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March 31, 2021 By cs

Georgia Tech’s Contracting Academy is pressing the pause button

It’s been a successful ten-year run for The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech, and now it’s time to take a break.

Effective April 1, 2021, The Academy is suspending its course offerings.

Alexis Kirksey

“After 183 government acquisition training engagements, providing 4,950 hours of instruction for the benefit of 3,243 students, we’re taking a breather,” explains Academy program manager Alexis Kirksey.  “Workforce needs and training options in the field of government procurement are evolving, hastened by the pandemic, so Georgia Tech must decide what role should be played in the future.”

At its conception in 2010, the mission of Georgia Tech’s Contracting Academy was defined as becoming a nationally recognized training source for the government acquisition community.   Without question, that mission has been fulfilled.

Chuck Schadl
Looking Back

The Contracting Academy has an interesting history.  The Academy rolled out its first educational offering to 10 students in February 2011.

The Academy was born about a year earlier when a vice president of the Georgia Institute of Technology sponsored a Shark Tank-type competition as a way of encouraging faculty and staff to submit ideas about how the Institute could serve new markets.  Among the 200 ideas submitted in the contest was one from Chuck Schadl and some of his cohorts who proposed offering professional education contracting coursework and curriculum design services to government and industry.  The idea was selected for immediate implementation by Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute.

Rhonda Lynch

Rhonda Lynch was named The Academy’s initial program manager.  For starters, Georgia Tech reached out to the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) to obtain recognition as an official equivalency training provider of DAU curriculum.  Once securing that coveted affiliation, The Academy later earned similar recognition from the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI).

The Approach

The Academy’s resident course portfolio grew into a dozen courses associated with DAU and FAI.  These courses, ranging in length from three days to four weeks, were taught through Georgia Tech’s Professional Education unit located in the world-class Global Learning Center on the Atlanta campus.  During the pandemic of 2020-21, the courses were converted to on-line offerings.  In addition, The Academy produced customized curriculum and workshops on a variety of government contracting topics.

Donna Bertrand

Over time, under the direction of Donna Bertrand who served as The Academy’s second program manager, major organizations were attracted to The Academy’s training expertise.  The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), the State of Iowa, MIT’s Lincoln Lab, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA), the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC), and dozens of federal agencies — all came to The Academy for curriculum design work and presentation. These organizations, in turn, put our coursework in the hands of contracting personnel in literally all 50 states, and internationally.

From the beginning, a distinguishing trait of The Academy’s government acquisition coursework is the fact that all classes were open to government and business representatives alike.  The resulting classroom interaction allowed both sectors to come away from the classes with a richer understanding of each other’s point of view.

Back to the Future

Looking back a decade to The Academy’s inaugural course, our instructors still remember what happened on the last day of that first class.  The Georgia Tech vice president who approved The Academy’s creation months earlier dropped-in unannounced.  He asked the students a simple, but pointed, question: Was it worth it?  The students enthusiastically responded in the affirmative, and a few weeks later one of the students wrote to the VP saying that he received a promotion as a result of attending the class.  Since then, that success has been replicated many times over through the delivery of a caliber of education not found anywhere else.

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech’s strength as a training provider is both well-recognized and multi-faceted.  All instructors are experienced acquisition professionals and talented teachers.  Our educational offerings featured detailed student guide books, web-based student resources, how-to handout materials, practical exercises, customizable slide presentations, flash drives loaded with training support materials, FAR flash cards, and other exclusive features.  And from the beginning, educational services were priced competitively, saving training dollars while delivering an unparalleled caliber of education.

We look forward to the next chapter of The Academy’s commitment to service, continuous improvement, and innovation.

Filed Under: Academy News Tagged With: acquisition training, acquisition workforce, continuous improvement, continuous learning, Contracting Academy, Georgia Tech, training

March 31, 2021 By cs

How human skills contribute to professional and personal success

In today’s fast-paced — and often virtual — work environment, advancing your technical skills alone isn’t enough to ensure professional relevancy.

Whole-person development is the key to thriving in your career, whether you’re an experienced professional or a workplace rookie.

Whole-person development, also known as holistic learning or personal skills training, is the development of “human skills”— such as intrapersonal communication, adaptability, and conflict resolution — in addition to more technical skills — things like C++ programming, data set analysis, or process mapping. Developing the whole person, rather than just the skills that directly correlate to tasks or projects, will not only improve your knowledge base but will also allow you to navigate challenges, thrive in your workplace, and produce innovative solutions to drive your organization forward.

Adapt to New and Changing Demands

By investing in a wider variety of personal development, your mind will begin to connect parts of itself that were previously disjointed, naturally strengthening your mental flexibility and resilience. For example, connecting your skills in software engineering with your skills in intrapersonal communication may help you to complete projects more efficiently or weather unexpected challenges more smoothly.

This adaptability and agility will help you to thrive in your career journey and become a leader in your sphere. As challenges come your way, your ability to meet them head-on and produce effective solutions will give you a competitive edge, positioning you to advance more easily in your organization or industry. Being more well-rounded and versatile will also open the door to other transitions, whether it is to new types of positions or even a different industry altogether.

Furthermore, becoming proficient in both technical and human skills will allow you to navigate the multi-faceted demands of hybrid work, a growing trend in the workplace today, which combines multiple disciplines into a single position. Hybrid professionals are expected to bring both technical and soft skills to their positions, and because of this, their jobs are far less likely to be replaced by automation.

Strengthen Company Culture

Personal skills training has also been shown to bridge cross-cultural differences, optimize intrapersonal communication, and increase empathy, creating a more fulfilling work environment. As you grow in your understanding of the way your mind works—where you excel and where you need to improve—you will also grow in your ability to appreciate and relate to this in others as well. This empathy creates an environment in which people feel more comfortable admitting to mistakes or confusion, which allows you and your organization to move forward more efficiently. As a result, the organization thrives, and you and your co-workers enjoy a stronger sense of support and trust at work.

Additionally, whole-person development may also contribute directly to company culture, because the soft skills it teaches include ways to handle problems and ways of achieving and maintaining a positive attitude. When every employee possesses tools to approach or avoid problems, such as time management and conflict resolution, they will not only experience a more rewarding office environment but also will be able to tackle stressful situations more calmly and effectively, knowing that there is room for growth and a network of support.

Produce Growth

Holistic learning, by increasing your adaptability and improving stronger company culture, ultimately helps produce growth for your organization. Creating a habit and culture of continual learning and development opens the door for fresh ideas and innovative solutions. As you invest in soft skills such as adaptability, creativity, and conflict resolution, your ability to think of new ideas will skyrocket. As you encourage your co-workers to do the same, you will help create an environment where these new ideas can come from all levels of the organization, as people are less hesitant to point out problems.

Furthermore, holistic learning helps you and your organization grow in ways beyond profit. By widening your skillset and perspective, your capacity to see beyond technical processes will help you strengthen your work strategy and contribute to your organization more effectively. In fact, a recent study with Fortune 500 CEOs found that 75% of long-term job success depends on people skills, while only 25% on technical knowledge. Your leading the way in the adoption of this mindset for your organization will help it advance overall. Companies that care more about people than profit have been proven to be more successful, enjoying lower staff turnover rates, lower occupational stress, sharper decision making, more effective leadership, better team performance, and higher productivity.

Taking the First Step

The benefits of approaching your professional development from a whole-person perspective are numerous, for you personally and for your organization. If you’re interested in taking steps toward your overall self-improvement, take a look at these upcoming opportunities, all designed to increase your resilience and adaptability, enhance your leadership, and foster your well-being.

  • Organizational Effectiveness Conference, Part 2: Improve (April 30) – Learn how people, structure, and processes play into the success of an organization and how you can optimize all three through continuous learning and improvement.
  • Upcoming courses from our Emotional Intelligence & Resilience certificate – Stress Success and Falling in Love With Life – Strengthen your ability to handle stress and rediscover ways to enjoy life, while also getting a sneak peek into our Emotional Intelligence & Resilience certificate.
  • Cross-Cultural Communication Certificate – Learn how to navigate cultural nuances of English communication as a non-native-speaking professional seeking to meet the leadership and communication demands of today’s world.

Source: https://pe.gatech.edu/blog/working-learning/benefits-of-holistic-learning

Filed Under: Georgia Tech News Tagged With: continuous improvement, continuous learning, holistic, organizational effectiveness, professional education, skills, training

March 31, 2021 By cs

The price of success vs. the cost of failure

“Uneasy is the head that wears the crown.”

Shakespeare most likely did not appreciate the timeless relevance when he wrote that line for his play Henry IV, Part 2.

When applied to business, the clairvoyance cannot be overstated.

Successful companies achieved their standing by being competitive in their respective markets. A recognized measure of business success is having the company become a part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.  In 2021, there are no original companies left on the index, and many of these original companies haven’t been part of it for many years now.

There are several reasons for that. Some unfortunately failed to adopt disruptive technologies that would have maintained, and perhaps strengthened, their leadership position.  One of the lessons to be learned here is that companies can get left behind if they fail to innovate, leaving themselves vulnerable to more agile competitors who keep a pulse on disruptive technologies.  This is an everyday reality in the tech industry. Companies must innovate or succumb to the competition.

The defense industry is now facing a disruptive technology moment and looking directly at Silicon Valley for inspiration.  Within the Defense Department, the digital revolution is in full swing, with multiple new programs signifying a push for widespread adoption of commercial processes by defense contractors. The department is signaling that it is ready to push the envelope with commercial best practices and will no longer tolerate the “never enough time and money to do it right, but enough time and money to do it over” acquisition process.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/2/24/the-price-of-success-vs-the-cost-of-failure

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: acquisition policy, agile, contractor performance, defense contractors, digital talent, disruptive, DoD, industrial base, innovation

March 30, 2021 By cs

GSA could be vulnerable to security threats from ‘trusted insiders’

The General Services Administration needs to bolster its efforts to protect against insider threats from current and recently separated employees, a watchdog reported recently.

The GSA inspector general reviewed the agency’s processes to thwart harmful actions from “trusted insiders” to its personnel, facilities, operations and resources. GSA has about 12,000 employees throughout its central office, Federal Acquisition Service, Public Buildings Service, Office of Governmentwide Policy, 11 national staff offices, 11 regional offices and two independent offices. An October 2011 executive order and subsequent policy from November 2012 laid out requirements for agencies’ insider threat programs. In 2014, GSA established its own program (a two-person team that reports to the senior designated official who is the associate administrator of GSA’s Office of Mission Assurance) and in 2017 the National Insider Threat Task Force certified it met the minimum standards. However, the inspector general found some areas of concern since then.

“We found that GSA’s [insider threat program] does not consistently collaborate with other GSA staff offices to gather key threat information proactively and does not communicate insider threat risks and program challenges to the GSA administrator as required,” said the report.  “Instead, the [program] senior designated official has taken a reactive approach that leaves GSA susceptible to insider threats.”

Another issue was that after the National Insider Threat Task Force deemed GSA’s insider threat program was at full operational capacity in November 2017, GSA’s insider threat working group disbanded because staff thought it was no longer needed.  The group had members from the Office of Human Resources Management, Office of GSA IT, Office of the Chief Financial Officer and Office of Mission Assurance.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.govexec.com/oversight/2021/02/watchdog-says-gsas-insider-threats-program-needs-improvement/172147/

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: acquisition workforce, cybersecurity, cyberthreat, GSA, IG, OIG, security controls, security threat

March 29, 2021 By cs

Small number of states dominate DoD spending

A huge portion of U.S. defense spending is going to contractors and military personnel based in just a handful of states, according to data recently released by the Pentagon.

Defense Department contract obligations and payroll spending in the 50 states and the District of Columbia totaled $550.9 billion in fiscal year 2019. Of those outlays, 73 percent was spent on contracts for products and services, while the remaining 27 percent paid the salaries of department personnel, according to the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation’s latest report on defense spending by state.

“California, Virginia and Texas topped the list of recipients for overall defense spending,” said a press release accompanying the study. They received $181.3 billion, about one-third of the total allotted to all 50 states plus D.C.

The top five, which also included Florida and Maryland, received about 43 percent of the total, while the top 10 received approximately 59 percent, according to the data.

The top 10 states were: California, $66.2 billion; Virginia, $60.3 billion; Texas, $54.8 billion; Florida, $29.8 billion; Maryland, $26.1 billion; Connecticut, $19.7 billion; Pennsylvania, $18.1 billion; Washington, $17.8 billion; Alabama, $16 billion; and Massachusetts, $15.8 billion.

That adds up to a whopping $324.7 billion.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/2/25/small-number-of-states-dominate-defense-spending

To read the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation’s full report go to: https://oldcc.gov/sites/default/files/defense-spending-rpts/OLDCC_DSBS_FY2019_FINAL_WEB.pdf

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: defense contractors, defense contracts, DoD, government contracts, government spending, OLDCC, spending

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