In carrying out their duties, the Executive Director: Provides executive direction for the planning, coordination, control, and assessment of all contracting functions for the Department and is authorized to make decisions in all functional areas of contracting, with overall responsibility for an approximately $650 million acquisition portfolio; Directs the planning, development, and implementation of actions required to implement and support the agencys acquisition program, which includes information management systems, financial management systems, educational research, program evaluations, and support services to nationwide constituents and clients; Formulates and implements procedures and guidelines for conducting procurement and contracting functions efficiently and economically as well as directs the implementation of acquisition policies to ensure that CAM and the Departments principal offices comply with government-wide acquisition programs and all applicable laws, regulations, and executive direction; Develops, recommends, establishes, implements, and maintains acquisition policies, regulations, procedures, and procurement performance measures for the Department of Education, including Federal Student Aid (FSA), consistent with applicable Federal and Departmental laws, regulations, guidelines, and procedures that impact the ED acquisition system and function; Provides guidance on and interpretation of acquisition related policies issued by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, General Services Administration, Office of Management and Budget, and other authorities; Serves as an advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Acquisitions, Chief Acquisition Officer, Senior Procurement Executive, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Secretary, and other senior Department officials in all matters governing the administration, negotiation, and termination of Department contracts, acquisitions, and agreements; Approves, reviews, and modifies, as necessary, all Department initiated determinations required by statute to be signed by the head of the agency; Directs the implementation of a comprehensive Department-wide management control system that reinforces sound and ethical procurement practices and assures the integrity of the Departments procurement processes; Formulates, develops, and establishes innovative methods, techniques, and procedures to ensure that senior management officials are made aware of any abuses in the system, reinforce the importance of timely corrective action, and assure that the contracting process is void of organizational conflicts of interest; Supports and participates fully with the Chief Acquisition Officer and Senior Procurement Executive in matters of policy interpretation, development, communication, implementation, and oversight; Collaborates with FSAs Head of Contracting Activity, sharing and implementing best practices (managerial, workforce development, and procurement) and leveraging resources to improve the effectiveness of both contracting activities and to support enterprise initiatives internally and externally; and. The Executive Director is responsible for the overall management of the Departments procurement functions and provides leadership and coordination to Office of Acquisition Management immediate office staff and to the following components: (1) Program Contracts Group, (2) Operations Contracts Group, (3) Education Science Contracts Group, (4) Simplified Acquisitions Group, and (5) Performance and Logistics Group.