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We were your source for news about government contracting in 2018

News articles on The Academy’s web site were read 79,583 times in 2018.

Compared to 2017, that represents a 37% increase in content viewed on our web site.

To you — our students, our clients, and visitors — we say Thank You!

We monitor visits to our web site to determine what interests our readers.  Some of the most popular web content was read hundreds and hundreds of times!  Just in case you missed something important last year, listed below are the top 15 most popular news stories, with each one hyper-linked to the full article.

2018’s Top Stories
  1. Higher limits on micropurchase, simplified acquisition thresholds okayed by CAAC
  2. Common feedback to unsuccessful bidders
  3. A practical program manager’s guide to requests for equitable adjustment
  4. SAM hacked: New vendor registrations require paper documentation
  5. When competitors see bid info, the public loses
  6. New rule allows other direct costs and order level materials on GSA Schedule task orders
  7. GAO sustains protest of $771 million Defense Intelligence Agency contract
  8. OTA contracts are the new cool thing in DoD acquisition
  9. How to cut costs and improve performance
  10. GAO sustains Oracle’s ‘other transaction authority’ protest
  11. GAO looks at NAICS code assignments, SBA clarifications, and industry views
  12. Bribes and kickbacks at Joint Base Charleston lead to sentencing
  13. Former COR and a contractor at Eglin Air Force Base plead guilty to conspiracy and bribery
  14. FAR rule implements higher dollar threshold for GAO’s protest jurisdiction over DoD, NASA, Coast Guard task orders
  15. Veterans Affairs wasted close to $2 billion on failed IT projects
The 15 Hottest Topics

What were the most popular topics viewed on The Academy’s web site during 2018?  They are listed below, each hyper-linked to corresponding resources:

  1. Negotiating Rules (10 basic bargaining rules followed by win/win negotiators)
  2. Simplified Acquisition (an explanation of what it is)
  3. Authority for Modifying a Contract (the rules for contract mods)
  4. Interagency Acquisition and GWACs (an explanation, with resources)
  5. Other Transaction Authority (a contract vehicle, growing in popularity, used to help federal agencies rapidly incorporate new technologies)
  6. Buy American Act (news of recent developments in the federal preference for the purchase of domestic supplies and the incorporation of domestic materials into construction projects)
  7. Bribery, Kickbacks and Fraud (news of corruption in government contracting)
  8. Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (trends in LPTA contracting)
  9. Rule of Two (what to do when the CO reasonably expects that at least two eligible small businesses will submit offers and that the award can be made at a fair and reasonable price)
  10. Fat Leonard (developing news about the contract corruption case involving more than 60 admirals and hundreds of other U.S. Navy officers)
  11. Fair and Reasonable Pricing (an explanation of this government standard)
  12. Acquisition Reform (news of the latest developments designed to streamline the federal acquisition Process)
  13. Acquisition Training (the need, the requirements, and the resources)
  14. Micropurchasing (news involving micropurchases)
  15. Acquisition Workforce (developments impacting the government’s acquisition workforce)
Worldwide Interest in the Contracting Academy

While 80 percent of visitors to The Academy’s web site come from all 50 of the United States and the District of Columbia, our analysis shows that personnel on U.S. military bases around the world — as well as contracting officials from federal agencies such as USAID, CDC and the State Department — are among the many international visitors to our site.

The Contracting Education Academy’s web site is popular worldwide. Last year (2018), 50,184 visitors consulted the Academy’s site 60,281 times — viewing our site’s content 79,583 times. Compared to the previous year (2017), these numbers represent a 49% increase in visitors, a 44% increase in visits, and a 37% increase in the content viewed. Our visitors came from all 50 states and 182 countries.
A Pair of New Year’s Resolutions

What do we recommend to you for the New Year?  Two things:

  1. Keep visiting The Academy’s web site for the very latest news and information on government contracting — there is new content posted every business day!  Bookmark this site: http://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/category/government-contracting-news
  2. Stay in touch with our latest training and educational offerings by regularly visiting our course and workshop listing here: http://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/training

Happy New Year!

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2019 dates added for professional education contracting courses

Government contracting and industry officials alike now can chart their professional education plans for 2019.

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech has updated its training calendar for 2019, and all new course dates are posted at: https://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/training.

Featured courses include:

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

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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 contact us at info@ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu.  We’ll be happy to provide you with details.

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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.

calendarHere 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.

(For a complete calendar of 2018 courses, click here.)

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Here’s what interested you in 2017

News items on The Academy’s web site were read more than 57,800 times last year.  

PrintThat’s 15% growth compared to 2016!

To you — our students, our clients, and visitors — we say thank you!

We monitor visits to our web site to determine what interests our readers.  Some of the most popular web content was read hundreds and hundreds of times!  Just in case you missed something important last year, listed below are the top 15 most popular news stories, with each one hyper-linked to the full article.

2017’s Top Stories
  1. Micro-purchase and simplified acquisition thresholds raised for Hurricane Harvey response
  2. DoD raises micro-purchase threshold to $5,000
  3. Changes coming to SAM.gov
  4. How to cut costs and improve performance
  5. A practical program manager’s guide to requests for equitable adjustment
  6. 2017 NDAA restricts DoD’s use of LPTA procedures
  7. Navy officer sentenced in ongoing ‘Fat Leonard’ contract fraud and bribery investigation
  8. Senate passes $700 billion 2018 NDAA, including procurement reforms
  9. Common feedback to unsuccessful bidders
  10. Federal agencies sometimes struggle with creating postings on FedBizOpps
  11. More ‘Fat Leonard’ fallout: Admiral and 8 other officers indicted in fraud and bribery scheme
  12. Alternate FAR search engine is available
  13. CDC contracting official indicted by federal grand jury
  14. IT firm agrees to pay $45 million to settle alleged false claims on GSA contract
  15. DoD contractor agrees to $4.5 million settlement for alleged False Claim Act violations
The 15 Hotest Topics

What were the most popular topics viewed on The Academy’s web site during 2017?  They are listed below, each hyper-linked to corresponding resources:

  1. Negotiating Rules (10 basic bargaining rules followed by win/win negotiators)
  2. Simplified Acquisition (an explanation of what it is)
  3. Authority for Modifying a Contract (the rules for contract mods)
  4. Interagency Acquisition and GWACs (an explanation, with resources)
  5. Bribery, Kickbacks (news of corruption in government contracting)
  6. Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (trends in LPTA contracting)
  7. Fair and Reasonable Pricing (an explanation of this government standard)
  8. Rule of Two (what to do when the CO reasonably expects that at least two eligible small businesses will submit offers and that the award can be made at a fair and reasonable price)
  9. Fat Leonard (developing news about the contract corruption case involving more than 60 admirals and hundreds of other U.S. Navy officers)
  10. Micropurchasing (news involving micropurchases)
  11. Acquisition Training (the need, the requirements, and the resources)
  12. Contracting Officer Representatives (news about and resources for CORs)
  13. Acquisition Workforce (developments impacting the government’s acquisition workforce)
  14. Acquisition Training (the need, the requirements, and the resources)
  15. Government Contracting News (a link to all the latest developments)
Worldwide Interest in the Contracting Academy

While 86 percent of visitors to The Academy’s web site are based in all 50 of the United States, our analysis shows that personnel on U.S. military bases around the world — as well as contracting officials from federal agencies such as USAID, CDC and the State Department — are among the many international visitors to our site.

The Contracting Education Academy’s web site is popular worldwide. During calendar year 2017, 33,726 visitors consulted the Academy’s site 41,901 times — viewing our site’s content 57,901 times. Our visitors came from all 50 states and 163 countries.
A Pair of New Year’s Resolutions

What do we recommend to you for the New Year?  Two things:

  1. Keep visiting The Academy’s web site for the very latest news and information on government contracting — there is new content posted every business day!  Bookmark this site: http://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/category/government-contracting-news
  2. Stay in touch with our latest training and educational offerings by regularly visiting our course and workshop listing here: http://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/training

Happy New Year!

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75 Fifth Street, NW, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30308
info@ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu
Phone: 404-894-6109
Fax: 404-410-6885

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