(a) General. The Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers (FAC-P/PM) core certification program certifies program and project managers at three levels: Entry, Mid and Senior. This certification program is based upon a competency model of performance outcomes which measures the knowledge, skills and abilities gained by program and project managers through professional training, job experience and continuous learning. Program and Project Managers (P/PMs) are critical to project success, including developing accurate government requirements and managing life-cycle activities to ensure that intended outcomes are achieved. Information about FAC-P/PM is available at https://www.fai.gov/ and GSA’s Acquisition Portal at https://insite.gsa.gov/acquisitionportal.

(b) FAC-P/PM Certification. When required and regardless of series, employees must complete the GSA certification and training requirements to obtain and maintain an active Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers (FAC-P/PM) at the appropriate level in the career management system of record. Depending on the project, the FAC-P/PM IT Core-Plus specialty certification may also be required:

(1) Timeframe. The employee's supervisor must confirm that an employee holds an active FAC-P/PM certification or specialization at the appropriate level when assigning the employee as a program manager, project lead or integrated project team (IPT) lead; if not, PMs must be certified at the appropriate level no later than 12 months from the date of their assignment to a program, project or IPT; a waiver from the SPE is not required to exercise this flexibility.

(2) If an employee has been assigned to serve as a program manager, project lead or IPT, but does not hold an active FAC-P/PM certification at the appropriate level within 12 months from the date of their assignment, a waiver request must be submitted and approved by the SPE (see paragraph (d)).

(3) Any program manager for a major acquisition, including major programs as defined by OMB Circular A-11, must be FAC-P/PM Level III certified.

(c) FAC-P/PM-IT Specialization.

(1) Applicability. The FAC-P/PM-IT Specialization is required for all GSA P/PMs and IPT leads who support the following covered projects and programs:

(i)IT projects or programs included in the GSA IT Dashboard https://itdashboard.gov/drupal/summary/023, meaning they have been designated as major IT investments by the GSA Chief Information Officer;

(ii)IT projects or programs identified by GSA’s IT Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) team as a major investment and shared with the Acquisition Career Manager; or

(iii)IT projects or programs designated by HCA as major or mission critical.

(2) Certification requirements. Any GSA employee pursuing the FAC-P/PM-IT must first hold a mid or senior level FAC-P/PM Certification (Levels II or III).

(3) Timeframe. Any GSA employee required to have a FAC-P/PM-IT Specialization must obtain a the certification within 12 months of project assignment. If an employee has been assigned to serve as a PM for a major program, but does not hold an active FAC-P/PM-IT Specialization within 12 months from the date of their assignment, a waiver request must be submitted and approved by the SPE (see paragraph (d)).

(d) Waivers. The SPE may waive the requirements for FAC-P/PM and FAC-P/PM-IT certification. Waivers will only be considered in compelling and well documented circumstances for a period not to exceed 12 months. This authority is non-delegable. FAC-P/PM-IT waivers are not transferable to other agencies. Waiver requests shall be submitted by the ACM POC for the requesting organization to the OGP Acquisition Workforce Division for review and routing to the SPE.