How to Pass the FAC-C Certification: Tips for Federal Contracting Officers

The FAC-C Is Not a Test You Pass by Reading the FAR Cover to Cover

Federal contracting officers who've tried the shotgun approach — reading every page of the FAR and hoping it sticks — tend to find the FAC-C exam humbling. The Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting, managed by DAU (Defense Acquisition University) and GSA, tests your ability to apply acquisition law and regulation to realistic scenarios, not your ability to recite chapter headings. Here are the specific, actionable strategies that actually improve your score.

What Is the FAC-C and What Are Its Three Levels?

The FAC-C (Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting) is the professional credential required for federal civilian contracting officers. It's issued jointly by GSA and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) and is mandatory for contracting officers with warrant authority at civilian federal agencies (defense agencies use the DAWIA — Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act — system instead, though FAC-C and DAWIA credentials are increasingly reciprocal).

There are three FAC-C levels:

• FAC-C (Entry Level): Required for contracting officers with a warrant up to $250,000. Requires 24 hours of acquisition training and 1 year of contracting experience.
• FAC-C Mid Level: Required for contracting officers with a warrant up to $10 million. Requires 40 hours of additional training and 2 years of contracting experience beyond Entry Level.
• FAC-C Professional: Required for senior contracting officers with unlimited warrant authority. Requires 80 hours of additional training and 4+ years of total contracting experience.

All three levels require DAU-approved coursework, demonstrated experience, and supervisor certification. There is no single standardized written exam — compliance is verified through course completion, experience documentation, and supervisor sign-off.

Tip 1: Know the FAR, But Know It Selectively

The FAR has 53 parts. In a career, you'll use roughly 15–20 regularly. For FAC-C Entry Level, the essential parts are: Part 1 (purpose and guiding principles), Part 2 (definitions — do not skip this), Part 4 (administrative matters), Part 5 (publicizing contracts), Part 6 (competition requirements), Part 7 (acquisition planning), Part 8 (required sources including GSA Schedules), Part 10 (market research), Part 12 (commercial items), Part 13 (simplified acquisition procedures), Part 14 (sealed bidding), Part 15 (contracting by negotiation), Part 19 (small business programs), and Part 52 (contract clauses).

At Mid and Professional levels, add: Part 16 (contract types), Part 22 (application of labor laws), Part 30 (cost accounting standards), Part 31 (cost principles), Part 32 (contract financing), and Part 36 (construction contracting). The scenario questions in DAU coursework map directly to these parts — when you see a scenario in class, identify the FAR part it's testing and note it.

Tip 2: Master the Competition Requirement Before Anything Else

FAR Part 6 requires "full and open competition" for all acquisitions above the simplified acquisition threshold ($250,000) unless a statutory exception applies. The seven exceptions are among the most tested topics in FAC-C coursework at all levels:

1. Only one responsible source (sole source)
2. Unusual and compelling urgency
3. Industrial mobilization or national defense
4. International agreement
5. Authorized or required by statute
6. National security
7. Public interest (requires head of agency determination)

Each exception requires a Justification and Approval (J&A) document with specific content and approval levels. A contracting officer cannot simply decide competition isn't practical — they must fit the requirement within one of these seven exceptions and obtain proper approval. Scenarios testing whether a J&A is required and which exception applies are common at every FAC-C level.

Tip 3: Understand Contract Types — Not Just Their Names

FAR Part 16 covers contract types, and FAC-C candidates often memorize the names (FFP, CPFF, T&M, IDIQ) without understanding when each is appropriate and what the risk implications are. Here's the exam-critical framework:

Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP): Government bears zero cost risk. All risk is on the contractor. Appropriate when requirements are well-defined and pricing can be established with reasonable certainty. Most commercial purchases should be FFP.

Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF): Government bears all cost risk. Contractor is reimbursed actual costs plus a fixed fee (profit). Appropriate for research and development or when requirements are so uncertain that fixed pricing would be unreasonable or impossible.

Time-and-Materials (T&M): Contractor is paid for labor hours at pre-negotiated rates plus actual material costs. High government risk — appropriate only when it's not possible to estimate requirements with sufficient certainty. Requires special justification and a surveillance plan.

Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ): Establishes contract terms for an unspecified quantity of goods or services over a period of time. Individual task or delivery orders are issued against the IDIQ. GSA Schedules are a form of government-wide IDIQ.

The exam frequently presents scenarios and asks you to identify which contract type is appropriate — or to identify what's wrong when the wrong type was chosen.

Tip 4: Learn Source Selection, Not Just Procurement Mechanics

FAC-C Mid and Professional coursework goes deep on source selection — the process for evaluating proposals and selecting a winner in a negotiated acquisition. Key concepts include: evaluation factors and subfactors, relative order of importance, technical/past performance/price tradeoffs, "best value continuum," and the distinction between Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) and tradeoff source selection approaches.

LPTA is appropriate when requirements are clearly defined and the risk of unsuccessful performance is low. Tradeoff allows selection of a higher-priced offeror when the technical or past performance advantages justify the premium. Misusing LPTA for complex services is a recurring audit finding and a common exam scenario at FAC-C Mid level.

Tip 5: Study Past Performance Requirements Specifically

Past performance is a mandatory evaluation factor for most negotiated acquisitions above the simplified acquisition threshold. The FAC-C exam tests how past performance is evaluated (recency, relevancy, quality), how it's rated (exceptional/very good/satisfactory/marginal/unsatisfactory), what "relevant" means in context, and what happens when a vendor has no relevant past performance (it's rated "neutral" — not poor). These specifics are frequently tested and frequently confused.

Tip 6: Use DAU's ACQuipedia While Studying

DAU maintains ACQuipedia, a free online encyclopedia of acquisition topics, at dau.edu. Each topic includes a plain-language summary, relevant FAR citations, and links to related topics. Using ACQuipedia alongside your coursework materials helps you see how acquisition concepts connect — which is exactly what FAC-C scenario questions test.

Practice With Scenarios, Then More Scenarios

SimpuTech's GSA Contracting AI tutor generates FAC-C scenario questions across all three levels, covering competition requirements, contract types, source selection, Schedule ordering procedures, and small business programs. It explains the FAR rationale behind each answer rather than just providing the correct option. Start your free practice session at SimpuTech →

Also helpful: GSA Schedule Contracts Explained and Small Business Set-Asides in Federal Contracting.

Certification details verified against dau.edu as of March 2026. Requirements are subject to change — confirm current details before registering.