Federal Government Adoption of NCMA Contracting Standard Will Ease Staffing Shortages and Improve Training | News Direct

Federal Government Adoption of NCMA Contracting Standard Will Ease Staffing Shortages and Improve Training

News release by National Contract Management Association

facebook icon linkedin icon twitter icon pinterest icon email icon Ashburn, Virginia | January 30, 2023 09:30 AM Eastern Standard Time

 

U.S. government agencies will be better able to address contracting staffing shortages, and contracting professionals will be better trained now that all civilian agencies have adopted the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) Contract Management Standard™ (CMS™).

The U.S. Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) announced January 19 that the NCMA CMS™ will become the foundation of a new contracting training system for all civilian agencies effective February 1, 2023.

Adoption of the American National Standard Institute (ANSI)-approved CMS™, means the new Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) (Professional) program matches the DoD’s, allowing seamless mobility between DoD and other agencies.

“NCMA celebrates the increase in talent mobility in government that will come through adoption of our CMS™,” said NCMA Chief Executive Officer Kraig Conrad. “Our members invested considerable resources to achieve ANSI approval of our standard and accreditation of our certifications. We are proud that the federal government recognizes their power."

“The next step is for government to increase talent mobility with industry by accepting NCMA certifications. There certainly is precedent in government’s acceptance of other professional certifications for program management, accounting, and finance,” Conrad added.

In a January 19 memo, Lesley A. Field, Deputy Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy said the FAC-C (Professional) is “designed to attract more people into the contracting workforce from a variety of sources – colleges, industry, internal candidates from other functions, and state and local governments.”

Contracting training is “critical to the success of important public priorities, such as advancing equity, promoting sustainability, increasing domestic sourcing, and ensuring our supply chains and cyber assets are secure,” Field observed in her memo to chief acquisition officers and senior procurement executives.

The ANSI approved 3rd Edition of the NCMA CMS™ is recognized globally as the preeminent standard in the profession. It is the basis of NCMA’s ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) accredited Certified Contract Management Associate (CCMA) certification; one of three ANAB accredited contracting certifications offered by NCMA.

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The National Contract Management Association (NCMA), founded in 1959, is the world’s leading association in the contract management field. With more than 18,000 members, NCMA is dedicated to the professional growth and educational advancement of procurement and acquisition personnel worldwide. NCMA strives to serve and inform the profession in government and industry by offering opportunities for open exchange of ideas in neutral forums. To learn more, please visit ncmahq.org.

 

Contact Details

 

National Contract Management Association

 

Dominick Belfiore, Director of Operations and Special Projects

 

+1 571-382-1121

 

dominick.belfiore@ncmahq.org

 

Company Website

 

https://www.ncmahq.org/

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contract managementaquisitionprocurementNCMAgovernment agenciesContract Management Standardprofessional certifications