acquisition workforce | The Contracting Education Academy

January 4, 2021 By cs

On-line classes announced for 1st quarter of 2021

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech has announced four courses to be presented virtually during the first three months of 2021.

The courses to be presented are:

A Contracting Overview of the FAR (CON 090-1) – Jan. 19 – 22, 2021
FAR Fundamentals (FCN 190) – Feb. 1 – 12, 2021
Contract Planning in the FAR (CON 090-2) – Feb. 22 – 26, 2021
Contract Formation in the FAR (CON 090-3) – Mar. 8 – 12, 2021

Here’s a brief recap of each course, along with a link to price, registration and other details for each course:

A Contracting Overview of the FAR (CON 090-1) – Jan. 19 – 22, 2021 – 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. More details here: http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-1-contracting-overview-far

FAR Fundamentals (FCN 190) – Feb. 1 – 12, 2021 – 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. More details here: http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-2-contract-planning-far

Contract Planning in the FAR (CON 090-2) – Feb. 22 – 26, 2021 – 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. More details here: http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-2-contract-planning-far

Contract Formation in the FAR (CON 090-3) – Mar. 8 – 12, 2021 – 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. More details here: http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-3-contract-formation-far

A schedule of other courses coming up in 2021 can be found at: https://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/training/

December 31, 2020 By cs

Making best-in-class contracts better for innovation

In recent years, federal acquisition policy and practice has been a competition between two different priorities: Efficiency and innovation.

Instead of balancing these priorities, innovation has taken the backseat, denying agencies access to companies that can deliver transformational solutions.

The Office of Management and Budget and the General Services Administration have an opportunity to implement several straightforward changes that can address these competing priorities.

A recent report from the Government Accountability Office provided several recommendations for OMB and GSA to improve their category management initiative, which oversees efforts such as the best-in-class contracts (BIC). While most of the GAO recommendations focused on improving guidance around category management, better defining requirements, acquisition workforce training and cost savings, what was left unaddressed was how OMB and GSA can improve the most important outcomes — delivering the best and most innovative product and service solutions to agency customers and citizens.

Category management has pushed government agencies to buy more like a single enterprise. This focus has prioritized driving savings and efficiency by eliminating redundancy by developing more useful governmentwide acquisition contracts (GWACs), such as BICs. However, having a too narrow focus on streamlining and scale sacrifices the more important priority of attracting more innovative, non-traditional companies to the federal market. That focus — long championed by organizations like the Alliance for Digital Innovation — has pushed the government to leverage inventive acquisition authorities, prioritize commercial capabilities over onerous and restrictive requirements, and encourage speed in both the pilot and production phases of IT acquisition.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/commentary/2020/12/making-best-in-class-contracts-better-for-innovation/

December 30, 2020 By cs

GSA releases finalized federal data skills catalog and ethics framework

The General Services Administration has released a finalized data skills catalog and ethics framework to assist agencies in developing data management competencies and officials in making ethical decisions under the Federal Data Strategy.

The Federal Chief Data Officers Council will maintain the skills catalog and work with the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy to review and update the ethics framework every 24 months.

Publishing both documents fulfills Actions 13 and 14 of the Federal Data Strategy 2020 Action Plan, after months of work by governments data experts.

The catalog consists of two parts: a common vocabulary of data roles and skills in the federal data ecosystem, as well as select data training and course opportunities across agencies. Resources are also provided to help agencies develop training programs of their own.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.fedscoop.com/gsa-data-skills-catalog-ethics-framework/

December 17, 2020 By cs

Air Force’s next hack of the federal procurement system: One-year funding

Air Force Maj. Gen. Cameron Holt knows a little something about the complexity of federal contracting.

The deputy assistant secretary for contracting, in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, started his career as a contracts manager. He served as the procuring contracting officer for the F-22 fighter and held an assortment of executive positions during his 19-year career in the service.

So when he gave the House and Senate armed services committees a list of regulations that need to be revoked, removed or replaced a few years ago, he knows what he’s talking about.

“I told them that you’ve written so many laws that we need to implement that our contracting officers in the trenches can’t even follow them all because they actually start to conflict with each other,” Holt said at the annual Government Contract Management Symposium sponsored by the National Contract Management Association. “That environment is not really paying attention to the opportunities that, for instance, the 809 panel gave to them to update the system. I think they are really focused on a different agenda right now. I hope they will join us in really streamlining, especially the defense contracting environment, but really the federal contracting environment.”

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/category/reporters-notebook/reporters-notebook-jason-miller/

December 9, 2020 By cs

Combat simulators should also improve acquisition, DoD leader says

Members of the defense industry working on modeling and simulation should focus on building tools that can be used across multiple different functions in order to not only improve training, but accelerate acquisition and fielding timelines, according to a Defense Department official.

“Think about software that will allow us to support acquisition development, training of troops, and test all simultaneously,” Alan Shaffer, deputy defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, said Dec. 1st.

Modeling and simulation is used to train warfighters on virtual battlefields. Advancement in modeling and simulation technologies powered by digitization and open systems should enhance training from individual warfighters all the way up to the force level as well as revolutionize design, acquisition, sustainment and test, Shaffer said during the National Training and Simulation Association’s annual Interservice, Industry, Training, Simulation, and Education Conference.

“We are now seeing the evolution from single platform simulators and single purpose simulations to advanced multi-platform virtual systems,” Shaffer said. “But beyond that, there is also a strong convergence in modeling and simulation capabilities being driven by the technological revolution, and the digitization of the world, and the promise of open systems.”

Keep reading this article at: https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2020/12/dod-needs-simulations-shorten-acquisition-timelines-official-says/170380/

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech has announced four courses to be presented virtually during the first three months of 2021.

In recent years, federal acquisition policy and practice has been a competition between two different priorities: Efficiency and innovation.

The General Services Administration has released a finalized data skills catalog and ethics framework to assist agencies in developing data management competencies and officials in making ethical decisions under the Federal Data Strategy.

Air Force Maj. Gen. Cameron Holt knows a little something about the complexity of federal contracting.

Members of the defense industry working on modeling and simulation should focus on building tools that can be used across multiple different functions in order to not only improve training, but accelerate acquisition and fielding timelines, according to a Defense Department official.

Search this Website