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March 28, 2011 By AMK

Academy conducts contract negotiations workshop at national conference

Over 200 contracting counselors from across the country received training last week on how contract negotiations are conducted in the government marketplace.  The two-hour workshop was conducted by representatives of The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech.

The March 24th interactive training session, entitled “Contracting and Negotiation Skills,” was led by The Academy’s project manager Rhonda Lynch.  The training was conducted as a part of the spring conference of the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC), held this year in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

The presentation consisted of an excerpt from the 10-day Defense Acquisition University (DAU) course known as CON 120 – Mission-Focused Contracting.   Mission-Focused Contracting is the capstone course for Level I contracting professionals, engaging participants in the entire acquisition process.  The “Contracting and Negotiation Skills” training excerpt covers conducting actual negotiations in a post-award contracting scenario.

APTAC is a national trade organization representing  the 93 procurement technical assistance centers that operate across the country.  These centers help local businesses compete successfully in the government marketplace.   PTACs are the bridge between buyer and supplier, bringing to bear their knowledge of both government contracting and the capabilities of contractors to maximize fast, reliable service to our government with better quality and at lower costs.

The major objective of today’s workshop, states Ms. Lynch, is to help APTAC’s counseling professionals be “better prepared to advise their business clients on how to develop strategies for their contract negotiations with government agencies.” 

She explained that negotiations skills are essential to reaching success in the government marketplace as well as being helpful in everyday life.  “Each of us engages in negotiations practically every day of our lives — whether we realize it or not.  If we happen to engage in win-win strategies, we succeed.  The problem is, we sometimes don’t use good negotiation techniques so the outcome too often is win-lose.”

Attendees at The Academy’s workshop participated in mock contract negotiations, patterned after real government negotiations.  Some of the participants played the role of either government negotiators or as members of a contractor’s negotiation team.  Others in attendance played the role of observers who later analyzed and reported on the negotiations techniques they witnessed. 

Prior to the workshop, The Academy provided relevant pre-course reading material to participants that may be found at http://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/?p=544.  The Academy also recommended that workshop attendees take an on-line DAU course to learn more about negotiations.  It can be found at http://icatalog.dau.mil/onlinecatalog/courses.aspx?crs_id=469.

The full CON 120 course, taught on the Atlanta campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology, carries with it 8.8 Continuous Education Units and 88 Continuous Learning Points, both granted by DAU.  In addition, Georgia Tech grants 6.65 Continous Education Units for the CON 120 class.  The Academy is an official DAU equivalency training provider. 

For more information about The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech, please visit http://www.contractingacademy.gatech.edu/.  For registration details on The Academy’s CON 12o course, please visit http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-120-mission-focused-contracting.

Filed Under: Academy News Tagged With: acquisition training, acquisition workforce, government contract assistance, negotiations

July 28, 2010 By AMK

Finding the Lost: Georgia Tech assists Atlanta firm with landing Air Force contract

Smith & Carson, a national investigative services firm based in Atlanta, recently landed what its management says is one of the most rewarding projects in its 32-year history. The company, which specializes in litigation investigations, government investigations and pre-employment background screenings, was selected by the U.S. Air Force to locate family members of unaccounted-for service members.

This accomplishment was facilitated in part by the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC), a program that assists companies with all aspects of government procurement processes.

“We became a GTPAC client in October 2009, and were awarded the Air Force contract in six months time, an amazingly quick turnaround,” noted Mary Podgorny, vice president of government services for Smith & Carson. “They helped us step by step on how to register with the government and how to identify opportunities, and they assisted all the way through the contract award.”

Smith & Carson was founded by Larry Carson more than 30 years ago. Over the years, the company’s focus shifted to high-stakes litigation defense and corporate due diligence, and most recently expanded to include government services and pre-employment background screening. The company’s areas of expertise include comprehensive public record investigations, expert witness investigations and vetting, employee backgrounds, witness location and interviewing, jury profiling and genealogical research.

“Our business has evolved into more research just because of the capabilities of obtaining information electronically as opposed to having to go to a courthouse. It’s not a matter of finding information; it’s a matter of filtering out information,” Carson said. “We’ve taken the skills that we’ve learned throughout the years and applied them to the government sector.”

To prepare for bidding on a government contract, Podgorny attended GTPAC seminars on topics as varied as preparing successful bids and proposals, understanding the General Services Administration schedules process, using the computer to win government contracts and marketing to state and local governments. She also uses GTPAC’s electronic bid match program and credits it with approximately 50 opportunities daily. Tom Larkin, Joe Beaulieu, and Chuck Schadl, all GTPAC procurement counselors, provided “responsive” and “proactive” assistance, she said.

In late April, Smith & Carson was awarded a five-year contract with the Air Force District of Washington, Acquisition Division, to locate living relatives of unaccounted-for Air Force service members from the Korean, Vietnam and Cold Wars. Under the terms of the agreement, the firm provides comprehensive investigative and genealogical services to the Air Force Mortuary Operations Center. This aids the Air Force in the remains identification and disposition process, and helps to ultimately provide closure to these service members’ families. Across all military branches, there are nearly 88,000 unaccounted-for service members.

“Because the population is getting older and there’s a huge volume of work that needs to get accomplished, time is of the essence. Once we became aware of the needs of the Air Force, we knew we could help. Uncovering information and locating people is our core competency; we are experts in this field, and have been able to provide them with a superior solution,” Podgorny said. “The guidance received from the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center was instrumental in helping us to enter the public sector, identify government needs and realize success in the federal marketplace in a relatively short amount of time.”

Carson also noted that Smith & Carson is especially privileged to assist the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center.

“We are proud to add this scope of work as part of our company legacy,” he said. “As American citizens, veterans, children and grandchildren of veterans, we are honored to dedicate our company resources and expertise to assist with this important mission.”

GTPAC – part of the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute – provides no-cost assistance with government procurement to any company licensed to do business in Georgia. Last year, GTPAC conducted seminars in Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Carrollton, Columbus, Gainesville, Rockmart, Savannah and Warner Robins. The center assists companies with all aspects of federal, state and local government procurement processes, including solicitation analysis, proposal preparation, pre- and post-award counseling, and quality and accounting systems. Procurement counselors also analyze whether companies have the potential for participating in the government procurement process.

– by Nancy Fullbright – July 28, 2010

About Enterprise Innovation Institute:

The Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute helps companies, entrepreneurs, economic developers and communities improve their competitiveness through the application of science, technology and innovation. It is one of the most comprehensive university-based programs of business and industry assistance, technology commercialization and economic development in the nation.

Research News & Publications Office

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Media Relations Contacts: Nancy Fullbright (912-963-2509); E-mail: (nancy.fullbright@innovate.gatech.edu) or John Toon (404-894-6986 ); E-mail (john.toon@innovate.gatech.edu).

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: Air Force, government contract assistance, innovation, small business

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