Acquisition Training | The Contracting Education Academy

April 2, 2018 By cs

Government’s acquisition training website restored

Inoperable since February, the Federal Acquisition Institute Training Application System (FAITAS) came back online on Friday, March 30th.

The Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) previously stated that FAITAS was unavailable due to “unscheduled maintenance,” but there was widespread speculation that the site suffered a cyber incident. FAITAS is operated for FAI by the U.S. Army through its Army Training Requirements and Resources System (ATRRS).

FAI has updated its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about use of FAITAS to request training, document continuous learning points, and related matters. The FAQs can be found here: https://www.fai.gov/drupal/sites/default/files/FY18MILRestriction_AccessRestored_FAQs.pdf.

FAITAS, and the training accessible through FAITAS, can be accessed only by civilian and military members of the government. FAI operates a helpdesk that can be reached via email at training@fai.gov or by phone at 703-752-9604.

Vendors who have had their courses verified by FAI for purposes of meeting Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) standards are listed at: https://www.fai.gov/drupal/certification/verified-contracting-course-vendor-listing.

February 28, 2018 By cs

Learn how to navigate and use the FAR in just four days

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech (The Academy) kicks-off a four-day course on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, covering the fundamentals of using the Federal Acquisition Regulation (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.

This Contracting Overview of the FAR is Module 1 of CON 090: Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Fundamentals, and includes the identification of the basic principles of contracting by the federal government, identification of and access to on-line resources, and instruction on the location, citation, and interpretation of the FAR, the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) as well as other federal agency FAR supplements.

Originally designed exclusively for federal contracting officers, The Academy has expanded its scope 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.

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

In all, there are four modules that make-up the CON 090 course series. Information about the entire series — and related courses — can be found by clicking here. Students can decide to take any or all of the modules, in any order.

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech is an official equivalency training provider of the Defense Acquisition University (DAU). The Academy also offers new coursework from the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI).

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.

February 21, 2018 By cs

A baby-step solution for improving the defense acquisition system

It’s not the hard solutions to problems that tie bureaucracies in knots. It’s the simple solutions that bureaucracies make hard.

For example, there is a very simple step that could boost the efficiency of Defense Department purchasing of weapons, equipment and services. Its most important characteristics are that 1) it is doable, and 2) it relies on normal order. In other words, the acquisition community can embrace it without legislation or policy adjustments. Furthermore, it can be applied to small acquisition programs as well as large.

The solution is to establish a source selection schedule and keep to it. Simple. Right? Program leaders must merely think through carefully what it will take to publish a Broad Area Announcement or Request for Information or Market Survey, a Draft Request for Proposal and a Final Request for Proposal. Refine a draft schedule until you are confident it can be met. Then publish the schedule and stick with it. I know what you are thinking: “Isn’t that what the program manager or Program Executive Office is supposed to do?” Yes, of course, that is what the program manager or PEO is supposed to do. But, nine times out of ten the schedule is never executed as published, if the schedule is published at all.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2018/02/baby-step-solution-improving-defense-acquisition-system/145945

February 7, 2018 By cs

Did the government’s acquisition training website have a cyber incident?

Did the federal acquisition website called FAITAS suffer a cyber incident? Are thousands of contracting officers and contracting officer representatives’ (COR) data at risk?

The government isn’t offering any details of what’s going on, so I pulled out my reporter’s notebook (pun intended) and started to do some digging.

Let’s look at what we know for sure and you, the reader, can decide whether there is something more than meets the eye.

Fact 1: The Federal Acquisition Institute Training Application System (FAITAS) has been down for “unscheduled maintenance” only for civilian agencies for more than a month.

So if you have a .gov email address, you are out of luck.

But if you have a .mil email address, all is well and you can use the site to get training.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsradio.com/reporters-notebook/2018/02/did-the-governments-acquisition-training-website-have-a-cyber-incident/

January 2, 2018 By cs

Academy’s 2018 course schedule set

Training courses — ideal for government contracting officials and contractors alike — are now scheduled for 2018 on the Georgia Tech campus in midtown Atlanta.

Here are the details on the professional education courses being presented by The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech in the first few months of 2018. (For a complete calendar of 2018 courses, click here.) To see pricing or to register for any class, click on the course titles below.

January

Jan. 22-26 – 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.

Jan. 30-Feb. 2 – 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.

February

Feb. 12-16 – 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, and construction contract quality management.

April

Apr. 10-13 – 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.

Apr. 30-May 4 – 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.

Apr. 10-13 – 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.