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November 12, 2019 By cs

Academy provides customized instruction on small business certification to national association

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech provided four hours of intensive instruction to a group of 90 counselors on the topic of “Teaching Your Clients How To Obtain a Small Business Certification.”
APTAC 2019 Workshop
Representatives of PTACs across the country attended the certification workshop.

The workshop, held in Washington, DC on Nov. 10th, was conducted as a part of the semi-annual national training conference held by the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC).  Members of APTAC work for procurement technical assistance centers (PTACs) across the country.  PTACs provide assistance to businesses — primarily small businesses — who wish to compete for government contracts.

Guest instructor and small business expert Steven J. Koprince conducted the workshop on behalf of the Academy.  He is the founder and former managing partner of Koprince Law LLC.    Earlier this year, he retired from active practice of law, but he continues to be involved in government contracting as a teacher and writer.  Koprince has served as an instructor for The Academy on previous engagements with APTAC and with the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA).

Training materials included a certification handbook and a flash drive containing resources such as customizable training presentations.

The Academy’s program manager Alexis Kirksey provided an orientation to the workshop’s training resources.  Each attendee received a 100-page instruction manual on four different types of small business certifications, including fact sheets on each program, and a flash drive containing customizable PowerPoint presentations and dozens of other resource materials which PTAC counselors may use to counsel and train their clients.

The workshop’s objectives were:

  1. Learning the eligibility requirements for each small business category.
  2. Gaining insights into the preparation process for making a certification application.
  3. Identifying each of the steps of the application process.
  4. Learning how a small business can leverage certification in the federal marketplace.

The workshop provided an explanation of small business size standards, and then launched into a detailed examination of the 8(a) Business Development Program; the HUBZone Program; the Veteran-Owned and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Programs; and the Woman-Owned and Economically-Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business Programs.

Workshop participants learned about important concepts applied by the federal government in the certification process such as unconditional ownership and direct ownership.  In order to be eligible for certification, the owners must be in charge of such activities as strategic policy-setting, day-to-day management, and overall administrative responsibility for business operations.

Workshop attendees listen carefully to instruction provided by Steven J. Koprince.

The significance of what is known as “affiliation” was also a topic of the workshop.  Affiliation exists when one business controls or has the power to control another, or when a third party controls or has the power to control both businesses. Control may arise through ownership, management, or other relationships.  If another business controls a certification applicant’s business, this may be a disqualifier for small business certification.

Attendees also learned about all of the documentation requirements associated with each type of small business certification.  In addition, the workshop addressed what is called the “presumption-of-loss” rule, which provides that if a business misrepresents its small business size or status, there is a presumption of loss to the government equal to the entire value of any contract or subcontract received as a result of the misrepresentation.

Multiple paths exist for submitting certification applications.  Workshop participants learned about self-certification within the System for Award Management, certification through the Small Business Administration’s on-line portals, and certification through the Veterans Administration.

The workshop concluded with advice PTAC counselors can give to their clients about following-up on their certification applications and how to leverage their small business certifications once granted.  Tips included the need to research both federal spending and contract forecasts, the importance of responding to Requests for Information, and the roles played by Procurement Center Representatives, Small Business Officers, and Small Business Liaison Officers.  Also discussed was the use of certification branding, teaming and joint venturing, how to keep certifications updated, and participation in outreach events.

The Academy is available to conduct this and other customized training workshops on any topic associated with government contracting.  Contact us by email at info@ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu for further information.

Filed Under: Academy News Tagged With: 8(a), acquisition training, APTAC, certification, Contracting Academy, EDWOSB, Georgia Tech, GSA Schedules, HUBZone, SDVOSB, small business, training resources, VOSB, WOSB

October 24, 2019 By cs

Make plans now for your professional development in 2020

By attending Georgia Tech’s hands-on, practical training, you will gain new expertise you can apply the day you return from class.

Staying up-to-date in the field of government acquisition is a challenge.  You can make a positive impact on your career by planning to attend courses now scheduled at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s world-class Global Learning Center in the coming year.  Course registration for 2020 is now open.

Featured courses include:

(Click on course titles for dates and registration details.)

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

    FCN 190: FAR Fundamentals – Designed for both GS-1102 contracting personnel as well as aspiring government contractors, this 10-day course conveys basic knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), including how to apply the rules in order to make appropriate decisions at each step of the contracting process.  Curriculum supports the latest revisions to the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Program.

  • CON 090-1: Contracting Overview of the FAR – Covers the identification of the basic principles of federal government contracting, including the structure and content of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and agency supplements.  Students learn how to locate, cite, and interpret regulations.
  • CON 090-2: Contract Planning in the FAR – Covers acquisition planning, market research, describing agency needs, the preference for commercial and non-developmental items, contract types, special contracting techniques, socioeconomic programs, special terms and conditions, contractor qualifications, and advertising requirements.
  • Our instructors are experienced acquisition professionals who share practical advice.

    CON 090-3: Contract Formation in the FAR – 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.

  • CON 090-4: Contract Administration in the FAR – Covers the fundamental concepts of contract administration including the handling of untimely or non-compliant performance, interpretation of clauses, contract modifications, payments, contract disputes and appeals, and complete or partial contract terminations.
  • CON 170: Fundamentals of Cost & Price Analysis – Conveys fundamental quantitative pricing skills, including seller pricing strategies, the Truth in Negotiations Act and how it mitigates government risk, application of Cost Accounting Standards Board (CASB) rules to negotiated contracts and subcontracts, and contract cost principles and procedures.  Covers cost-volume-profit analysis, contribution margin estimates, and cost estimating relationships.
  • Our students tell us our courses go far beyond check-the-box requirements.

    CON 243: Architect-Engineer Contracting – Focuses on contracting for architectural-engineering services, including acquisition planning, source selection, proposal analysis, contract award and work, and contract management. Specific topics and practical exercises convey knowledge of the Selection of Architects and Engineers statue, SF-330, the slate and selection process, the review of government estimates, liability, Title II services, modifications, and contracting officer’s technical representative responsibilities. 

  • CON 244: Construction Contracting – 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.
  • Government contracting officials and business executives sit side-by-side to learn acquisition practices.

    COR 206/222: Contracting Officer Representative and the Contingency Contracting Environment – Covers the role and responsibilities of the COR in contract administration, including contract planning support, contract awards, contract changes and modifications, monitoring performance, expenditures and schedules, and ethical situations and cultural differences a COR may experience while deployed in a contingency operation. 

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.

  • The Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Program (FAC-C) establishes graduated education, experience, and training standards for contracting professionals in all civilian agencies. FAC-C certifications are mutually accepted among all civilian agencies as documentation of accomplishment of these standards.
  • The Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) established a very similar, but not identical, program for the Department of Defense (DoD). Civilian agencies may accept DAWIA certification as equivalent to FAC-C certification.
Courses Available at Your Location

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

Filed Under: Academy News Tagged With: acquisition training, acquisition workforce, CON 090, CON 170, CON 243, CON 244, Contracting Academy, COR 206/222, DAU, FAI, FAR, FAR training, FCN 190, federal contracting, Georgia Tech, government contract training, government contracting, professional development, professional education, training, training resources

October 7, 2019 By cs

New OFPP administrator seeks to reduce risks of federal contracting through AI, robotics

Michael Wooten became the 15th administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy about six weeks ago. More importantly, he became the first permanent head of federal procurement during the Trump administration.

In his first two public speeches last week, Wooten hit all the expected notes that an OFPP administrator is supposed to reach — building on existing efforts like category management, upskilling the workforce, unlocking technology to create innovation and harnessing acquisition data to turn it into business intelligence.

“There is a considerable alignment that supports what we are doing. This is a good time to be the administrator. There are a lot of people who are cheerleading, saying ‘go, go go and do things for us.’ It’s a good time to cut regulations that get in our way and I’m happy about that,” Wooten said at the Tech Trends conference sponsored by the Professional Services Council in Washington, D.C. “This is a good time to skill up the workforce. I have a mindset that we need to help the workforce shift to the right or use those human judgement skills as opposed to the rote stuff that software can do.”

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/reporters-notebook-jason-miller/2019/09/new-ofpp-administrator-seeks-to-reduce-risks-of-federal-contracting-through-ai-robotics/

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: acquisition training, acquisition workforce, AI, artificial intelligence, automation, innovation, Michael Wooten, OFPP, robotics

September 23, 2019 By cs

Transition to new FAC-C acquisition workforce training requirements begins Oct. 1, 2019

We summarize the changes to the training requirements here.

Beginning October 1, 2019, new Federal Acquisition Certification-Contracting, or FAC-C, training requirements go into place.

The new training requirements for the the civilian portion of the federal acquisition workforce reflect a continuing effort by the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) to align training requirements with those developed by the Defense Acquisition University’s (DAU) as a part of its Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Contracting certification program.

Students will be provided time to implement these changes as they seek FAC-C Level I, II, or III certification.   The changes to the curriculum are not extensive, however there are varying dates to keep in mind.  There will be a transition period from October 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020 in which training providers, such as The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech, will be converting their courseware to conform with the new training standards.  During this period, students may apply both old and new course designs for credit toward the FAC-C certification.

Please consult the chart below to see details of the present and planned courseware.  Present FAC-C training requirements are shown in the left column, and the new FAC-C training requirements are shown to the right.  Changes in the training requirements are shown in red.

FAC-C Training Requirements

Present Training Requirements

FAC-C Refresh (May 2014)

Transition to New FAC-C

(October 1, 2019-June 30, 2020)

(Requirements are shown below, and changes are shown in red.)

FAC-C LEVEL I
FAC-C LEVEL I
CON 090 FAR Fundamentals

(20 days, instructor-led) OR

FCN 190 FAR Fundamentals

(10 days, instructor-led)

CON 090 & FCN 190 are being phased out by courseware vendors during the period 10/1/19 through 6/30/2020 – certificates from either course will be acceptable for FAC-C Level I until 9/30/2021.

CON 091 Contract Fundamentals

(13 days, instructor-led)

 

 

CON 090 & FCN 190 are being phased out by courseware vendors during the period 10/1/19 through 6/30/2020 – certificates from either course will be acceptable for FAC-C Level I until 9/30/2021.

CON 100 Shaping Smart Business Arrangements (self-paced online) OR

FCN 101 Contracting Basics

(self-paced online)

CON 100 Shaping Smart Business Arrangements OR

FCN 101 Contracting Basics

(self-paced online)

CON 121 Contract Planning

(instructor-led or self-paced online)

CON 121 Contract Planning

(instructor-led or self-paced online)

CON 124 Contract Execution

(instructor-led or self-paced online)

CON 124 Contract Execution

(instructor-led or self-paced online)

CON 127 Contract Management

(instructor-led or self-paced online)

CON 127 Contract Management (instructor-led or self-paced online)
FAC 023 Basic Contracting for GSA Schedules

(self-paced online)

FAC 023 Basic Contracting for GSA Schedules

(self-paced online)

FAC 031 Small Business Programs

(self-paced online)

FAC 031 Small Business Programs

(self-paced online)

CLC 057 Performance Based Payments and Value of Cash Flow

(self-paced online)

CLC 057 Performance Based Payments and Value of Cash Flow

(self-paced online)

CLC 058 Introduction to Contract Pricing

(self-paced online)

CLC 058 Introduction to Contract Pricing

(self-paced online)

CON 170 Fundamentals of Cost and Price Analysis

(10 days, instructor-led)

CON 170 Fundamentals of Cost and Price Analysis

(8 days, instructor-led)

N/A CLC 056 Analyzing Contract Costs

(self-paced online)

Effective October 1, 2019, this course will be

required for FAC-C Level I.

FAC-C LEVEL II
FAC-C LEVEL II
CON 200 Business Decisions for Contracting

(instructor-led or self-paced online)

CON 200 Business Decisions for Contracting

(instructor-led or self-paced online)

CON 216 Legal Considerations in Contracting

(instructor-led or self-paced online)

CON 216 Legal Considerations in Contracting

(instructor-led or self-paced online)

CLC 056 Analyzing Contract Costs

(self-paced online)

(Course now required for Level 1, not Level II)

 

CLC 051 Managing Government Property in the Possession of Contractors

(self-paced online)

CLC 051 Managing Government Property in the Possession of Contractors

(self-paced online)

HBS 428 Negotiating

(self-paced online)

HBS 428 Negotiating

(self-paced online)

CON 270 Intermediate Cost and Price Analysis

(instructor-led)

Effective October 1, 2019, this course is no longer required for FAC-C

(Can still be taken for CLPs/electives).

CON 280 Source Selection and Administration of Service Contracts

(instructor-led)

 

CON 280 Source Selection and Administration of Service Contracts

(instructor-led)

(Note: Some content from CON 270 will be added to this course.)

CON 290 Contract Administration and Negotiation Techniques in a Supply Environment

(instructor-led)

 

CON 290 Contract Administration and Negotiation Techniques in a Supply Environment

(instructor-led)

(Note:  Some content from CON 270 will be added to this course.)

FAC-C LEVEL III
FAC-C LEVEL III
CON 360 Contracting for Decision Makers

(10 days, instructor-led)

CON 360 Contracting for Decision Makers

(8 days, instructor-led)

An HBS module other than HBS 428 An HBS module other than HBS 428
Choose 1 of the following:

·     32 hours of electives*

·     ACQ 265 Mission-Focused Services Acquisition

·     ACQ 315 Understanding Industry

·     ACQ 370 Acquisition Law

·     CON 244 Construction Contracting

·     CON 252 Fundamentals of Cost Accounting Standards

·     CON 370 Advanced Contract Pricing

Choose 1 of the following:

·     32 hours of electives*

·     ACQ 265 Mission-Focused Services Acquisition

·     ACQ 315 Understanding Industry

·     ACQ 370 Acquisition Law

·     CON 244 Construction Contracting

·     CON 252 Fundamentals of Cost Accounting Standards

·     CON 370 Advanced Contract Pricing

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech is an approved equivalency training provider for many FAI and DAU training courses.  Inquiries may be emailed to: info@ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu

Filed Under: Academy News Tagged With: acquisition training, acquisition workforce, certification, DAU, DAWIA, FAC-C, FAI, training requirements

August 19, 2019 By AMK

Comprehensive contract planning course being conducted Oct. 7-11

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 7-11, 2019.

The course will be presented at the world-class Global Learning Center in midtown Atlanta.  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.

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.

Improve Your Win Rate
Government and industry representatives sit side-by-side in small group settings to learn government contracting fundamentals at Georgia Tech’s Global Learning Center.

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, DAU, FAR, FAR training, Georgia Tech, market research, training resources

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