The Federal Acquisition Reform Act (FARA), (Public Law 104-106, February 10, 1996, (renamed the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996), added a new section 37 to the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Act entitled "Acquisition Workforce". The law applies to all contracting and purchasing positions and any other positions in which significant acquisition-related functions are performed. The law requires the heads of federal agencies, through the agency Senior Procurement Executive, to define the education, training, and experience necessary for career progression within the acquisition workforce, including mandatory coursework and on-the-job training.

The OFPP Administrator is responsible for ensuring a uniform implementation of the law's requirements by civilian agencies and for establishing qualification standards applicable to positions covered by the law. OFPP has recently developed and submitted to the Office of Personnel Management new qualification standards for the contracting (1102) series.

Information on the requirements of the new law and other items of interest to the acquisition workforce can be found on this site. As GSA continues to implement the various provisions of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, additional documents may be added to this site.