Contracting Officer's Representative (FAC-COR)

Certification Requirements

The Federal Acquisition Certification-Contracting Officer's Representatives (FAC-COR) Program requirements are governed by the September 6, 2011 OMB Revisions to the Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer's Representatives. This memorandum revises and replaces OFPP’s Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer Technical Representatives (FAC-COTR), originally issued in November 2007, revising the competency requirements for CORs to establish a risk-based, three-tiered certification program for civilian agencies that better reflects the important role of the COR. The new FAC-COR requirements became effective as of January 1, 2012.

The FAC-COR is only one component of strengthening the COR function. Equally important is selecting the right individual to be a COR, ensuring that the COR understands the importance of his/her role, providing the individual adequate time and resources to perform the COR function, and building a culture of effective collaboration and communication between the Contracting Officer and the COR.

Where the previous FAC-COTR had just one level of certification for all CORs, the new FAC-COR has three levels of certification with varying requirements for training, experience, and continuous learning, depending on the types of contracts being managed. To find out more information about the requirements for each level, please click here. For frequently asked questions about the FAC-COR Certification, please click here.

For questions concerning your certification, please contact your Acquisition Career Manager (ACM). 

Training

Initial training for new CORs must include, at a minimum, a course covering COR roles and responsibilities as well as fundamental contract rules and regulations. In addition, it is strongly recommended that this training be provided in a classroom setting. For other CORs any combination of classroom or online training required by agency policy and the agency’s Acquisition Career Manager (ACM) is acceptable. Individual CORs should consult with their supervisor and the Contracting Officer to determine their specific training needs.

FAI, the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), private vendors, and other government agencies offer a variety of online and classroom courses to satisfy the new training requirements. Sample curricula recommendations can be found by clicking here.

To enroll in COR training, please login to FAITAS and select "Continuous Learning Modules" on the left side of the screen.

Continuous Learning

Individuals certified with FAC-COR must accumulate the number of CLPs reflective of their level of certification, every two years to maintain their certification to act as a COR. Click here for more information.

Click here for OFPP's general guidance on continuous learning.

COR Competencies

The essential competencies required for Contracting Officer's Representatives (CORs) or equivalent positions form the foundation for the knowledge, skills, and abilities to effectively perform as a COR. The FAC-COR Competencies and Performance Outcomes  have been updated by the COR Functional Advisory Board, as of December 2012.

Additional Information

The term “COTR” has been changed to “COR” to align with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) which now incorporates a definition for “Contracting Officer’s Representative” and includes designation of a COR as part of a Contracting Officer’s responsibilities. (See FAR Parts 1.602-2, “Responsibilities” and 2.101, “Definitions ”)

Each career area has a Functional Advisory Board as a collaborative, federal-wide working group charged with shaping the management policies and practices of the Federal Acquisition Certification program which is chartered by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy.  Click here to view the current COR FAB charter.