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50,000+
Who We Serve
We serve over 50,000 acquisition
professionals at all cabinet-level agencies
Contracting Officers (COs) and Specialists
- Earn CLPs and keep your warrant
- Stay informed on key government initiatives
- Elevate your career
- Boost job satisfaction and career potential
"In the chaos of our daily work, people can rely on VAO to be dependable and informative and to give us what we need, when we need it!"
– Contracting Officer, Civilian Agency
Contracting Officer's Representatives (CORs) and Program Managers (PMs)
- Accelerate acquisitions
- Work smoothly and collaborate actively with COs
- Avoid administrative landmines and delays
"As a new COR, I have found great benefit in using some of the resources found in the COR Toolkit, an amazing resource for all CORs."
– COR, Civilian Agency
Senior Procurement Executives (SPEs)
- Engage and inspire your workforce
- Boost productivity
- Institute best practices
- Shorten PALT
"CORs are the 'eyes and ears' of the Contracting Officer; a Contracting Officer is stronger with a strong COR. Investing in our CORs is essential to a successful contract. Finally, CORs can now have real-time access to information that positions them for success. The VAO's COR Toolkit is a COR's dream come true."
– Matthew Nace, Former SPE
See VAO in Action
To learn more or schedule a demonstration -- for yourself or your entire team -- contact VAOCustomerCare@gotovao.com. We’d love to hear from you!
Featured Users
Jodie L. Paustian
- Former Director of Procurement Policy
- Civilian Agency
“I have used the VAO for years. I found it invaluable as a source of news and trends from other agencies and thoughtful/accurate publications on a wide variety of topics. I could easily find what I needed when I searched the website. I could direct my staff to news articles and publications that mirrored issues we were facing which helped us develop specific agency policy. I also truly appreciated the opportunity to gain CLPs. I love to learn and would take advantage of earning CLPs when I had some time in my schedule. Having 24/7 access to the VAO site and training opportunities was priceless! Having access to subject matter experts if we needed more information via the inquiry service gave us an opportunity to receive factual, objective information in a timely manner. I continually recommend the VAO as a resource for the entire acquisition community!”
Scott Curit
- Former Director, Federal Acquisition Policy Division
- Civilian Agency
My last job in the Federal government before retiring in 2018, involved managing a group of acquisition professionals engaged in activities to support the maintenance of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) through regulatory development. Many staff members used the VAO Inquiry service finding it useful when researching acquisition issues. They also found the My CLPs feature invaluable in maintaining their FAC-C certification as did I. VAO continuously produces training webinars that are interesting and provide meaningful content. I enjoyed the Daily News to keep informed of acquisition issues. Another beneficial service is the variety of VAO publications, which provide an abundance of information on acquisition matters in an easy-to-read format. Considering my line of work, I particularly found the From the Hill content very useful. It’s a great place to monitor pending acquisition bills as well as acquisition legislation signed into law, which includes links to VAO coverage on the legislation. The From the Hill page also provides information on Congressional activities including the floor schedule, voting records on bills, and Committee reports.
Matt Nace
- Former SPE
- Civilian Agency
As head of Acquisition, arming my workforce with the VAO enabled them to get the expert guidance and training they needed to be successful and grow in their careers. As an agency, we were much stronger with it and were able to stay abreast of emerging regulations, initiatives, and trends. The VAO Inquiry service is an incredible resource that allows contracting professionals to ask the VAO experts tough acquisition questions and have them perform research to give us answers rooted in the FAR. In addition, my workforce was able to earn CLPs on-demand to help increase the knowledge on a variety of acquisition topics.
96%
Renewal Rate
Utilization
The VAO has a return visitor rate as high as the most popular, thriving sites on the web. What does that mean? It means that once you subscribe, like our other subscribers, you'll come back often because the VAO site provides what you need at your fingertips.
Satisfaction
High renewal rate of over 96% among our 30+ agencies, proof of the VAO's positive impact and support
For Acquisition Professionals, by Acquisition Professionals
Developed by acquisition professionals for acquisition professionals, the Virtual Acquisition Office™ (VAO) is a total workforce development solution, providing a common platform to facilitate expanded knowledge and productivity. With more than 50,000 subscribers, VAO is the government's trusted source for up-to-date acquisition news, research, analysis, and tools that enable acquisition managers and the workforce to stay on top of the latest contracting developments, maximize efficiency and effectiveness, and engage in continuous learning.
VAO allows agencies to benefit from the collective experience of acquisition professionals who are constantly refining and optimizing the buying process. VAO SMEs research and analyze the latest challenges, trends, and opportunities to provide an unparalleled suite of tools, education, and resources that enable the federal acquisition workforce to leverage relevant knowledge, maximize productivity, and increase compliance and results.
My Learning Center
Delivers hundreds of CLP-earning opportunities comprised of current, market-leading online courses, publications, and news focused on topics most important to acquisition professionals, CORs, and program management staff.
Acquisition Life Cycle
Provides an expandable tool based on the major phases of the acquisition life cycle that offers guidance, resources, templates, training, etc. for each major phase ... all sourced from the VAO Research Institute and collective insight from the community.
Must-See News
Keeps the workforce apprised of key acquisition initiatives, regulatory changes, and procurement activity … and in-the-know on contracting trends and innovative initiatives.
Expert Inquiry and Response
Summarizes top inquiries from across all agencies as well as VAO experts' thoroughly researched responses. Enables the acquisition workforce to see what peers are asking about unique contracting situations and quickly put expertise to work.
Timely Guidance
Presents the top downloads and trending inquiry topics across all agencies, enabling the workforce to benefit from resources their peers are finding most timely and valuable.
Capabilities Benchmarking
Includes a survey-based assessment of competency areas, identification of best practices to close gaps, and assessments to measure progress and improvement.
Best Practices
Provides professionals current best practices, guidance, templates, and training for all steps of the acquisition life cycle in an easily navigable interface.
CLP Tracker
Drives awareness and engagement in targeted training opportunities for professionals to earn CLPs and keep up-to-date on key topics in their field. Displays total CLPs earned to date.
Get Started Today
VAO is accessible via two contracting vehicles;
choose the one that fits your needs.
Get started today with a Government Purchase Card
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