the contracting exam, register for FCN 3930 in FAI CSOD, join the competition, and earn one CLP while strengthening your contracting knowledge. The next session is Nov. 17, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET. Come ready to think, compete, learn—and see how your contracting knowledge stacks up! Questions? Contact shawn.sandi@fai.gov.

GSA will host its monthly office hours webinar on Thursday, Nov. 19, at 1 p.m. EST. The session will highlight blanket purchase agreement (BPA) toolkits that help contracting officers and other stakeholders establish and manage BPAs under GSA contracts. Federal contracting professionals can connect with GSA experts, ask questions and explore practical solutions for complex professional services requirements. Participants will earn one continuous learning point for attending.