training | The Contracting Education Academy

January 15, 2019 By AMK

Due to shutdown, Cybersecurity Reskilling Academy applications remain open

Federal employees looking to learn cybersecurity skills now have more time to apply for a White House-backed education program.

The application deadline for the charter class of the Federal Cybersecurity Reskilling Academy was supposed to be Friday, but due to the ongoing partial government shutdown, that deadline has been indefinitely postponed.

Federal CIO Suzette Kent tweeted Thursday that the application process for the academy remained open while the shutdown is ongoing.

What’s unclear at this point is how long the application period will be extended and how the shutdown will affect the timeline for assessing and forming the academy’s first cohort. FedScoop reached out to OMB for comment.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.fedscoop.com/despite-shutdown-kent-says-reskilling-academy-applications-remain-open/

October 19, 2018 By AMK

Association wants to fill in the gaps in federal training and development

For years, stakeholder organizations and good government groups have decried the lack of sufficient training for managers and executives at federal agencies.

Now an association for agency executives is taking matters into its own hands.

The Senior Executives Association is developing a number of training courses for members of the Senior Executive Service and prospective applicants to the federal government’s cadre of career leaders. The organization is developing a series of courses, in conjunction with GradSchoolUSA, to train executives on both general leadership concepts and specific issues like cybersecurity and risk management, and it is developing a “holistic” framework to support senior executives throughout their career.

“We’re getting ready to launch Public Service Leadership as a profession, which will take a holistic look at how you develop a leadership profession in the federal government,” SEA President Bill Valdez said. “Think about it this way: The American Bar Association trains and promotes lawyers. The American Medical Association promotes doctors, and the Project Management Institute promotes project managers. But there’s nothing out there that promotes leadership in the federal government.”

Keep reading this article at: https://www.govexec.com/management/2018/10/executives-association-wants-fill-gaps-federal-training-and-development/151832

August 20, 2018 By AMK

Federal acquisition workers rate themselves highly on most skills

The government’s civilian acquisition workforce, long under pressure to improve hiring and modernize its skill sets, is feeling more satisfied with its own effectiveness, according to the latest biennial Acquisition Workforce Competency Survey released last week.

***Click on image above to see report.***

Considered the most comprehensive version of the survey yet (an 83 percent increase in response rates across agencies), it showed that the buyers rated themselves highest for issuing contract order changes and modifications, awarding contracts and competition. Also rated highly were inspection and acceptance and business acumen, said the results analyzed by a partnership between the White House Office of Federal Procurement Policy and the Federal Acquisition Institute.

Areas rated the lowest in proficiency included negotiating forward pricing rates agreements and contracting in contingent or combat environments.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.govexec.com/contracting/2018/08/federal-acquisition-workers-rate-themselves-highly-most-skills/150611

January 2, 2018 By AMK

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.

Here 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.)

November 20, 2017 By AMK

The quest to strengthen the acquisition workforce

Fewer taxpayer dollars are wasted when federal acquisition professionals are well trained to manage government contracts.

Every day, federal government employees work diligently to help government agencies serve the public. One specialized group has dedicated their careers to helping build and manage the contracts with suppliers that sell goods and services to the government. They must navigate through a maze of regulations, field endless customer requirements, and conquer a constant stream of contracts that help the U.S. government do its work. These are the workers in the federal government acquisition ecosystem. With their help, the U.S. government buys and manages technology projects smarter, more efficiently, and with greater returns on investment.

To keep pace with fast-changing technology, the government must enable its acquisition workforce to quickly adapt and pivot for project success.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.td.org/Publications/Magazines/TD/TD-Archive/2017/11/The-Quest-to-Strengthen-the-Acquisition-Workforce