Federal Acquisition Regulation | The Contracting Education Academy

November 19, 2013 By AMK

Reforming a Defense acquisition system that costs money, lives

(Editor’s note: The following is an Op Ed written by Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-TX, vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and chairman of the HASC Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities.)

A scan of any week’s headlines makes clear that the world is not getting any safer, nor are our security challenges getting any simpler. We face a complex array of threats, known and unknown.

Yet, we will have to meet those threats with tight defense budgets for the foreseeable future. Even if Congress and the President can agree to find other savings to replace further defense cuts under sequestration — which we should — the United States will still have to meet essentially unlimited threats with quite limited resources. That means it is more important than ever to get the most value possible out of each dollar spent on our national security.

Too much of the money spent now is not used as efficiently or as effectively as it should be. Upward of 10 percent of the entire federal discretionary budget goes to buying things for our troops, ranging from tanks to toilet paper. Reform of defense acquisition – the goods as well as the services we buy – must be a top priority.

There are a lot of good people in and out of government who work hard to see that our military is provided with the best. But they operate in a system that too often works against them. Heavy federal regulations drive up the cost of military hardware. There are nearly 2000 pages of acquisition regulations on the books, many of which have not been reviewed in years. Too often, Congress and the Pentagon respond to cost overruns by adding another law or an additional oversight office.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2013/10/29/reforming_a_defense_acquisition_system_that_costs_money_lives_106939.html

July 8, 2013 By AMK

4-day course starting Aug. 6 is comprehensive overview of the FAR

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech (The Academy) kicks-off a four-day course on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 covering the fundamentals of using the Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR).

The course is being conducted at Georgia Tech’s world-class professional education facilities in the Global Learning Center located on campus in midtown Atlanta.

This contracting overview of the FAR, covers Module 1 of CON 090: Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Fundamentals, and includes the identification of the basic principles of contracting by the federal government, identification of and access to on-line resources, and instruction on the location, citation, and interpretation of the FAR, the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and the DFARS’ Procedures, Guidance and Information (PGI).

This course was originally designed exclusively for federal contracting officers, but The Academy has expanded its scope so that it is relevant to multiple audiences, including contractors seeking to learn more about the federal contracting process, federal officials who need to satisfy job-related continuous education requirements, and anyone seeking more information about the federal acquisition profession.

More information about this course is available at: http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-1-contracting-overview-far.

In all, there are four Modules that make-up the CON 090 course series. Information about the entire series can be found at: http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-federal-acquisition-regulation-far-fundamentals.

The Academy’s complete list of government acquisition courses, and course scheduling, is at: http://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/training.

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech is an official equivalency training provider of the Defense Acquisition University (DAU).

May 14, 2013 By AMK

FAR course conveniently offered in weekly modules

Georgia Tech’s comprehensive course on the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is conveniently broken-up into four, one-week modules — perfect for busy government officails and business people who want to learn everything there is to know about federal contracting but who can’t afford to be away from work for four consecutive weeks.

The course — CON 090 – FAR Fundamentals — covers every aspect of the government contracting process. Class participants analyze real contracting business scenarios developed through research of all 53 parts of the FAR and its supplements. The course covers the entire acquisition process, from defining procurement needs to contract close-out, and everything in-between.

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 CON 090 course in world-class facilities on campus in midtown Atlanta. For groups of 10 or more, Georgia Tech also brings any of its government contracting courses to the workplace. For details on all classes, including the FAR Fundamentals course, please visit https://pe.gatech.edu/subjects/government-contracting. To make arrangements for any of the courses to be taught at your place of work, please see our contact information at http://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/contact-us.

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