United States Department of Agriculture

Training & Education Resources

Contracting Officer Role in Contractor Reporting of Biobased Product Purchases

Description	As required by law, federal contractors must report their biobased product purchases. To enable this, Contracting Officers must correctly enter information about contracts in the Federal Procurement Data System. Learn how in this brief video.
Date	Open
Audience	All
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BioPreferred® Training for USDA Acquisition Community

From Awareness to Action: The BioPreferred® Federal Procurement Preference Program

Description	This seminar will introduce the viewer to the BioPreferred® Federal Procurement Preference Program. Federal employees and Federal contractors will gain an understanding of their responsibilities for giving procurement preference to biobased products and how doing so will advance important national goals.
Date	Open
Audience	Federal employees and Federal contractors who purchase or who contract for the purchase of products and services, including Contracting Officers, Procurement Professionals, Sustainability Officers and Managers, and Technical and Program Managers.
Instructors	Ron Buckhalt, Program Manager, USDA Ron Buckhalt manages USDA’s BioPreferred® program, a mandatory Federal procurement program that requires all Federal agencies to buy and use biobased products designated by USDA. The program also has a voluntary consumer label, "USDA Certified Biobased Product". Linda Mesaros, President of Mesaros Associates, Inc., and consultant to the USDA BioPreferred® Program Ms Mesaros served as Acting Federal Environmental Executive and Chief of Staff of a White House Task Force, and as Deputy Associate Administrator for Procurement Innovation at the Office of Management and Budget.
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Fundamentals: Biobased Products and the BioPreferred Program

Description	This short course provides an introduction to biobased products and the USDA BioPreferred program. By completing this course, you can expect to distinguish biobased products from non-biobased products; describe the two primary parts of the BioPreferred program; list federal agency responsibilities for the mandatory federal purchasing of biobased products; and, explain the basics of the voluntary labeling initiative for biobased products.
Date	Open
Audience	All
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Your Work Makes a Difference! BioPreferred Training for Federal Contracting Officers

Description	Objectives: As a result of this training, you will be able to: 1. explain the basics of mandatory federal purchasing of biobased products including defining biobased products and explaining categories of products required for purchase. 2. list the source of requirements for purchasing biobased products including federal law, Federal Acquisition Regulation, and Executive Order. 3. discuss the responsibilities of contracting officers, other acquisition professionals, federal contractors, technical staff, and purchase card holders in identifying and purchasing biobased products. 4. consider how meeting your responsibilities for buying biobased and requiring biobased in your contracts results in substantial benefits to the U.S. economy, U.S. jobs, and U.S. agriculture. 5. describe the Contracting Officer's role in contractor reporting of biobased product purchases.
Date	Open
Audience	Contracting officers, other acquisition professionals, federal contractors, technical staff, and purchase card holders
Instructors	Crandall Watson, Chief, Procurement Policy Division, USDA Office of Procurement and Property Management Vernell Thompson, Procurement Analyst, USDA BioPreferred Program Marie Wheat, Industry Economist, USDA BioPreferred Program
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My Contract Requires Biobased! A Guide to BIOBASED PRODUCTS for Federal Service and Construction Contractors

Description	The purpose of this course is to assist federal contractors in understanding and meeting the contract requirements to purchase and use biobased products in categories identified by USDA. In addition to successfully purchasing and using biobased products, the federal contractor will successfully report their product purchases on an annual basis as required by federal law.
Date	Open
Audience	All
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Biobased Products for Janitorial and Other Cleaning Functions

Description	Designed especially for federal technical staff and federal contractors with custodial/janitorial contracts, this course will familiarize you with categories of biobased products relevant to the cleaning function, resources helpful in the selection of biobased products, and suggestions for conducting a pilot to test biobased products prior to adoption.
Date	Open
Audience	All
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Biobased Products for Operations and Maintenance

Description	Designed especially for federal technical staff and federal contractors with responsibilities for facility operations and maintenance, this course will familiarize you with categories of biobased products relevant to the O&M function, resources helpful in the selection of biobased products, and ideas for overcoming obstacles to the adoption of biobased products.
Date	Open
Audience	All
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Biobased Products for Construction and Renovation

Description	This course is designed specifically for federal technical staff and federal contractors with responsibilities for construction, renovation and the interior design of buildings. This course will familiarize you with categories of biobased products relevant to construction and renovation, resources helpful in the selection of biobased products, and resources for including biobased product purchasing requirements in solicitations and contractors.
Date	Open
Audience	All
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Description	The training provides detail on the mandatory requirements for Federal agencies to purchase biobased products in categories identified by USDA.
Date	Open
Audience	All
Instructors
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