Federal Acquisition Regulation | The Contracting Education Academy

January 3, 2018 By AMK

‘That’s the worst!’ — Acquisition regulations we love to hate

The sheer number of laws, regulations, and policies that apply to the defense acquisition process is staggering.

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which governs how the federal government buys goods and services, is a 2,000-page document. On top of that is the 1,500-page Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), which applies specifically to purchases by the Department of Defense (DoD). In addition to all those regulations are federal statutes and DoD internal policies that govern the acquisition process. For contracting officers, that means determining the applicability of hundreds of regulations, in addition to hundreds of laws and policies, to make a purchase.

Many of these laws, regulations, and policies are outdated, but no one has taken the time to remove or update them. According to a 2017 analysis by Deloitte, over two-thirds of all federal regulations on the books have never been updated since they were created. While each outdated regulation alone may not be a significant problem, in the aggregate those regulations can pose an enormous administrative burden. Many in the defense acquisition workforce have argued that assessing and complying with the large number of regulations slows down the acquisition process, wasting time, money, and energy that could be better spent elsewhere. Additionally, the complexity and cost of compliance creates a barrier to entry for small businesses that may wish to engage in business with DoD but cannot afford the lawyers and compliance officers necessary for the job.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.federaltimes.com/acquisition/regulations/2017/12/18/thats-the-worst-acquisition-regulations-we-love-to-hate/

October 25, 2017 By AMK

Learn how the government puts together a contract Nov. 13-17

What is the Government’s simplified acquisition process? What is meant by the term sealed bid? Did you know that the Government can enter into contracts on the basis of both competitive and noncompetitive negotiated arrangements? How does the Government deal with required and preferred sources of supplies and services? What must be done to ensure competition? What are the policies for policies and procedures for pricing negotiated contracts and contract modifications? What are the policies and procedures for filing bid protests?

To answer these questions — and explain the entire process that federal agencies follow to formulate a contract — Georgia Tech’s Contracting Education Academy is presenting a one-week course, beginning Nov. 13, 2017, entitled CON 090-3: Contract Formation in the FAR.

The course is designed for contracting professionals — including both government officials and contractors — who are interested in learning the details of the federal acquisition process. This course provides vital instruction for Government contracting personnel as well as important insights for contractors.

By attending CON 090-3, students learn how to locate, interpret, and apply the acquisition regulations applicable to federal agencies. CON 090-3 is the third of four modules from CON 090 – Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Fundamentals. The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech offers CON 090 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 an entire month.

The course consists of limited lecture, and is heavily exercise-based. Students get the opportunity to learn the FAR by working through many real-life scenarios. Students also are given access to many exclusive on-line resources.

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech is an approved equivalency training provider to the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) and provides continuing education training to Acquisition and Government Contracting professionals as well as to business professionals working for government contractors or pursuing opportunities in the federal contracting arena.

For more information on this course and to register, please visit: http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-3-contract-formation-far.

August 9, 2017 By AMK

Panel urges acquisition system reform

The 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) established the Section 809 Panel to address fundamental problems with how the Defense Department acquires goods and services to support its warfighters.

**Starting in 2008, whenever new legislation or regulation debuted that affected government contracting, it was written on a band-aid and stuck to a golf ball. It’s 10 times bigger now.**

It recently released an interim report and supplement advocating in broad strokes for a host of improvements to the acquisition system to better streamline the process and increase industry offerings to the government.

In meeting with over 200 government and industry representatives, the interim report found that the acquisition system creates obstacles that make it unattractive for small and large businesses alike to offer their goods and services to the government. It explained that “the United States’ ability to maintain technological, military and economic superiority is being challenged,” as our adversaries are recognizing vulnerabilities in our forces and the ability to respond through modernization.

Thus, the Pentagon’s acquisition procedures must be improved to achieve “a degree of agility that DoD is not currently able to deliver,” it said.

To achieve this agility, the interim report recommended several improvements.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2017/7/25/panel-urges-acquisition-system-reform

October 7, 2016 By AMK

The FAR is now available in free iBook format

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has released the first ever iBook version of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

**The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is now available as an iBook.**

And while a tome about the complex rules governing the federal government’s purchasing process may not sound like a bestseller, the FAR is essential reading not just for federal contracting officers and federal contractors, but also for owners of businesses interested in doing business with the government.

“Basically, anyone who does or wants to conduct business with the government reads the FAR,” said Dan Briest, Program Manager of Acquisition.gov in GSA’s Office of Acquisition Policy. “We’ve had multiple requests for a downloadable version of the FAR because contracting exists regardless of whether there’s a strong wi-fi signal where you are.“

Not being able to access an online version of the FAR on a laptop because wi-fi is not available has always been a problem for acquisition professionals and contractors working in the field. This is especially true for members of the Contingency Contracting Corps, a government-wide group of federal contract specialists who travel to disaster areas around the world, leading agencies in emergency response and rescue missions. With the free FAR iBook on a phone or tablet, these specially -ained, volunteer first-responders now can have the FAR at their fingertips.

what-is-the-far “We realized that not everyone works in a traditional wired office these days, but they still need instant access to the FAR. This includes people working in the field who are without internet,” recounted Briest. “The Contingency Contracting Corps and other teams responding to assist in disaster relief need the FAR, but mobile signals are going to be down. The Department of Agriculture often has employees traveling to areas without internet, but they still need to be able to look up regulations. These are the people who have been asking for a downloadable version of the FAR.“

The FAR iBook has the same functionality that’s incorporated into every iBook, which means readers can perform searches, write notes, and highlight or save the sections they use most often.

Rule changes occur as often as once a month, so a hard copy of the FAR is always out of date as soon as it is printed. iBook owners will receive a notification each time there’s an update, with the new editions downloading — free — the next time they connect to wi-fi. And the iBook is always available to download again from the cloud, should the user upgrade a tablet or phone, or delete the FAR iBook in error.

The FAR iBook is just the first release planned by GSA. Dan Briest says they plan to issue the Federal Management Regulation (FMR) and the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) as free iBooks, too. And you can expect to see the FAR available in the Kindle and Google Play stores soon.

Visit iBooks to download the FAR at https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/federal-acquisition-regulation/id1157047050.

September 30, 2016 By AMK

Learn about contract planning Nov. 14-18

Ever wondered how the Government plans its acquisition of products and services?

As a contractor, wouldn’t you like to gain insights into the process?
As a member of the acquisition team, don’t you need to learn how to conduct acquisition planning properly?

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech will address these questions, and much more, in a five-day class, “Contract Planning in the FAR” (CON 090-2) to be presented Nov. 14-18, 2016.

FAR This in-depth course covers all aspects of acquisition planning, including how to conduct market research, how to describe buying needs, and the preference for the acquisition of commercial and non-developmental items.

This course is the second module in a series of four educational modules that examine the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the Government’s “procurement bible.”

For government contracting officers, this course is required to maintain a contracting warrant. A warrant is a written document providing a contracting officer with the limits of his or her authority. Per FAR 1.601-2, Contracting Officers have the authority to “enter into, administer, or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings” to the extent of the authority delegated to them by their warrant. Georgia Tech’s Contracting Education Academy offers a set of courses — each equivalent to Defense Acquisition University course standards — that help contractng officials maintain their warrants and enhance professional development.
For businesspeople who compete for and fulfill government contracts, Academy classes are equally pertinent. Contractor personnel who attend Academy courses gain real-world knowledge about how government officials are trained to formulate and administer contracts. Insights in these areas provide invaluable guidance pertinent to reaching greater success in competing for, winning, and fulfilling government contract work.

Georgia Tech offers the entire CON 090 course series in world-class facilities on its campus in midtown Atlanta. From groups of 10 or more, Georgia Tech also brings any of its government contracting courses to the workplace. Each of Georgia Tech’s courses in the CON 090 series have been certified as equivalent to Defense Acquisition University coursework, satisfying both FAC-C and DAWIA professional education certification programs.

For details on all classes, including the FAR Fundamentals course, please visit http://www.pe.gatech.edu/Subjects/Acquisition-Government-Contracting. To make arrangements for any of the courses to be taught at your place of work, email us at: info@ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu or give us a call at 404-894-6109.

The sheer number of laws, regulations, and policies that apply to the defense acquisition process is staggering.

The 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) established the Section 809 Panel to address fundamental problems with how the Defense Department acquires goods and services to support its warfighters.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has released the first ever iBook version of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

Ever wondered how the Government plans its acquisition of products and services?

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