14 FAH-3 H-340
REQUIRED training COURSES and overseas contracting
officer warrants
(CT:AQM-6; 04-05-2017)
(Office of Origin: A/OPE)
14 FAH-3 H-341 Required training
courses
14 FAH-3 H-341.1 Simplified Acquisition (Actions at or Below
$25,000)
(CT:AQM-6; 04-05-2017)
(Applies to non-U.S. Citizens, Locally Employed Staff)
The required training for personnel executing contractual
actions at or below $25,000 is 40 hours of simplified acquisition training, or
equivalent, such as the Foreign Service Institutes (FSI) PA-229, Simplified
Acquisition Procedures (online distance learning course); (FSI) PA-247,
Commercial Acquisitions (classroom course); or Defense Acquisition Universitys
(DAU) CON 237, Simplified Acquisition (online). It is the responsibility of
the post to fund training. At a minimum, 40 hours of refresher training is
required every 5 years. This training can be the same courses or other
acquisition-related training.
14 FAH-3 H-341.2 Simplified
Acquisition ($100,000 Provisional Warrant)
(CT:AQM-6; 04-05-2017)
The required training for Foreign Service personnel
performing simplified acquisition is a 40-hour course in simplified
acquisition, such as the Foreign Service Institutes (FSI) PA-229, Simplified
Acquisition Procedures (online distance learning course) or Defense Acquisition
Universitys (DAU) CON 237, Simplified Acquisition. Fulfillment of this
training requirement will enable a Foreign Service officer to obtain a
provisional warrant (see 14 FAH-3
H-342.2).
14 FAH-3 H-341.3 Formal Contracts ($250,000 Standard Warrant)
(CT:AQM-6; 04-05-2017)
a. The required training for Foreign Service personnel
at posts abroad, performing formal contracts above the simplified acquisition
threshold, is the 4-week FSI General Services Officer (GSO) Course Acquisitions
Module (PA-221) or its equivalent. Contact the Office of the Procurement
Executive (A/OPE) for assistance in equivalency determinations.
b. Obtaining a contracting
officer warrant at the $250,000 level (standard warrant) requires completion of
a minimum of 16 hours or 2 days of refresher training within the past 3 years,
in addition to the GSO Course Acquisitions Module. Employees requesting a
standard warrant, must show completion of refresher training if graduation from the GSO Acquisition Module has exceeded 3 years (see 14 FAM 214). The
purpose of this policy is to ensure that overseas contracting officers maintain
a current knowledge base on U.S. Government contracting and are able to award
and administer contracts properly in support of the Departments mission.
c. All Foreign
Service personnel at posts abroad who are responsible for awarding formal
contracts must take at least 16 hours of refresher training every 3 years. This
should cover topics such as Intermediate Contracting, Service Contracting, Cost
and Price Analysis, Government Contract Law, Construction Contracting, etc. Training
is available from the Federal Acquisition
Institute (FAI) or Defense Acquisition University (DAU), or
commercially, through the list of sources available from the Office of the
Procurement Executive (A/OPE).
14 FAH-3 H-342 overseas contracting
officer name warrant program
(CT:AQM-6; 04-05-2017)
A/OPE issues contracting officer
warrants only to qualified individuals, by name, and are valid only at the
current post of assignment. Warrants will be valid only for an individual at a
particular post for a specific time period. All posts should nominate at least
two employees (three, for larger posts) to the Office of the Procurement
Executive (A/OPE) for appointment as contracting officers, ensuring contractual coverage is available at
all times.
14 FAH-3 H-342.1 Locally Employed
Staff (LE Staff) Name Warrants ($25,000 and Below)
(CT:AQM-6; 04-05-2017)
a. Pursuant to DOSAR 601.603-3(c), A/OPE may issue name warrants for acquisitions of
$25,000 and below to locally employed staff (LE staff) (i.e., Foreign Service
nationals, third-country nationals, and U.S. citizens hired as LE staff). Similar
to the purchase-card program, the Foreign Service contracting officer
supervisor will serve as the approving official for these transactions by
reviewing and signing a monthly transaction log. The Department will hold the
Foreign Service contracting officer supervisor responsible from an
administrative standpoint for any erroneously issued contractual documents by
LE staff. Successful management of LE staff contracting authority will be a
consideration in establishing eligibility for contracting warrants and
determining dollar thresholds. In addition, periodic evaluation of LE staff
acquisitions may be conducted at any time at the discretion of A/OPE.
b. A/OPE will only
designate LE staff as contracting officers in countries where local law
and custom provides adequate assurance of
the ability to prosecute malfeasance and where the risk of corruption is low. This
is defined as a score of 50 or higher on the Transparency International
Corruption Perception Index available on the Transparency International website.
Management officers should continue to assess changing conditions in host
countries and advise A/OPE where risks have increased.
c. Only LE staff with a minimum of 5 years of
procurement experience with the Department of State may be nominated for a
warrant. LE staff must have completed a minimum of 40 hours of simplified
acquisition training to qualify for a warrant.
d. The designation of any LE staff as a contracting
officer is limited to a 5-year period. The designation renewal or termination
request must be submitted to A/OPE approximately 30 days prior to the end of
the 5-year period.
e. As specified in DOSAR 601.603-3(c), personal
services contractors are not eligible for appointment as Department of State
contracting officers.
14 FAH-3 H-342.2 Provisional Name
Warrants
(CT:AQM-6; 04-05-2017)
Provisional name warrants are limited to $100,000. The
Office of the Procurement Executive (A/OPE) must review the solicitation,
contract, or modification when the amount exceeds $100,000. The total amount
of a contract action, for purposes of determining whether the action is within
the contracting officers authority, includes all option years. This review is
not required for exercise of previously approved priced options or delivery
orders placed against valid U.S. Government contracts.
14 FAH-3 H-342.3 Standard Name
Warrants
(CT:AQM-6; 04-05-2017)
Individuals who successfully completed the Acquisitions Module of the General
Services Officer (GSO) course at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) PA-221 within the last 3 years, or required refresher training, qualify for a
standard warrant in the amount of $250,000. The contracting officer need only
submit acquisition actions over $250,000 to A/OPE for review and approval.
14 FAH-3 H-342.4 Temporary
Name Warrants
(CT:AQM-6; 04-05-2017)
a. As set forth at Department of State Acquisition
Regulation (DOSAR) 601.603-3(b), the chief of mission is delegated authority to
issue temporary name warrants to U.S. citizen employees for periods of up to 90
days in order to cover emergency, post-specific operational requirements such
as staffing gaps, medical evacuations, or extended leave. This delegation of
authority permits essential operations to continue in the absence from post of
the A/OPE name-warranted contracting officer(s). Appointments must be made in
writing on Form SF-1402, Certificate of Appointment, with a copy furnished to A/OPE.
Temporary name warrants must contain both a limitation of $100,000 for
signature authority, and a specific time period during which the warrant is
effective.
b. There is no mandatory training requirement to
qualify for a temporary warrant. However, A/OPE highly recommends that
individuals complete the Foreign Service Institutes (FSI) PA-229, Simplified
Acquisition Procedures (online distance learning), so that some acquisition
knowledge is attained before a temporary warrant is issued. Temporary warrant
holders are encouraged to contact the A/OPE regional desk officer for advice
and assistance on specific transactions.
14 FAH-3 H-343 THROUGH H-349 UNASSIGNED