7: Strategic Management for Acquisition Excellence

Strengthen GSA acquisition activities to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies; foster full and open competition for contract awards; develop the acquisition workforce; and promote accountability for acquisition decision-making.

Other Information:

GSA’s policy-making authority covers the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the GSA acquisition regulations, as well as personal and real property, travel and transportation, IT, and the use of Federal advisory committees. GSA ensures the accountability, integrity, and transparency of the procurement process by delivering high quality acquisition policy, training tools, contracting support, contractor oversight, and electronic systems. We participate in the FAR Council in crafting revisions to governmentwide acquisition policy, such as the recent changes to FAR Part 18, which now contains comprehensive guidance on emergency contracting. Additionally, GSA issues Acquisition Letters and is now revising the GSA Acquisition Manual (GSAM) to update internal guidance and support increased small business participation in GSA programs. GSA is the best place for new Federal acquisition professionals to learn how to do government contracting. The GSA-led Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) is in the forefront of government efforts to develop a world class acquisition workforce by implementing the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) program. Recently approved by the Chief Acquisition Officers Council, FAC-C is a certification program for contracting professionals in all civilian agencies and mirrors the standards of the successful Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA). The certification program standardizes the education, training, and experience requirements for contracting professionals, thus improving workforce competencies and enhancing career opportunities for this field. The Federal Acquisition Institute continues to work with the Defense Acquisition University on development of a governmentwide curriculum for contracting professionals. In order to keep the FAC-C certification, acquisition professionals will be required to earn 80 Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) of skills training every two years, beginning in October 2007. Acquisition career managers will monitor the continuous learning requirements of their employees in order to maintain core competencies with current knowledge and up-to-date business practices. Continuous learning can include participation at conferences and symposia, publishing, taking additional courses, as well as formal training and self-directed study. GSA will continue to provide tools and advice that assist the GSA Administrator and other senior agency officials in the management of the agency’s acquisition and Federal assistance activities and to ensure the acquisition workforce has the training, tools, and guidance necessary to meet Mission needs and continue being effective stewards of taxpayer dollars. At the same time, GSA will continue its review and revision of the GSA Regulations (GSAR) to ensure that they contain all of the most recent policies and procedures. We will continue to develop, coordinate, and incorporate clear and concise policy and guidance for the acquisition workforce, and to ensure compliance with our policies, we will conduct annual Procurement Management Reviews (PMR).

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