Training government since 1921

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Federal acquisition and contracting training built around how your agency buys

Taught by federal contracting practitioners, and delivered your way: onsite, live online, or self-paced.

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Federal acquisition and contracting training at Graduate School USA: watch the overview

Trusted across the federal government

Since 1921
training the federal workforce
500,000+
government employees trained
125+
federal agencies served
200+
federally experienced instructors
400+
courses and certificates
All levels
across the federal acquisition curriculum
U.S. Department of AgricultureU.S. Department of the TreasuryU.S. Department of CommerceU.S. Department of EnergyU.S. Department of Veterans AffairsU.S. Department of DefenseU.S. Department of Homeland SecurityU.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesU.S. Department of JusticeU.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Department of LaborU.S. Department of TransportationU.S. Office of Personnel ManagementU.S. General Services AdministrationU.S. Department of StateNASA

Agency seals reflect organizations Graduate School USA has trained. They do not imply endorsement by, or affiliation with, any federal agency.

Three ways to train your team

Every format draws on the same practitioner-built acquisition and contracting curriculum and instructors who have done the work. Choose what fits your headcount, timeline, and budget, or combine them.

  • Private group training: bring the CON1100 through CON1400 pathway or COR training onsite, tailored to the contracts your office runs
  • Open enrollment: send contracting staff to scheduled source selection or simplified acquisition classes, live online or in Washington, DC
  • Self-paced eLearning: work through acquisition coursework between solicitations and award deadlines, with the live class free within a year
Graduate School USA instructors and federal staff working through a session together
A Graduate School USA advisor meeting one-on-one with an agency client

Private group training

Bring a contracting shop onsite and the cases come from your own files: the performance work statements you are drafting now, your independent government cost estimates, your source selections and post-award administration, worked through against the FAR and the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul.

  • Any course or certificate in our acquisition and contracting catalog, delivered onsite, live online, or blended
  • A new course built to your specification when nothing off-the-shelf fits
  • Scheduled around your calendar, for a cohort of any size
  • Rostering, progress, and completion reporting for the whole group
Request private trainingGet a group quote

Open enrollment

Send one or two people to a scheduled public session when a new contract specialist needs FAR Basics, a program office names a COR who has to be trained before award, or someone is working through the CON1100 to CON1400 sequence.

  • A published schedule across the federal acquisition and contracting curriculum, entry to advanced
  • Live online, or in person at 1050 Connecticut Ave NW in Washington, DC
  • No minimum headcount and no setup: register and go
  • The same instructors and materials as our private cohorts
Browse the course schedule
A Graduate School USA instructor leading a federal class

Self-paced eLearning

Self-paced study fits the discrete pieces of the job: an IGCE refresher, simplified acquisition procedures, ethics compliance and enforcement. It suits staff who cannot step away from an active procurement but still owe a training requirement.

  • Finish a self-paced acquisition course, then take the same instructor-led class free within a year
  • Practice the pre-award and post-award decisions contracting officers and CORs make, not slides to read
  • An always-available AI coach grounded in the course material when a FAR question comes up
  • Enroll one contracting specialist or your whole acquisition shop, with completion tracking
Browse self-paced courses
On-demand, self-paced learning at Graduate School USA
On-demand learning at Graduate School USA

Federal contracting, foundations to closeout

Each track maps to a role and a stage of the acquisition lifecycle, from FAR foundations and contract law through pricing, source selection, award, administration, and the COR, FAC-C/DAWIA, and FAC-P/PM certification paths.

Browse all acquisition and contracting training

Acquisition foundations

Where new contracting staff start, from the FAR to the basics of federal buying.
FAR Basics Course Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO): FAR Basics Course Federal Contracting Basics Course

Contract law, ethics, and appropriations

The legal and fiscal rules that govern every federal contract action.
Government Contract Law Course Federal Contracting: Ethics Compliance and Enforcement Course Federal Appropriations Law for Acquisition Professionals Course

Pre-award requirements and source selection

Shaping requirements, writing statements of work, and selecting the right offeror.
Performance Work Statements Course Shaping Smart Business Arrangements Course CON 0074: Source Selection Course

Pricing, cost, and government estimates

Building defensible cost estimates and analyzing what a fair price looks like.
CON 7310: Cost Analysis for Federal Contracting Course CON 7200: Better Business Deals Course Independent Government Cost Estimation (IGCE) Course Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) Refresher Course

FAC-C and DAWIA contracting officer track

The staged CON1100 to CON1400 pathway to civilian and DoD contracting certification.
CON1100: Contract Foundational Skills CON1200: Contract Pre-Award CON1300: Contract Award CON1400: Contract Post-Award FAC-C/DAWIA Contracting Certification Preparation Course CON 3900: Contracting Certification Exam Prep Course

Contract execution and administration

Running contracts after award and using simplified acquisition procedures.
Basic Contract Administration Course Simplified Acquisition Procedures Course CON 2370: Simplified Acquisition Procedures Course

Contracting Officer's Representative (COR)

Training for the CORs who monitor performance on behalf of the contracting officer.
COR Essentials Course Contracting Officer's Representative Course Advanced COR Workshop Course

FAC-P/PM program and project management

The four FPM fundamentals that build toward entry-level program manager certification.
FPM 131: Fundamentals of Project and Program Management Course FPM 132: Fundamentals of Contracting Course FPM 133: Fundamentals of Business, Cost, and Financial Management Course FPM 134: Fundamentals of Leading Projects and Programs Course

Systems and contingency contracting

Specialized training for systems acquisition and deployed contingency environments.
Fundamentals of Systems Acquisition Management Course CON 8300: Joint Contingency Contracting Course CON 8400: Advanced Contingency Contracting Officer's Course

Digital and AI-enabled acquisition

Modern skills for digital IT buying and responsible AI across the procurement lifecycle.
Digital IT Acquisition Professional (DITAP) Certification Training AI for Federal Acquisition & Contracting Course AI for Federal Travel and Charge Card Management Course

Certificate programs

Four programs, not one ladder. Two map to federal certification frameworks, FAC-C/DAWIA for contracting officers at 36 days and FAC-P/PM Entry Level at 12 days; the Federal Acquisition and Supply Chain Management certificates build broader competency.

FAC-C/DAWIA Contracting Officer's Certification Program

The full CON1100 through CON1400 pathway that meets the core training requirements for civilian FAC-C (Professional) and DoD DAWIA contracting officer certification.

36 days
View the certificate
Entry Level

FAC-P/PM Entry Level Certificate Program

The four FPM fundamentals courses that satisfy FAC-P/PM entry-level certification for program and project managers.

12 days
View the certificate

Federal Acquisition Certificate Program

Core business competencies every federal acquisition professional needs across the contracting lifecycle.

17 days
View the certificate

Supply Chain Management for Contracting Certificate Program

Supply chain management skills for contracting personnel who plan, source, and manage government requirements.

23 days
View the certificate

Vetted procurement, right from the GSA Schedule

Graduate School USA is a GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract holder, allowing federal agencies and other qualifying organizations to confidently purchase our services.

  • GSA MAS contract 47QRAA24D004K, SINs 611430 (professional training) and 541611 (management/administrative consulting)
  • Held as American Public Training LLC d/b/a Graduate School USA; UEI LA83MCFN1ST3; CAGE 99AA0
  • We work with your training office on the paperwork, whether a Schedule order, purchase order, or an SF-182.
View our GSA Schedule on eLibrary Email the group training team
Graduate School USA staff welcoming agency colleagues
A historical Graduate School USA faculty and leadership gathering, reflecting the institution's roots as the USDA Graduate School since 1921

An established federal training institution

Graduate School USA's federal acquisition and contracting curriculum is designed and taught in-house by practitioners who have run federal acquisitions and managed contracts, not licensed from a generic library.

  • Founded 1921 as the USDA Graduate School; 500,000+ government employees trained across 125+ agencies
  • ACCET-accredited (ACCET is a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accreditor)
  • Center for Leadership and Management runs ECQ-aligned executive development, including the Executive Potential Program since 1995
  • 200+ federally experienced subject-matter experts across 400+ courses and certificates
  • Available on an active GSA MAS Schedule (SINs 611430 and 541611)

Questions agencies ask

The answers training officers and program directors ask for most, in one place.

How does my agency buy training from Graduate School USA?
Graduate School USA holds GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract 47QRAA24D004K (SINs 611430 and 541611), so you can place a pre-priced order directly under FAR Subpart 8.4 without running an open-market procurement. We accept the SF-182, Schedule orders, government purchase orders, and purchase cards for micro-purchases.
Can we pay with an SF-182?
Yes. We accept the SF-182, purchase orders, and GSA Schedule orders under contract 47QRAA24D004K, and our group training team works with your training office on the paperwork.
Do your courses carry continuous learning points (CLPs) for FAC-C, FAC-COR, and FAC-P/PM?
Many of our acquisition and contracting courses carry continuous learning points toward the FAC-C, FAC-COR, and FAC-P/PM requirements, and we offer the certification programs themselves. Each course page lists its CLPs, and we issue completion records for your files.
What is the difference between private group training and open enrollment?
Open enrollment classes are scheduled public sessions anyone can register for, taken live online or at our Washington, DC campus at 1050 Connecticut Ave NW. Private group training delivers a course for your agency's own cohort, tailored to your mission and delivered onsite, live online, or blended.
Can employees train self-paced, and still take the live class later?
Yes. Our self-paced online courses let a learner start anytime and work at their own pace, and when you buy the self-paced course the learner may also attend the live instructor-led course for free within one year.
Can courses be tailored to our agency?
Yes. We tailor existing courses to reflect your agency's mission, policies, and real cases, and we can develop new courses for unique requirements, all delivered under GSA contract 47QRAA24D004K.
Can training be delivered virtually or in person?
Both. Courses are offered as live virtual instruction or in-person onsite at your facility or at our Washington, DC location, and some programs blend live sessions with self-paced work.
What if an employee needs to repeat a class?
We offer one free retake of a class within one year, so a first attempt is never wasted if someone is reassigned, deployed, or needs a refresher before applying the material.
What's new in your federal acquisition and contracting training?
Our curriculum is refreshed to current federal law, policy, and practice; we added new AI courses for the federal workforce; courses now run in a modern learning portal, and self-paced courses add an always-available AI coach; and self-paced online options let a learner start anytime and still take the live class for free within a year.
Does the CON1100 through CON1400 sequence satisfy both civilian FAC-C and DoD DAWIA requirements?
The FAC-C/DAWIA Contracting Officer's Certification Program covers the full CON1100 through CON1400 pathway, which meets the core training requirements for civilian FAC-C (Professional) and DoD DAWIA contracting officer certification. It runs 36 days across Contract Foundational Skills, Pre-Award, Award, and Post-Award. Staff who need exam support can add the FAC-C/DAWIA Contracting Certification Preparation Course or CON 3900: Contracting Certification Exam Prep Course.
We have CORs, contract specialists, and program managers to train out of the same budget. Do they all take the same courses?
No, they follow separate tracks. CORs move through COR Essentials, the Contracting Officer's Representative Course, and the Advanced COR Workshop, which focus on monitoring performance on behalf of the contracting officer. Contract specialists follow the CON1100 to CON1400 pathway toward FAC-C or DAWIA certification. Program and project managers take the four FPM fundamentals, FPM 131 through FPM 134, which satisfy FAC-P/PM entry-level certification.

Plan your agency's acquisition and contracting training

Tell us your topics, headcount, and timeline, and we'll propose the right mix for your team.

Group training team
onsite@graduateschool.edu
Main line: (888) 744-4723

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