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Fiscal 2021 budget seeks to ‘resize’ the bureaucracy

Among other things, the White House wants to rein in “improper end-of-year spending” by agencies.

On the afternoon of Feb. 10th, President Trump sent Congress a $4.8 trillion budget request for fiscal 2021 that seeks to “resize” the federal government by eliminating what the administration views as duplicative and wasteful programs and focusing on core security priorities.

The budget request includes a number of proposals Congress has previously rejected, such as significant cuts to the social safety net, foreign aid and environmental programs, as well as some federal workforce hiring and firing reforms and changes to federal retirement the administration has tried to implement previously with mixed success.

Margaret Weichert, deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, told reporters on Monday that the budget reflects “the core elements of the president’s management agenda” and is a “continuation of what we’ve attempted to do over the last couple of years around the workforce.”  While the administration will continue to press for moving federal employees to a pay-for-performance system and employee training and reskilling, “not surprisingly, in year four of an administration there’s not a lot of net new ideas,” she said.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.govexec.com/management/2020/02/trumps-fiscal-2021-budget-seeks-resize-bureaucracy/163014/

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Our popular Construction Contracting course begins May 4th — Make plans now to attend!

This course answers the important question: What makes construction contracts so different?

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech is offering the four and a half day Defense Acquisition University course, CON 244: Construction Contracting, during the week of May 4, 2020.

Students attending Georgia Tech’s contracting classes work in teams to tackle real-life contracting problems.

The course focuses on government contracting issues unique to the construction field.  Topics include: construction planning, construction performance monitoring, funding contingency considerations, environmental impact concerns, special contract terms and conditions, construction contracting in a commercial setting, the Construction Wage Rate Requirements statute (formerly known as the Davis-Bacon Act), the design/build strategy, schedule delay analysis, constructive changes, project acceleration, construction contract quality management, and much more.

For more details, and to register for this course, please visit: https://pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-244-construction-contracting.

Who Should Attend 

Contracting officers, contract specialists, contracting officer representatives, program/project managers, small business specialists, and industry contracting personnel.

Georgia Tech provides a highly interactive learning environment that places emphasis on problem solving and practical application.
How You Will Benefit

Attendees learn how to:

  • Apply federal acquisition laws and regulations, including Department of Defense and other agency supplemental regulations, agency policies and procedures, and best practices in soliciting, awarding and administering construction contracts.
  • Contrast typical support requirements with a federal Construction Acquisition Plan in accordance with FAR Parts 7 and 36, DFARS Parts 207 and 236, and agency supplements, policies and procedures.
  • Develop a construction solicitation package in accordance with the FAR, agency supplements, and agency policy/procedures.
  • Evaluate, using appropriate procedures, construction offerors and the contract awardee.
  • Determine the applicable construction contract administration (compliance) approach, using the FAR, DFARS, DoD regulation/guidelines, and other relevant agency supplements, procedures and best practices.
  • Formulate a remedy — based on the appropriate clause for a changed construction condition — in accordance with federal and DoD acquisition and other agency laws, regulations, and best practices.
  • Document appropriate actions necessary to verify costs in order to authorize construction progress payments and initiate construction contract closeout.
Act Now

Plan to join your colleagues in attending this thorough and engaging examination of the federal construction contracting process.  Complete registration details are right here.

Credit

Students successfully completing this 4.5-day course receive 32 Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) from the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) and 3.2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  These credits satisfy the latest Level III Federal Acquisition Certification-Contracting, or FAC-C, training requirements.

Added Benefits

You’ll learn in a small group setting at Georgia Tech’s world-class Global Learning Center where you’ll engage in real-life problem-solving exercises.  You’ll receive expert instruction, a printed student guide to be used back on the job, valuable handouts, and exclusive electronic resources.  Plus, a complimentary breakfast is provided each morning, along with snacks throughout each day.

Registration

For more information, cost, and the registration link, go right here: https://pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-244-construction-contracting.

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Here’s how to invest an extra-long February in your professional development

It’s Leap Year!  Will you squander the extra time, or will you invest it in yourself?
Keeping pace with changes in your job is always a challenge.  Pursuing new knowledge is the key.
Georgia Tech’s Contracting Education Academy is offering two terrific courses in February.  They could be just the thing you need to update your skills and qualify you for advancement in your job.
Featured are:
  • Contract Planning in the FAR (CON 090-2) – February 3-7, 2020 – Covers how government agencies conduct market research and rely on businesses to provide information, how the government’s buying needs must be described, and the government’s preference for commercial and non-developmental items.
  • Architect and Engineering Services Contracting (CON 243) – Feb. 10-14, 2020 – Focuses on acquisition planning for A&E services, the slate and selection process, proposal analysis, contract award, the review of government estimates, liability, Title II services, modifications, contract management, and the contracting officer representative’s responsibilities.
(Click on the course titles above to see registration and pricing details.)

 

Discover the Georgia Tech Difference!
Benefits of attendance include expert instruction, a printed Student Guide to be used back on the job, valuable handouts, and exclusive electronic resources.
In addition, a complimentary breakfast is served each morning, along with snacks throughout each day.  For groups of 10 or more, Georgia Tech offers discounts.
Plus, you’ll earn Continuous Education Units from Georgia Tech as well as credit toward Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA)  and Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Program (FAC-C) training requirements.

 

Georgia Tech is an official equivalency training provider for the Defense Acquisition University and the Federal Acquisition Institute.

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Take a look at our course line-up!

If you’re in the hunt for high-quality acquisition training at a reasonable price, look no further than Georgia Tech.

The courses we offer are in high demand among contracting professionals — both within government and in the private sector.  And all are approved by the Defense Acquisition University and the Federal Acquisition Institute.

Plus, all of our courses are offered in our world-class Global Learning Center on the Georgia Tech campus in midtown Atlanta.  All courses also offer resources and amenities found nowhere else.

Take a look at what’s coming up in just the next few months:

  • Contract Planning in the FAR (CON 090-2) – February 3-7, 2020 – Covers how government agencies conduct market research and rely on businesses to provide information, how the government’s buying needs must be described, and the government’s preference for commercial and non-developmental items.
  • Architect and Engineering Services Contracting (CON 243) – Feb. 10-14, 2020 – Focuses on acquisition planning for A&E services, the slate and selection process, proposal analysis, contract award, the review of government estimates, liability, Title II services, modifications, contract management, and the contracting officer’s technical representative’s responsibilities.
  • Contract Formation in the FAR (CON 090-3) – Mar. 16-20, 2020 – Covers policies and procedures for simplified acquisitions, sealed bidding as well as negotiated acquisitions, cost accounting standards, special contracting methods and emergency acquisitions, and the filing and handling of protests.
  • Construction Contracting (CON 244) – May 4-8, 2020 – Focuses on contracting issues unique to construction, including acquisition planning, contract performance management, funding, environmental concerns, construction contract language, construction contracting in a commercial setting, the Construction Wage Rate Requirements statute, design/build methodology, basic schedule delay analysis, constructive changes, acceleration, construction contract quality management, and more.
Click on the course titles above for complete pricing and registration details.

 

Students attending Georgia Tech’s classes work in teams to tackle real-life contracting problems.
Discover the Georgia Tech Difference!

Benefits of attendance include expert instruction, a printed Student Guide to be used back on the job, valuable handouts, and exclusive electronic resources.  In addition, a complimentary breakfast is served each morning, along with snacks throughout each day.  For groups of 10 or more, Georgia Tech offers discounts.

Explanation of Certification Programs

Each Academy course title that contains the designation “CON” or “COR” is DAU-equivalent and satisfies both the FAC-C and DAWIA certification programs.  Coursework with the “FCN” designation is approved by the Federal Acquisition Institute and satisfies the latest FAC-C certification requirements.  In addition, continuing education units (CEUs) are granted for these courses by the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Courses Available at Your Location

All Academy courses and workshops are available for instructor-led engagements at your location. To discuss arrangements for your group, please contact us at info@ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu.  We’ll be happy to provide you with details.

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Challenged with navigating the FAR? Learn how Jan. 28-31

Georgia Tech’s Contracting Education Academy (The Academy) is presenting a four-day course, beginning on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, covering all of the fundamentals of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), including how to navigate the FAR’s 2,000 pages. 
By attending, you’ll also learn all about each of the federal agencies’ supplements to the FAR.

The course is being conducted at Georgia Tech’s world-class professional education facilities in the Global Learning Center located on campus in midtown Atlanta.

FARThis contracting overview of the FAR, covers Module 1 of the Defense Acquisition University’s CON 090: Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Fundamentals.

The course includes:

  • Identification of the basic principles of contracting by the federal government and how they’re structured in the FAR,
  • Access to and use of relevant on-line resources, including tools developed exclusively by Georgia Tech, and
  • Instruction on how to locate, properly cite, and interpret the FAR, the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and other agency FAR supplements.

More information about this course is available at: http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-1-contracting-overview-far.  Complete registration information is located there, too.

Students attending Georgia Tech’s acquisition courses work in teams to tackle real-life contracting problems.

Originally designed exclusively for federal contracting officers, this course’s scope has been expanded by The Academy so that it is relevant to multiple audiences, including contractors seeking to learn more about the federal contracting process, federal officials who need to satisfy job-related continuous education requirements, and anyone seeking more information about the federal acquisition profession.

In all, there are four modules that make-up the complete CON 090 course series.  Information about the entire series can be found at: https://pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-1-contracting-overview-far.

The Academy’s complete list of government acquisition courses, and course scheduling, is at: http://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/training.

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech is an official equivalency training provider of the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) and the Federal Acquisition Institute.

Students attending CON 090 courses at Georgia Tech receive expert instruction, a printed Student Guide, helpful handouts, a deck of FAR Cards, and access to exclusive on-line resources.  Students earn 2.8 CEUs.  In addition, a complimentary breakfast in provided each class day.

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Atlanta, GA 30308
info@ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu
Phone: 404-894-6109
Fax: 404-410-6885

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