Federal Contracting Certificate

About FCC

The Federal Contracting Certificate (FCC) program is an advanced-level certification that is designed to provide training to research administration professionals, departmental Business Managers, and faculty who currently manage federal contracts or would like to be proficient in federal contracting. The certification includes five core courses and two electives and will be taught by Office of Research Administration, Procurement, DHTS Information Security and Office of Sponsored Programs.

FCC Program Details

Eligibility

• Full-time employee of Duke University
• Has approval of his/her supervisor to participate
• Current RAA Certification

RCC strongly recommends that FCC participants currently manage, or plan to manage, federal contracts. The FCC certification is not a job requirement for any Duke Human Resources job classifications.

Application Process

The FCC is a cohort-based certification. Enrollment for the FY20 Fall Cohort is open from September 1 - September 30. The FCC Application is online and can be submitted during the application period only. Applications will be reviewed, and selected applicants will be enrolled into the FCC curriculum. Late applications will not be accepted, and enrollment is limited to 28 persons.

Courses

The FCC consists of 5 core courses and 2 electives. 

Core Courses (Required):

1. Federal Contracting Basics
2. Federal Contracting: Proposal Management
3. Federal Contracting: Special Terms and Conditions and the FAR
4. Federal Contracting: Business Management
5. Federal Contracting: Invoicing

Electives (Select two):

• Federal Contracting: Small Business Subcontracting
• Federal Contracting: Subcontracting (Subrecipients, Contractors and Consultant)
• Federal Contracting: FISMA and 508 Compliance

Assessments and Final Exam

Each FCC class has an associated assessment which must be passed with a score of 80% or greater to successfully complete the course. There is only one attempt allowed to pass the assessment. If a participant is unable to pass the assessment in one attempt, he/she will not receive credit for the class and will need to retake the class and pass the quiz in order to receive credit. In addition to the course assessment, all RCC classes include a required course evaluation.

Some classes have required pre-work and/or homework. You must complete all assignments, in addition to passing the assessment, in the designated time frame to receive credit for a class.

Failure to complete any required component of a class: pre-work, homework, assessment, or course evaluation will result in not receiving credit for the class. The participant will have to re-enroll in another offering, complete all required components, and pass the assessment in order to receive credit for the class. Only two attempts to complete a required FCC class are allowed.

FCC participants must also pass a proctored final exam. The exam features randomly selected test questions that address material covered in all FCC core classes and selected electives. FCC participants are eligible to sit for the proctored exam only after all course requirements have been met.

An FCC participant will successfully complete the FCC certification program if his/her final grade is 80% or greater. Final grades are weighted 60% of the final exam score and 40% of the average of the individual course assessments taken throughout the course of study.

Program Evaluations

Program participants are given opportunities to provide anonymous feedback on each individual course and on the FCC program as a whole. The future success of this career development opportunity relies on the constructive feedback from all program participants and supervisors. RCC welcomes and appreciates all feedback and will make every effort to maintain and improve upon the highest standards for the program.

Policies

For a complete list of policies related to the FCC program, please review the business rules (pdf).