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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 26, 2021 By cs

Defense acquisition workforce reform and DAU’s transformation

In previous statements from the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) about transforming workforce development, the challenges facing DoD were discussed — specifically the return to great power competition with near-peer adversaries.

The 2018 National Defense Strategy calls on everyone in the national security space to face these threats head-on.  Those working toward “Back to Basics” to develop, acquire and sustain operational capability for the force won’t be alone on this journey — we are actively transforming DAU into a modern platform of training and on-the-job resources to provide the support and skills you need for success.

Our adversaries’ ability to rapidly adopt new technology is placing pressure on our acquisition cycle times. If we are to succeed, the Defense acquisition system must move with purposeful speed and agility. The Defense Acquisition Workforce must think critically, make smart decisions, and move quickly to give our Warfighters cutting-edge capabilities, ensuring dominance across every domain.

Since her confirmation as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, Ms. Ellen Lord has called on her staff to act as a strategic enabler for the professionals that make our acquisition system work. To this end, we’ve focused on three key areas:

  • Streamlining acquisition policy to empower workforce decision making
  • Reimagining how we train and develop our workforce
  • Transforming DAU into a modern learning platform

Streamlining acquisition policy: The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment released the Adaptive Acquisition Framework in January 2020. This transformational approach to policy provides a set of flexible acquisition pathways designed to empower program managers and acquisition professionals to tailor strategies, speed up acquisition, and address the immediate needs of the Warfighter. The policy embraces the principles of delegated decision-making, tailoring program oversight to minimize unnecessary bureaucratic processes, and actively managing risk based on the unique characteristics of the capability being acquired.

Reimagining how we develop our workforce: In early September 2020, Ms. Lord announced the Back-to-Basics initiative referenced above — the first major reform of the Defense Acquisition Workforce management framework since the early 1990s. This initiative shifts us from a talent management system built for another time, to one that better reflects modern continuous learning. It will take us “back to the basics” with a sharpened focus on the readiness of the workforce.

Back-to-Basics reinvents the structure of career fields into six functional areas: Program Management, Contracting, Life Cycle Logistics, Engineering and Technical Management, Test and Evaluation, and Business – Financial/Cost Estimating. It will also change the structure of required certification training for each of the functional areas.

Our current three-level certification requires extensive training time—most of it early in a professional’s career–to achieve certification. The certification program is highly structured and overly comprehensive, making it inflexible and inefficient. Too often, training is provided to the wrong people, or at the wrong time. We are changing this structure with two initiatives.

First, we are leaning our certification requirements to a core of training for everyone in a functional area. Unlike the past where everything was required for everybody, we will now only require training that should be broadly applicable in that function area. For example, in contracting, we worked with senior leaders from the military departments and agencies to reduce required certification training from 650 to 250 hours.

Training cannot stop with this required core, however. By reducing required training, we’re creating room for user-driven tailored training, on-the-job training, work experience, training through new DAU tools, and job-relevant credentials. These credentials are generally much smaller than a functional certification requirement, but will be structured into learning packages designed to be used by people who need specific knowledge and skills, at the time they need it. The credentials will be tracked, so they follow you through your career. They can serve many different purposes. They can be used to build specialized knowledge and skills within your functional area, so that you are prepared, say, to work in contingency contracting. They support lifelong learning so you can stay up to date in your field. They can help you learn or update your knowledge in rapidly changing cross-functional concepts, like agile development or cybersecurity.

Combined with streamlining certification, credentials will increase the ability to shape careers, teams or organizations–tailoring individual development to what is needed, when it’s needed. New and emerging concepts can be more rapidly disseminated and integrated into the acquisition system, improving its flexibility and performance. This new flexibility will require more initiative and planning by workforce members and supervisors, but the reward will be support for lifelong learning, more dynamic careers, and a better acquisition system.

Transforming DAU into a modern learning platform: With the Adaptive Acquisition Framework we empowered the workforce to make smart decisions with a wide array of new tools. With the Back-to-Basics initiative we freed-up much needed time and created a foundation for customizable training. To help you succeed in this new, dynamic environment, DAU is transforming into a modern learning platform to deliver career-long learning tailored to your needs.

When DAU opened its doors in the early 1990s, the forces driving education and training – particularly how we all learned and consumed information–were radically different. We were living in a time when information was relatively scarce, and the ways to distribute it were relatively few. Fast forward nearly three decades and the landscape has obviously changed dramatically. Today, instantaneous connections to knowledge, resources, and expertise power the global economy and drive our personal lives. To help you thrive in this environment, DAU is transforming from a schoolhouse to a highly-networked platform, using many different modes and methods to provide information, tools, and training from numerous sources.

This modern platform will have three important characteristics:

  • Frictionless learning that provides easy access to training and resources at the moment of need. When learning is user-driven and time is scarce, it has to be easy to discover the learning or tools that you need, and that learning has to be targeted and efficient. The new DAU platform will making learning available naturally, intuitively, and precisely when it’s needed.
  • World-class content that is high quality, current, and relevant. In a world where learning is infinitely customizable, we have to make training consumable at the moment of need and personalized to an individual’s circumstance. DAU’s responsive learning program will produce more and smaller segmented courses—conducted both online and onsite—using advanced learning technologies. In our dynamic and flexible acquisition environment, DAU’s content must build critical thinking skills and confidence in each learner’s ability to decide and act in order to drive performance excellence. By partnering acquisition subject matter experts with learning science specialists, DAU is developing quality experiences that are personalized, relevant, and informed by the best minds in the field.
  • Dynamic network that connects people who need information to people who have information. DAU already has scale with its network—it is the only organization connecting all 183,000+ members of the Defense Acquisition Workforce. DAU is working to intentionally build connections between people who have the knowledge and those who need it for success.

How will DAU’s transformation impact you?
Quality, engaging content: DAU is completely reimagining how it develops its content, both in the classroom and through informal learning, to ensure it meets the expectations of the modern audience. Expect shorter learning modules, more informal learning, and modern, engaging experiences. Ultimately, much of the learning you do will happen while doing your work rather than in one of DAU’s physical classrooms. DAU will also make greater use of its scale, with open online workshops, online communities and online events that connect you with thousands of your acquisition counterparts. The recent virtual TEDxDAU, attended by over 3,000 people, is an example of the power of scale.

Learning tailored to your needs: DAU conducted extensive interviews with stakeholders, acquisition leaders, and you, the members of the Defense Acquisition Workforce. Many of you, and a not-insignificant number of your supervisors, told us the training received from DAU was too general and didn’t meet the specific needs of your job or role. To increase the return on investment you make in training and development, DAU has embraced the ethos of the Back-to-Basics initiative and is actively developing job and role-based credentials. These credentials are designed to augment your foundational training and provide you with the knowledge and skills that you decide are needed for your job. The increased use of credentials will also help you build your expertise for future promotions and new professional roles. To date, DAU has released eight credentials with dozens more in development.

Shorter classes: Classroom training can be an incredibly positive learning experience, it’s also expensive for the learner and the government. We’ve already discussed the policy changes we’re making to training requirements through the Back-to-Basics initiative, but DAU is also intentionally restructuring its curriculum. These changes will result in shorter classroom courses augmented by a rich array of other learning experiences, including job-specific credentials, informal learning resources (e.g. articles and videos), and an increased use of self-paced topical modules. DAU is focused on using the classroom where it is most powerful—for cross-functional, team-based, and experiential learning.

More online learning: Our continuing experience with extended telework in response to the pandemic has demonstrated that DAU can deliver quality learning in the virtual environment, at scale. DAU is actively working to make these experiences even better by increasing flexibility with more self-paced instruction and designing engaging online exercises to help you apply new knowledge. With this increase in virtual learning, you will no longer have to be away from your job eight hours a day, for weeks at a time. Instead, this pivot will allow you to integrate what you learn directly with the work you do every day. And of course, you’ll spend less time away from your home, your friends, and your family.

Learning at the moment of need: YouTube is the go-to learning resource for “do-it-yourself” projects. In the modern world, it just makes sense to watch a quick video to learn a specific task. Why would anyone seek out, and sit through, an eight-hour automotive repair class to replace a headlight, if they can watch an eight-minute video online? Just the thought of doing so probably seems absurd to many of you. There is certainly a time and place for more formal, professional education, but DAU is working to rebalance its curriculum to make sure you can find the focused training you need, when you need it.

Acquisition program consulting: Sometimes a course isn’t enough and your project or program needs an outside perspective to help it navigate a tricky challenge. DAU’s transformation will enable it to continue providing support beyond the classroom as a trusted acquisition partner. From customized, complex simulations, such as helping your team prepare for an upcoming source selection to smaller, more topical workshops on subjects like the Adaptive Acquisition Framework, DAU will be better positioned to help your team succeed.

What’s next?
The challenges we face as a Department and professionals are daunting, but not insurmountable. Through the Adaptive Acquisition Framework, the Back-to-Basics initiative, and DAU’s transformation, we’ve empowered both individuals and organizations to make programmatic and development decisions that reflect their needs, rather than a mandated, top-down approach. These actions are designed to help our system move with greater speed, agility, and efficiency.

In this new environment, both individuals and supervisors will have increased responsibility for managing training and development opportunities. This will require greater attention to your personal career goals and growth, while also focusing on the needs of your organization. As the adage goes, “with great power, comes great responsibility.” You won’t be alone as we pivot to this new model; Ms. Lord’s offices, DAU, Service Acquisition Executives, Component Acquisition Executives, and DACM offices are working together to provide you with the resources you need to ensure positive acquisition outcomes.

Source: https://www.dau.edu/News/Defense-Acquisition-Workforce-Reform-and-DAU’s-Transformation

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: acquisition training, acquisition workforce, Adaptive Acquisition Framework, career development, DAU, decision-making, DoD, learning platform, pandemic, professional development, program management

September 9, 2020 By cs

Don’t miss our on-line contract planning course in October!

Whether you represent government or industry, this is your chance to learn how the Government plans its acquisition of products and services!
  • As a member of the government’s acquisition team, don’t you need to learn how to conduct acquisition planning properly?
  • As a contractor, wouldn’t you like to gain insights into the government’s contract planning process?

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech will address these questions, and many more, in a comprehensive five-day class, “Contract Planning in the FAR” (CON 090-2) to be presented October 5 – 9, 2020.

The course will be presented virtually, so you can attend without having to travel!  Registration details are here. 

This in-depth course covers all aspects of acquisition planning, including:

  • 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.

This course is the second in a series of four educational modules that examine the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the Government’s “procurement bible.”  Because of Georgia Tech’s unique instructional approach, the four modules can be taken in any order.

Why Have So Many Contracting Officials Taken This Course?
  • For government contracting officials, this course is required to earn and maintain a contracting warrant.  A warrant is a written document providing a contracting officer with the limits of his or her authority.   Per FAR 1.602-1, Contracting Officers have the authority to “enter into, administer, or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings” to the extent of the authority delegated to them by their warrant.   Georgia Tech’s Contracting Education Academy offers a set of courses — each equivalent to Defense Acquisition University (DAU) course standards — that help each member of the acquisition workforce maintain their warrants and enhance their professional development.
  • For business people who compete for and fulfill government contracts, Academy classes are just as pertinent.  Contractor personnel who attend Academy courses gain real-world knowledge about how government officials are trained to formulate and administer contracts.   Insights into these areas provide invaluable guidance for reaching greater success in competing for, winning, and fulfilling government contract work.

For details on all of Georgia Tech’s government contracting classes, including the FAR Fundamentals course series, please visit: https://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/training

Filed Under: Academy News Tagged With: acquisition training, acquisition workforce, CON 090, contract planning, Contracting Academy, DAU, FAR, FAR training, Georgia Tech, market research, on-line instruction, training resources, virtual learning

September 9, 2020 By AMK

Learn — on-line — how the government puts together a contract October 19-23

What is the Government’s simplified acquisition process?    What is meant by the term sealed bid?  Did you know that the Government can enter into contracts on the basis of both competitive and noncompetitive negotiated arrangements?  How does the Government deal with required and preferred sources of supplies and services?  What must be done to ensure competition?  What are the policies for policies and procedures for pricing negotiated contracts and contract modifications?  What are the policies and procedures for filing bid protests?

To answer these questions — and explain the entire process that federal agencies follow to formulate a contract — Georgia Tech’s Contracting Education Academy is presenting a one-week course, beginning October 19, 2020, entitled CON 090-3: Contract Formation in the FAR.

And this course is being presented virtually, so you can attend on-line from your home or office,

The course is designed for contracting professionals — including both government officials and contractors — who are interested in learning the details of the federal acquisition process.  This course provides vital instruction for Government contracting personnel as well as important insights for contractors.

By attending CON 090-3, students learn how to locate, interpret, and apply the acquisition regulations applicable to federal agencies.  CON 090-3 is the third of four modules in the CON 090 series entitled Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Fundamentals.  The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech offers the entire CON 090 series in four, one-week classes.  Each module stands on its own, allowing students multiple opportunities throughout the year to complete the entire CON 090 course without the challenge of being away from work or home for a straight month.  Because of Georgia Tech’s unique instructional approach, the four modules can be taken in any order.

The course consists of limited lecture, and is heavily exercise-based.  Students get the opportunity to learn the FAR by working through many real-life scenarios with one another.  Students also are given access to many exclusive on-line resources.

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech is an approved equivalency training provider to the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) and provides continuing education training to Acquisition and Government Contracting professionals as well as to business professionals working for government contractors or pursuing opportunities in the federal contracting arena.

For more information on this course and to register, please visit: http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-3-contract-formation-far.

Filed Under: Academy News Tagged With: acquisition training, acquisition workforce, CON 090, contract formation, DAU, FAI, FAR, Federal Acquisition Regulation, on-line instruction, on-line learning, virtual instruction, virtual learning

February 24, 2020 By cs

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/

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: acquisition training, acquisition workforce, budget, budget requests, category management, end-of-year spending, OMB, professional education

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