Functional Statements > Office of Finance and Operations
The Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for the Office of Acquisitions Management leads the Department of Education toward effective, efficient, and accountable Acquisition Management, enhancing the mission by building an end-to-end Acquisition Lifecycle Framework (ALF) which includes oversight, workforce development, policy development, supply chain management, business systems, and contract execution. The Office of Acquisitions Management provides leadership strategically focused on delivering better outcomes, driving behavior changes, and implementing innovative solutions for improved Program Performance leading to ED mission success.
The Immediate Office is led by the DAS, who is also serving as the Deputy Chief Acquisition Officer and Senior Procurement Executive (DCAO & SPE), who reports directly to the PDAS for the Office of Finance and Operations. The DCAO & SPE are responsible for ED-wide Acquisition Management with two distinct functional areas required to assure department-wide Acquisition Management: Contracts and Acquisitions Management Division and Strategic Acquisition Management Initiatives Division.
Contracts and Acquisitions Management (CAM) Division
CAM is responsible for contract execution (solicitation, award, administration, and closeout of all contracts) and other acquisition instruments for the Department including the ten Regional Offices, excluding FSA. CAM’s mission is to proactively lead the acquisition process, planning, negotiating, awarding and administering contracts, advancing the Department’s mission to serve America’s students.
In carrying out its responsibilities, the Immediate Office:
- Supports ED’s socioeconomic goals through advocacy for appropriate use of small business prime and sub-contracting authorities, within applicable Federal and Departmental laws, regulations, guidelines and procedures.
- Advocates for adequate competition in procurements throughout the Department.
The Director, CAM, is the Head of Contracting Activity (HCA). The Director is responsible for the overall management of CAM’s procurement functions and provides leadership and coordination to the immediate office staff and to the following components:
- Program Contracts Group
- Operations Contracts Group
- Education Sciences Contracts Group
- Performance and Logistics Group
Each of the above Contracting groups provide contracting and acquisition support to designated client offices and has identical functions. Each operational group is led by a Group Manager that also serves as the Chief of the Contracting Office (COCO).
In carrying out its responsibilities, each group:
- Develops acquisition plans in conjunction with program offices and advises clients on the preparation of requirement descriptions (statements of work), contractor performance measures, evaluation criteria and other aspects of the procurement process.
- Prepares and issues acquisition solicitations, reviews incoming proposals and bids for conformity with requirements, and advises program offices in the evaluation of these materials.
- Negotiates with offerors, performs pre-award reviews as necessary to assess the technical and business management capacity of offerors, makes source selection decisions, and awards contracts and other acquisition instruments and debriefs offerors.
- Administers acquisition instruments including monitoring, assisting, reviewing and accepting interim and final deliverables and reports, reviewing and approving payments, assessing overall contract performance, reviewing and approving modifications, executing terminations as necessary, and closing out contracts.
Program Contracts Group (PCG)
PCG supports the Department’s non-support, program-based offices as well as the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). These offices include Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE), Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development (OPEPD), Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), and Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). Within IES, PCG supports the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE). NCEE is one of four centers in IES, and they help educators and policymakers make informed decisions about education programs through the work of its Knowledge Utilization and Evaluation divisions.
Operations Contracts Group (OCG)
OCG supports the cybersecurity initiatives of the Department. OCG plays a vital role in protecting the Department’s data and systems from cyber threats. Our contracts provide helpdesk support services for all the enterprise systems that are used by every principal office. These offices include: Office of he Secretary (OS), Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Office of Communications and Outreach (OCO), and Office of Finance and Operations (OFO). In addition, OCG participates and provides leadership in other Federal acquisition initiatives such as strategic sourcing and category management. Through our involvement, we help ensure that the Department’s interests are protected while providing guidance to our customers on how to best implement these important initiatives that are designed to help the Department save money and increase efficiency.
Education Sciences Contracts Group (ESCG)
ESCG supports the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). ESCG supports three of the four operational divisions of IES: The National Center for Education Research, the National Center for Education Statistics, and the National Center for Special Education Research. ESCG is responsible for contract lifecycle related to the following Department programs: The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the Education Statistics Support Institute Network (ESSIN) and all longitudinal surveys within NCES, in addition to supporting Director initiatives across IES.
Performance and Logistics Group (PLG)
PLG provides support internally to the Director of CAM and other CAM staff, and externally to the Department’s principal offices. In carrying out its duties, the Group:
- Acquisition Procedures- Develops, recommends, establishes, implements, and maintains CAM’s acquisition procedures and procurement performance measures, consistent with applicable Federal and Departmental laws, regulations, guidelines and policies; prepares, publishes, and controls guides, handbooks, brochures, internet web site content and other materials governing CAM’s acquisition processes; and provides guidance to CAM on acquisition-related policies issued by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), General Services Administration, Office of Management and Budget, and other authorities.
- Workload Management- Administers CAM’s Acquisition Planning Process.
- Systems Reporting and Data Analysis-Maintains the electronic contract data requirements for agency automated management systems and preparing internal and external procurement performance reports; and coordinates electronic commerce activities for CAM contracts and acquisitions.
- Oversight and compliance- Conducts internal reviews of CAM’s acquisition activities; administers contract closeout activities; and reviews CAM solicitations and pre-award contract documents for compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and other applicable regulations and statutes.
- Acquisition Workforce-Administers the certification programs for Acquisition Professionals in CAM’s customer offices (i.e., contracting officers and contracting officer’s representatives).
- Government Purchase Card Program-Administers the Department's Government purchase card program.
Strategic Acquisition Management Initiatives (SAMI) Division
The SAMI division directly supports the Senior Procurement Executive (SPE) and is responsible for:
- Developing and issuing Department-wide procurement policy, regulations, and guidance, including the Education Department’s Acquisition Regulations (EDAR);
- Championing various Federal initiatives and participating in Government-wide acquisition rulemaking through the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council, and in various Government-wide boards, councils and other forums related to acquisition policy, Federal workforce initiatives, and acquisition-related activities;
- Leading contract-related reporting to OMB, FAI, and others, including the Service Contract Inventory, FAIR Act Inventory, and the Department’s Category Management plan;
- Fostering collaboration and innovation in the administration and management of acquisition functions throughout the Department and serving as the Department’s Acquisition Innovation Advocate;
- Serving as the Department’s Acquisition Industry Liaison and partnering with the OSDBU to engage industry and ensure equity in procurement;
- Leading acquisition workforce management, including developing acquisition workforce policy for FAC-C professionals and providing Department-wide acquisition training; and
- Leading program and project management (P/PM) for the Department, including managing the certification of the FAC P/M program and implementation of the Program Management Improvement Accountability Act (PMIAA).