Federal Acquisition Institute

What Federal Acquisition Institute does

The Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) is a U.S. federal government agency established on July 14, 1976, as the Federal Procurement Institute, and now operating under statutory authority codified at 41 U.S.C. 1201(a), 1122(a), and 1703. Located within the General Services Administration (GSA) under a March 30, 2013 Service Level Agreement, FAI receives policy direction from the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The institute is charged with fostering and promoting the development of the professional federal acquisition workforce government-wide, executing 12 statutory responsibilities including administration of the Acquisition Workforce Training Fund. Jeffrey Birch serves as Director.

FAI operates a unified training and certification ecosystem anchored on the FAI CSOD learning management system, a Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD) platform that delivers online courses, tracks certifications, and manages continuous learning point (CLP) compliance. Core certification products include FAC-C (Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting), FAC-COR (Contracting Officer's Representative), and FAC-P/PM (Program/Project Manager). Supporting these are role-specific toolkits (CO Toolkit, COR Toolkit, P/PM Toolkit), a Media Library of training videos and podcasts, and the CLIP Dashboard for self-service progress tracking. Course registration and credential management are handled through the Warfighting Acquisition University (WarU) partner platform.

Services are delivered at no cost to the federal civilian acquisition workforce — contracting officers, program managers, and acquisition career managers — through partnerships with the Chief Acquisition Officers Council, OFPP, GSA, and the Federal CIO Council. The organization communicates with its audience via the fai.gov website, the biweekly Acquisition Today newsletter distributed through GovDelivery, and monthly FAR Forward Office Hours webinars. FAI is funded through federal appropriations managed by GSA, and revenue is not disclosed because the entity operates as a public institution rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

Federal Acquisition Institute

Legal name

Federal Acquisition Institute

Website

https://fai.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Federal Acquisition Institute is a U.S. federal government agency within GSA that provides standardized training, certification (FAC-C, FAC-COR, FAC-P/PM), and continuous learning programs for the federal civilian acquisition workforce under statutory authority at 41 U.S.C.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Training and Certification Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADACAF

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Accreditation Bodies (Institutional & Programmatic)

SECONDARYEDANAIAE

Project, Process & Quality Certification Prep (PMP, PRINCE2, Lean Six Sigma, ITIL)

Education/Tutoring & Test Preparation/Professional Certification & Licensure Exam Prep

SECONDARYEDAAALAM

Project, Quality & Operations (PMP PDUs, Six Sigma, Quality CE)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

Keywords

• Federal acquisition training
• Professional certification programs
• Workforce development services
• Learning management system
• Government procurement certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FAI provides standardized professional certification and training programs (FAC-C, FAC-COR, FAC-P/PM) for the federal acquisition workforce, delivered through the FAI CSOD learning management system. It also offers continuous learning tracking, role-specific toolkits (CO, COR, P/PM), a Media Library of training videos and podcasts, and the WarU registration platform, all provided at no cost to federal acquisition workforce members.

Product overview

The Federal Acquisition Institute operates as a unified training and certification ecosystem for the federal acquisition workforce, centered on the FAI CSOD learning management system. The core offerings include FAC-C (Professional), FAC-COR, and FAC-P/PM certification programs that validate professional competencies across contracting roles. Supporting these certifications is an extensive Media Library of training videos, podcasts, and Knowledge Nuggets, alongside practical toolkits (CO Toolkit, COR Toolkit, P/PM Toolkit) that provide policy resources and communities of practice. The program also encompasses continuous learning opportunities through the CLIP Dashboard for tracking progress, registration via WarU, and the Acquisition Today Newsletter for ongoing updates. The FAI CSOD platform serves as the central hub integrating course delivery, certification tracking, and learning resources into a single workforce development system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FAC-C (Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting) Standardized professional certification program validating competencies for federal contracting personnel, with multiple levels including Professional certification.
• FAC-COR (Contracting Officer's Representative) Certification program for Contracting Officer's Representatives validating knowledge and skills needed to monitor and administer government contracts.
• FAC-P/PM (Program/Project Manager) Certification program for Program and Project Managers in federal acquisition, validating competencies in program management and acquisition oversight.
• FAI CSOD Learning Platform Learning management system (LMS) platform providing online training courses, certification tracking, and continuous learning management for federal acquisition workforce members.
• Media Library Repository of training video products, podcasts, and selected video materials relating to federal acquisition challenges, categorized by topic and featuring Knowledge Nuggets and Acquisition Seminars.
• WarU (Warfighting Acquisition University) Training registration and management platform for federal acquisition workforce courses and credentials, used as FAI's primary delivery platform alongside FAI CSOD.
• Continuous Learning Opportunities Ongoing professional development resources and CLP-earning activities for maintaining federal acquisition certifications.
• Acquisition Today Newsletter Biweekly newsletter providing updates from training programs and trending news for the federal acquisition workforce.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• General Services Administration (GSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2013FAI is located within the General Services Administration. OMB's Office of Federal Procurement Policy and GSA signed a Service Level Agreement on March 30, 2013, outlining the management and performance of FAI. GSA provides administrative infrastructure and operational support.
• Chief Acquisition Officers Council (CAOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAI works closely with the Chief Acquisition Officers Council, which provides a senior-level forum for monitoring and improving the federal acquisition system. This partnership is established under 41 U.S.C. 1311-1312 and enables coordination on acquisition policy and workforce development initiatives.
• Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAI receives policy direction from the Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, which is part of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OFPP issues acquisition policy guidance that FAI operationalizes through training and certification programs.
• Federal CIO CouncilsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAI collaborates with the Federal CIO Council on IT acquisition training initiatives, including the annual CIO Council IT Symposium covering topics such as agile acquisition, integrated teaming, and category management in procurement.
• Warfighting Acquisition University (WarU)coreTechnology or IntegrationFAI uses WarU as its primary learning management system delivery platform (FAI CSOD). The partnership enables FAI to deliver training courses, track certifications, and manage continuous learning requirements for the federal acquisition workforce.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Office of Personnel Management: OPM oversees federal civilian workforce policy, including training authorities historically linked to FAI's mission. OPM operates more broadly across all federal occupations, while FAI specializes in acquisition, making OPM a broader incumbent in the federal workforce development space.

Emerging players

• Skillsoft: Skillsoft is a major corporate compliance and professional training provider whose content and platforms serve government and enterprise customers. Skillsoft overlaps with FAI in professional development, leadership, and compliance training, and is a competitor in the broader training-vendor market that could expand into federal.
• National Contract Management Association: NCMA is the professional association for contract management, offering certifications (CPCM, CFCM) and training that overlap with FAI's FAC-C contracting certification. NCMA serves both public and private sector contracting professionals, complementing FAI's federal-only focus.
• Project Management Institute: PMI administers the PMP certification, which overlaps with FAI's FAC-P/PM program in validating project management competencies. Both target professional project managers with structured credentialing and PDU-based continuing education requirements.

Direct peers

• Defense Acquisition University: DAU provides acquisition training and certification for the Department of Defense acquisition workforce. It is the most direct functional peer of FAI, operating a parallel (but defense-specific) mission of workforce certification, continuous learning, and curriculum management.

Regional players

• Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers: FLETC is the federal government's primary training provider for law enforcement, analogous in structural role to FAI for the acquisition workforce. Both are government-operated training institutes delivering mandatory workforce credentialing to a defined federal constituency.

Others

• Cornerstone OnDemand: Cornerstone OnDemand is the LMS vendor behind FAI CSOD (learn.csodfed.com). As the technology infrastructure provider rather than a training content competitor, Cornerstone enables FAI's delivery platform and also serves other federal agencies and enterprises.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/faigov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/federal-acquisition-institute-fai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Federal Acquisition Institute