Frequently Asked Questions
Who is required to comply with the Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act; are there specific occupational series?
Answer:
All personnel directly involved in building operations and maintenance or energy management at the building level are impacted by the Act. Given the different approaches that each Federal agency takes to these functions it is not possible to list the functions by occupational series, however, in general this will apply to personnel performing facility management, building or installed-equipment operations, energy management, and safety and design functions related to facility or energy management. Personnel in these categories are frequently, though not always, in the GS-8XX, 11XX, and 16XX series, or, wage grade positions involved in building or installed equipment operations. Consult your supervisor, or, send questions regarding your specific situation to AskFMI@gsa.gov.
The Act applies to me, what is required by June 2013 when it says I must demonstrate compliance with the Core Competencies?
Answer:
The Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act requires impacted personnel to demonstrate compliance with the Core Competencies as defined by GSA by June 2013. GSA intends to complete a skill assessment of all its Building Management personnel by that deadline using the Core Competency Web Tool. GSA will use the tool to create a gap analysis and identify strategies and costs requried to close gaps. GSA encourages all Federal agencies and personnel impacted by the Act to complete a skills assessment. Recorded training and a How-To Guide are available to individuals wishing to learn more; and, GSA can set up training with Agencies wishing to use the Core Competeny Web Tool on a pilot basis.
Can I get credit for a course, certification, degree or other credential not listed in the Core Competency Web Tool qualifications?
Answer:
Although more than 60 qualifications including certifications offered by various professional associations, academic degrees and professional registrations have been reviewed and verified against the Core Competencies and included on the Core Competency Web Tool. The training you have completed may not have been reviewed. We will be reviewing additional courses, certificate programs and certifications to include in our tool, however, for now we are limited to what has been listed. The tool does allow individuals to review additional qualifications with their supervisor and to claim credit on a case by case basis where the supervisor deems it approapriate. Once you and your supervisor have agreed that a course demonstrates a competency, your supervisor can give you credit by selecting "Complete 3" when reviewing your record. Your agency may have established specific policy about claiming credit in this manner so do consult the appropriate agency training contacts if you have questions.
The Core Competency Web Tool will prompt you to submit new training to FMI for review. Our limited resources will require us to prioritize the reviews we make so we may not be able to get to a specific course you list if it is less common or addresses fewer competencies than others. Instructions for submitting training can be found here.