By Kamara Jones, Deputy Press Secretary, Media Affairs

Web designers will tell you that it’s important for a website to look like someone lives there, that it’s not a smattering of links and pages that look as if no one is home. Well, here at GSA we have turned the lights on at acquisition.gov.

Since September, GSA has been working to transform acquisition.gov into a more comprehensive, user-friendly hub for contracting officers (COs), one that allows them to electronically search past and present versions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and GSA Acquisition Manual (GSAM), and stay-up-to-date on the latest developments in federal acquisition. In addition, the new website organizes other acquisition resources (i.e. Supplemental Regulations, Acquisition Systems, Training) into clear, comprehensive categories – providing easy access to the resources that COs use most often.

Are you looking for every instance of the phrase “collective bargaining” in the FAR or GSAM? Just type those words in the search engine and you’ll get just that. Do you want to know what Part 25, Subpart 10, Section 8, and Subsection 2 said in 1996? No problem. Search the “Archives” by “FAC Number” (Federal Acquisition Circular) and “Effective Date.” Do you want to know about the latest change in federal acquisition? Check out the website’s snazzy new rotating feature block, multimedia library, and “News and Announcements” section.

Acquisition.gov Transformation At A Glance

Improved Searchability

FAR/GSAM Current -- COs can now search the most current version of the FAR and GSAM using keywords and an electronic table of contents. To learn more about how to search the current version of the FAR, see the media section on the home page.

FAR/GSAM Archives -- COs can now search past versions of the FAR and GSAM by “FAC Number” and “Effective Date.” The archives go back to 1996.

To learn more about how to search past versions of the FAR, see the media section on the home page.

Real-Time Updates

News and Announcements -- Includes the latest press releases and blogs about federal acquisition.

Rotating Feature Block -- Features recent changes to the FAR.

Multimedia Library -- Includes instructional videos, speeches, and other public commentary from leaders in federal acquisition.

Additional Resources

Supplemental Regulations -- Includes links to supplemental federal regulations for all agencies.

Training -- Features links to training and continuous learning institutes, as well as professional organizations connected to the federal acquisition process.

Acquisition Systems -- Includes links to other frequently-used acquisition resources like FedBizOps and the Federal Procurement Data System.

Check out the acquisition.gov transformation here. If you have questions about the transition or suggestions on how to further transform the site, email acquisition_gov.systemadmin@gsa.gov.