Buying Foresight Federal Training with an SF-182

If you are a federal HR specialist, delegated examining (DE) examiner, or training coordinator, the SF-182 is usually the fastest way to get outside training approved and paid for. This page gives you everything the form needs from us, what your training office will ask, and how the process runs from approval to course access.

Start here: the vendor details for Section B

Copy these directly into the vendor section of your SF-182, your LMS training request, or your purchase file.

Need a quote on letterhead for the funding line? Use the contact form or email info@foresight-federal.com with the course and the number of seats, and the quote and vendor details go out the same day.

What you can buy

How it works, in four steps

1. Pick the course and request a quote. You get the quote and the vendor details above the same day.
2. Draft the SF-182 in your agency's system, or its electronic equivalent in your LMS, using those details.
3. Route it for approval. Your supervisor and authorizing official sign per your agency's process, and your training office funds it.
4. Pay by government purchase card online, or request an invoice. Your cardholder can purchase directly on the website, or email us the approved SF-182 and we will issue an invoice to your finance office. Either way, access is delivered upon payment, and each student generates a certificate of completion for the training file.

When the SF-182 is the right instrument

The SF-182, Authorization, Agreement and Certification of Training, is the standard government-wide form for approving and paying for employee training under 5 U.S.C. chapter 41. Agencies commonly use it as the purchase path for commercially available, off-the-shelf training with fixed published pricing. Custom training built for one agency usually runs through a procurement instead. Everything on this page is the former.

Two dollar figures matter, and they are not the same thing:

• The micro-purchase threshold, now $15,000. Per GSA SmartPay guidance, the FAR micro-purchase threshold rose to $15,000 effective October 1, 2025. Below it, many training offices can pay by purchase card with the approved SF-182 as the supporting record, with no contracting action.
• Your agency's own ceilings and procedures. Component purchase-card policies differ, and your training office's guidance controls. When in doubt, ask your training officer which rules apply.

Every offering above is priced so an individual seat, and in most cases a whole-team license, fits under the micro-purchase threshold. That is deliberate.

Suggested justification language (edit to fit)

For individual examiner prep:

Preparation for the OPM Delegated Examining certification assessment, which OPM requires for anyone who independently performs competitive examining activities. Per OPM's DE Certification Assessment Information Sheet, the assessment is 50 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes covering competency areas including job analysis, qualifications determinations, category rating, veterans' preference, certification and selection, hiring authorities, and merit system accountability. This course provides structured study and practice across those areas.

For a group purchase:

Preparation for delegated examining staff who must obtain or renew OPM DE certification, supporting continuity of the unit's delegated examining operations and readiness for the annual delegated examining audit.

Where the process usually breaks

Most SF-182s stall on the vendor section, not the justification. The five common blockers: a missing UEI, a course described as "consulting" rather than "training," a cost that does not match the quote, a date range that already started, and a quote that never made it into the file. The vendor table above resolves the first two, and the same-day quote takes care of the rest.

Frequently asked

Can a contractor's employees be trained under an SF-182? No. The SF-182 is for federal employees. Contractor teams buy directly on a commercial invoice at the same published prices.

Is there a discount for a group? Yes. Group pricing starts at 5 or more seats: fixed per-seat pricing with a single invoice, or per-student billing to match your SF-182s, plus a roster-based setup for your training office.

Does this replace OPM's DE certification course? No. OPM administers the certification and the examination. Foresight Federal prepares you for it and gives you the operational practice the examination expects you to already have.

Can we pay after the training? Most training offices require the SF-182 approved before training starts; talk to yours about timing. The courses are self-paced and online, so access simply begins when payment goes through. There are no cohort dates to miss.

Why I built this

I built this training for us, the HR practitioners who do this work. We are expected to earn and keep DE certification while carrying full caseloads in fast-paced offices, under guidance that keeps changing, and still have a life. It is difficult and it is costly. DE Complete gives you more than 200 interactive questions that can mimic real test conditions when you want them to, and a study guide covering the topics you would expect to see on the test, at a price that lets a practitioner or an HR office buy in for less than half the cost of a single exam attempt.

Get a quote

Use the contact form or email info@foresight-federal.com. Tell us the course and the number of seats, and the quote and vendor details go out the same day.