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HHS’s suspension of acquisition services leaves outside agencies and contractors in limbo

It’s been three months since the department announced it was closing down its shared services operations, and many questions remain unanswered.

The Health and Human Services Department’s decision to wind down its acquisition services for outside agencies has left customers scrambling to fill the void and a number of unanswered questions.

HHS announced in June that it would no longer offer assisted acquisition services for non-HHS customers through its Program Support Center, and gave them until Sept. 30, 2020, to find alternative providers.  The center works for HHS and 19 other agencies on a fee-for-service basis, administering more than $1.4 billion in contracts per year, Federal News Network reported. Also, the department put four officials associated with the Program Support Center on paid leave between April and June, Bloomberg News reported.

“As the result of an internal review that is ongoing, [the Program Support Center] has determined that it does not have the policies, procedures, or internal controls necessary to conduct assisted acquisitions for agencies outside of HHS,” said Melissa McAbee, acting head of contracting at PSC, according to a report in Bloomberg News.  As of mid-June, the center was managing 250 contracts for agencies besides HHS, including the Defense Department and Environmental Protection Agency.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.govexec.com/management/2019/09/hhss-suspension-acquisition-services-leaves-outside-agencies-and-contractors-limbo/159870/

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Learn how the government administers contracts during week of Dec. 9th

Before the year’s end, you have the opportunity to attend a week-long course at Georgia Tech that comprehensively covers the federal contract administration process.
The course — Contract Administration in the FAR (CON 090-4) — begins Monday, Dec. 9 and concludes Friday, Dec. 13, 2019.  The course is conducted at Georgia Tech’s world-class Global Learning Center located in Midtown Atlanta.  Registration details are at: https://pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-4-contract-administration-far.
Students work in teams to answer questions and solve problems involving contract administration.
Who Should Attend
  • Government contracting officials will learn not only the rules but the best practices in contract administration. And, this course satisfies required FAC-C and DAWIA certification programs.
  • Business people, including those to aspire to become federal contractors, will learn how to use the power of being an incumbent to win future contracts as well as how to protect contractual interests.
How You Will Benefit

You will learn:

  • The fundamental concepts of government contract administration.
  • The rights of the parties when contract performance is not timely.
  • Both the government’s and the contractor’s rights when contract performance comes into question.
  • The policies and procedures for preparing and processing contract modifications.
  • How to apply the requirements of applicable contract clauses in various contracting scenarios.
  • The applicable payment clauses and invoicing procedures.
  • The policies and procedures for filing and processing contract disputes and appeals.
  • The policies and procedures pertaining to the complete or partial termination of contracts for the convenience of the government or for default.
  • All pertinent parts of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
Course Content
  • Contract administration basics
  • Contract modifications
  • Administration of selected terms and conditions
  • Delays
  • Quality assurance
  • Payment and cost allowability
  • Disputes and appeals
  • Terminations
  • Closeout
Materials

Each student receives a printed Student Guide, exercises, updated supplemental information, and exclusive access to web-based student resources. A complimentary breakfast is provided each morning, along with snacks throughout each day.

Additional Information

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech (The Academy) is an approved equivalency training provider to the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) and the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI).  Our courses satisfy both the FAC-C and the DAWIA certification programs.  The coursework also provides students the opportunity to earn continuing education unit credits (CEUs) for acquisition and government contracting professionals as well as business professionals working for the government or pursuing opportunities in the federal contracting arena.

CON 090-4 is the fourth of four modules in the CON 090 course 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.

More Information and To Register

For more information on this course, please visit: https://pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-4-contract-administration-far

 

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Why federal IT projects fail (and how to ensure success)

In any business, it’s not uncommon to have several projects taking place at the same time, forcing organizations and their employees to play a delicate balancing act. For federal agencies and contractors, it is even more critical to appropriately juggle their projects due to the missions they are supporting.

These numerous tasks, large and small, are essential to the federal government’s efforts in aligning with and working towards their missions. Federal agencies prioritize specific initiatives, allocating resources and talent to ensure their projects are successful and their goals are met. Much blood, sweat, tears and taxpayer money is put into these projects, and yet, one in three IT projects is canceled before it’s completed.

That seems like a stunning figure. How can this be true? What goes wrong along the way for a third of every project started to be cut back?

As it turns out, projects are often derailed from the beginning. In fact, the most common problem is the lack of immediate action to get these projects back on track, allowing problems to grow until they become too large and too far gone for project managers and their teams to resolve.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2019/03/why-federal-it-projects-fail-and-how-ensure-success/155435/

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Learn how the government administers its contracts during week of June 24th

Now you have the opportunity to attend  a week-long course at Georgia Tech that comprehensively covers the federal contract administration process.  

The course — Contract Administration in the FAR — begins Monday, June 24 and concludes Friday, June 28, 2019. Registration details may be found at: https://pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-4-contract-administration-far.

Students work in teams to answer questions and solve problems involving contract administration.
Who Should Attend
  • Government contracting officials will learn not only the rules but the best practices in contract administration. And, this course satisfies required FAC-C and DAWIA certification programs.
  • Business people, including those to aspire to become federal contractors, will learn how to use the power of being an incumbent to win future contracts as well as how to protect contractual interests.
How You Will Benefit

You will learn:

  • The fundamental concepts of government contract administration.
  • The rights of the parties when contract performance is not timely.
  • Both the government’s and the contractor’s rights when contract performance comes into question.
  • The policies and procedures for preparing and processing contract modifications.
  • How to apply the requirements of applicable contract clauses in various contracting scenarios.
  • The applicable payment clauses and invoicing procedures.
  • The policies and procedures for filing and processing contract disputes and appeals.
  • The policies and procedures pertaining to the complete or partial termination of contracts for the convenience of the government or for default.
  • All pertinent parts of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) having to do with contract administration.
Content
  • Fundamentals of contract administration
  • Contract modifications
  • Administration of selected terms and conditions
  • Delays and how to handle them
  • Quality assurance
  • Payment and cost allowability
  • Disputes and appeals
  • Terminations — for convenience and for default
  • Closeout procedures and requirements
Materials, Resources and Amenities

Each student receives a printed Student Guide, exercises, updated supplemental information, and exclusive access to web-based student resources. A complimentary breakfast is provided each morning, along with snacks throughout each day.

Additional Information

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech (The Academy) is an approved equivalency training provider to the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) and the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI).  Our courses satisfy both the FAC-C and the DAWIA certification programs.  The coursework also provides students the opportunity to earn continuing education unit credits (CEUs) for acquisition and contracting professionals as well as business professionals pursuing contract opportunities in the federal contracting arena.

More Information and To Register

For more information on this course, please visit: https://pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-4-contract-administration-far

 

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Oversight of U.S. military’s food suppliers called into question after fraud indictment

Executives from a company responsible for providing food and water for deployed U.S. troops in Afghanistan have been charged with defrauding the government and creating a fake construction site to overstate progress on an $8 billion contract, the Justice Department said in a recently filed indictment.

The allegations came four years after the company’s predecessor pleaded guilty to criminal charges that it inflated prices for basic items that it sold to the U.S. military. Both cases emphasize how the U.S. military has struggled to curb abuses of U.S. defense spending in America’s longest-running foreign war as the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan enters its 17th year, analysts said.

On Nov. 27, the Justice Department charged Abdul Huda Farouki, Mazen Farouki and Salah Maarouf — three Virginia residents who worked with a Dubai-based company called Anham Fzco — with defrauding the U.S. military under an estimated $8 billion military supply contract.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/12/08/oversight-us-militarys-food-suppliers-called-into-question-after-fraud-indictment/

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