contract administration | The Contracting Education Academy

April 1, 2020 By cs

Academy launches webpage containing Coronavirus information for contracting officers and contractors

The Contracting Education Academy, a Georgia Tech unit dedicated to supporting the professional education needs of the government’s contracting workforce, has launched a special webpage devoted to providing information and guidance dealing with the impact of COVID-19 on federal contracts.

**Click on image above to visit the webpage.**

The webpage, located here, presents helpful information to both contracting officials and contractors who are navigating the current contracting environment.

Numerous topics are addressed on the webpage. For Contracting Officers and other members of the federal acquisition workforce, topics include:

Teleworking by contractor employees
Quarantine restrictions and excusable delays
Equitable adjustments
Extending performance periods
Contract modifications
Maintaining a contractor state of readiness
Application of the Stafford Act
Communication and transparency in contract administration
DoD emergency acquisition and preparedness
Tracking COVID-19 contract spending
The Defense Production Act
The Defense Priorities and Allocations System
GSA Schedule purchasing
Fraud and price gouging

For the contractor community, the following topics are addressed on the webpage:

Preventing workplace exposure and risks
Identifying critical infrastructure industries
The System for Award Management (SAM)
Excusable delay contract provisions
Changes clauses
Obligation to perform
The Defense Priorities and Allocations System
DoD progress payments
Sales through GSA Schedules
Advice for small businesses
Economic disaster loans
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Additional information and updates will be added as often as daily to the site. We suggest you bookmark the site now and check back frequently for the latest news involving the impact of coronavirus on federal contracts.

February 25, 2020 By cs

How much do you want to become a ‘FAR master’?

Whether you are a government contracting official or a government contractor, your success hinges on your mastery of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) — the rules that must be followed in acquiring goods and services.

*Don’t miss the opportunity to learn all about the FAR — side-by-side with your peers.*

The FAR’s rules are voluminous — 2,000 pages in all, plus hundreds of supplemental rules tailored to individual agencies throughout the federal government. How can you be expected to find these rules, grasp their meaning and, most importantly, apply them properly?

Fortunately for you, Georgia Tech has the courses that will teach you all you need to know. And, best of all, our instruction is based on practical application, so you will return to your job equipped with the skills and knowledge to confidently navigate all aspects of contract planning, contract formation, and contract administration.

Our FAR coursework is based on training originally developed by the Defense Acquisition University (DAU). It’s been enhanced by Georgia Tech to provide the know-how actually needed by acquisition professionals like you. And, best of all, our comprehensive coursework is broken-up into modules so that you can learn conveniently, based on your priorities and at your own pace.

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech (The Academy) offers its comprehensive FAR course in four, one-week classes. Each “module” focuses on a different aspect of the FAR and, best of all, the modules may be taken in any order. This means you have multiple opportunities throughout the year to complete the entire course without the challenge of being away from your job or home for an entire month.

The Academy’s foundational course focuses on four distinctly different aspects of the FAR:

Contracting Overview of the FAR (CON 090-1) introduces the FAR and how to navigate all of the acquisition regulations. This four-day course answers the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the FAR. This module is considered the most challenging lesson in the course, as it provide hands-on training on the FAR’s structure, meaning, and proper application.
Contract Planning in the FAR (CON 090-2) presents information on the policies and procedures for the acquisition of supplies and services from required or preferred sources. Key topics in this lesson include the use of required sources, use of existing contracts, and required participation by small businesses.
Contract Formation in the FAR (CON 090-3) goes deep into different methods of contracting by: 1) comparing and contrasting the solicitation and evaluation of offers in sealed bidding and competitive negotiation, 2) exploring the procedural requirements of making a contract award, and 3) explaining simplified acquisition procedures as well as the policies and procedures for handling bid and size status protests.
Contract Administration in the FAR (CON 090-4) covers the basic principles of contract management, including making contract modifications, administration of selected terms and conditions, handling delays, quality assurance procedures, making payments, addressing disputes and appeals, and contract terminations and closeouts.

**Students are exposed to realistic case studies and get a chance to work in groups to tackle real-life problem-solving exercises.**

Click on any of the course titles listed above to see course schedules and pricing. And see our exclusive Student Resources page for a detailed outline of the content covered in each of our four FAR course modules.

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. Plus, you’ll earn Continuous Education Units from Georgia Tech as well as credit toward Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) and Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Program (FAC-C) training requirements.

All courses are conducted in Georgia Tech’s world-class Global Learning Center, conveniently located in Midtown Atlanta. Interested in us bringing our coursework to you? Simply contact us at info@ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu — we will be happy to speak with you about scheduling and quantity discounts.

**Georgia Tech is an official equivalency training provider for the Defense Acquisition University and the Federal Acquisition Institute.**

February 6, 2020 By cs

Pentagon’s number-two officer vows to fix software acquisition ‘nightmare’

The new vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the Defense Department needs to fix its requirements processes — not just its acquisition procedures — if it’s going to make real progress toward buying and building software as quickly as Silicon Valley does.

And as of now, according to Gen. John Hyten, the process is a “nightmare across the board.”

At the suggestion of the Defense Innovation Board, Ellen Lord, the undersecretary of Defense for acquisition and sustainment has promised to create a software-specific acquisition pathway for DoD systems.

But Hyten told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that changing DoD’s buying procedures won’t solve the problem if it’s still stuck with a requirements process that takes too long, and was built for tanks and aircraft carriers.

In his capacity as the chairman of Joint Requirements Oversight Council, Hyten is largely in control of that process — known as the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS). He believes it’s stuck in the industrial age.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/defense-main/2020/01/pentagons-number-two-officer-vows-to-fix-software-acquisition-nightmare/

February 5, 2020 By cs

After canceling 2 contracts, DISA tells industry: ‘We need you to deliver’

“We need you to deliver on contracts.” That’s the plea Tony Montemarano recently made to a packed room of vendors.

The executive deputy director of the Defense Information Systems Agency isn’t telling industry anything they don’t already know. But after canceling, or in government speak not picking up the options of two contracts last year, Montemarano felt it was worth pressing that message into the hearts and minds of contractors.

“The biggest issue I have as the acquisition executive as I overlook all the programs, I see failures of development efforts on the part of our managers and the industry supports who are involved. When you bid the contract, we love it for you to be as aggressive as possible. But we need you to deliver,” Montemarano said at the AFCEA DC lunch on Jan. 16 in Arlington, Virginia. “The fact of the matter is we’ve had to terminate more than one contract this year because the vendor hadn’t been developing the product we needed them to develop.”

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/reporters-notebook-jason-miller/2020/01/after-canceling-2-contracts-disa-tells-industry-we-need-you-to-deliver/

October 23, 2019 By AMK

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