Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Georgia Tech teaching federal contract fundamentals in October

By

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech (The Academy) kicks-off a course on Tuesday, October 20, 2015 that covers the fundamentals of federal contracting.

The FARThe four-day course, known as Module 1 of CON 090: Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Fundamentals, includes the identification of all the basic principles of contracting by the federal government.  The course identifies and provides access to on-line resources, and provides instruction on the location, citation, and interpretation of all 53 Parts of the FAR.  Also covered are the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) and other FAR supplements to the FAR issued by federal agencies.

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.  Click here for course registration details.

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 as well as federal officials who need to satisfy job-related continuous education requirements.

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.

DAU logoThe Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech is an official equivalency training provider of the Defense Acquisition University (DAU).  The Academy also offers new coursework from the Federal Acquisition Institute.

Students attending CON 090 courses at Georgia Tech receive a printed Student Guide, helpful handouts, a deck of FAR Cards, and access to exclusive on-line resources.  Georgia Tech’s Global Learning Center provides students with a complementary breakfast each morning and snacks throughout the day.

Georgia Tech’s June courses offer insights into federal contracting

By

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech is offering two courses in June 2015 that offer essential insights into the federal contracting process, from both a government and a contractor point-of-view.

  • Contract Planning in the FAR – CON 090-2 – covers how the federal government plans acquisitions, conducts market research, describes agency needs, and sets priorities for the acquisition of commercial and non-developmental items.  Students learn: the policies and procedures for acquisition planning; the policies pertaining to required and preferred sources of supplies and service; how to determine the appropriate type of contract, contracting technique, and terms and conditions; what socioeconomic programs apply; how to publicize a solicitation; and how to judge a contractor’s qualifications.  Details for registering for this June 1 – 5, 2015 course can be found here: https://pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-2-contract-planning-far.
  • Contracting Officer Representative and the Contingency Contracting Environment – COR 206/222 –  provides a comprehensive review and instruction on the role and responsibilities of the Contracting Officer Representative (COR), including ethical situations and cultural differences a COR may experience while deployed in a contingency operation.  Students learn how to: review contract terms and conditions; understand each party’s role and responsibility in contract administration; document and obtain approval for contract changes and modifications; monitor contract expenditures; conduct contract close-outs; and manage ethical and legal issues in the contingency contracting environment.  Details for registering for this June 8 – 12, 2015 course can be found here: https://pe.gatech.edu/courses/cor-206222-contracting-officer-representative-course-and-contingency-contracting-environment.

DAU logoAcademy identifier - gold & black w-white bkgrndThe 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 federal contracting.

 

Want to learn how the government administers a contract? Georgia Tech’s course, starting Sept. 8, tells you how

By

Georgia Tech is teaching a course beginning September 8th that is beneficial to both contracting officials seeking to hone their skills as well as contractors looking for insights into how the Government manages its contracts.

The course — CON 090-4, Contract Administration in the Federal Acquisition Regulation — covers every aspect of post-award activity.  This includes monitoring of the contractor’s performance, quality assurance, contract modifications, how terms and conditions are enforced, processing payments, handling disputes and appeals, terminations, and the contract close-out procedure.

  • For government contracting officers, this course represents the fourth module of coursework 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 (DAU) course standards — that help contracting officials maintain their warrants and enhance their professional development.
  • For businesspeople who compete for and fulfill government contracts, Academy classes are equally pertinent.  Contractor personnel who attend Academy courses such as this one 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.

CON 090-4 is a five-day course being offered during the week of September 8, 2014 on Georgia Tech’s midtown Atlanta campus.  CON 090-4 is part of an overall four-week course that deals with every aspect of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, the set of rules which govern the government’s “acquisition process” — that is, the process through which the government purchases (or “acquires”) goods and services.  Since the CON 090 courses are designed as modules, they may be taken in any order.

For more information on CON 090-4, including cost and registration, please visit http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-4-contract-administration-far.

For information about the entire CON 090 course series and other courses offered by The Academy, please visit http://www.pe.gatech.edu/Subjects/Acquisition-Government-Contracting.

Learn how to use the FAR beginning June 3rd

By

Learning the Federal Acquisition Regulation — the FAR — is a daunting, but necessary, undertaking for both contracting personnel and contractors alike.

The 2,000-page FAR is the rule book federal agencies use to plan, award, and administer virtually all government contracts.  Contracting officers must master the FAR in order to construct contracts correctly.  Likewise, contractors must learn the FAR in order to compete more effectively and execute contract work in accordance with the rules.

On June 3, 2014, Georgia Tech’s Contracting Education Academy is kicking-off an intensive four-day course that helps participants learn how to identify the basic principles of government contracting, access online resources, and locate, cite, and interpret information in the FAR and agency supplements to the FAR such as the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS).

For more information or to register, click here.

CON 090-1: Contracting Overview of the FAR is actually the first of four modules in the CON 090 – Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Fundamentals series.  Each module involves limited lecture, and features an exercise-based curriculum that takes a look at the federal acquisition environment from a macro-level.

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech (The Academy) 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 federal contracting.

Course covering the Federal Acquisition Regulation is offered in convenient weekly modules

By

Georgia Tech’s comprehensive course on the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is conveniently broken-up into four, one-week modules — perfect for busy government officials 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 (DAU) course standards — that help contracting officials maintain their warrants and enhance their 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.

Each of the four modules are offered multiple times each year to allow students to attend one or more modules with maximum schedule flexibility.  Georgia Tech offers each of its acquisition courses, including 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 http://www.pe.gatech.edu/courses/con-090-federal-acquisition-regulation-far-fundamentals.   To make arrangements for any of the courses to be taught at your place of work, please call or email us at 404-894-6109 or info@ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu.

Government contracting courses for 2014 announced

By

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech (The Academy) has released its course calendar for calendar year 2014.

Representatives of both the government and private sectors will be pleased to learn that the courses include both traditional favorites as well as new offerings for 2014.

The Academy is an official training equivalency provider of the Defense Acquisition University (DAU).  Since each of The Academy’s courses is DAU-equivalent, they satisfy the federal government’s FAC-C and DAWIA certification programs.  In addition, continuing education units (CEUs) are granted by the Georgia Institute of Technology.

  • The Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Program (FAC-C) establishes graduated education, experience, and training standards for contracting professionals in all civilian agencies. FAC-C certifications are mutually accepted among all civilian agencies as documentation of accomplishment of these standards.
  • The Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) established a very similar, but not identical, program for the Department of Defense (DoD). Civilian agencies may accept DAWIA certification as equivalent to FAC-C certification.

Of particular interest to representatives of the business community is the fact that The Academy’s coursework has been tailored to be relevant to both government contractors and government contracting professionals.  This makes The Academy’s classroom one of the few places anywhere where representatives of the private and government sectors can learn side-by-side about federal acquisition.   As a result, students find Academy courses especially rich in content and lively in conduct.

Courses currently scheduled for 2014 include:

To see each course’s scheduled dates, please click on the links above or visit: http://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/training.

Federal Acquisition Regulation is the subject of 4-day Georgia Tech course beginning Aug. 6th

By

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).

Contract planning is Academy’s next course in July

By

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” (CON090-2) to be presented July 8 – 12, 2013.

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.

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.

Contracting Academy completes four-week course for Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans

By

On March 29, 2013, the Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech wrapped up a highly successful four-week course for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans, La.

Entitled “FAR Fundamentals,” the course covers all 53 chapters and 2,000 pages of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).  The FAR is the federal government’s contracting rule book.

The Corps of Engineers contracted with the Academy to train 12 of its project and office engineers who are in charge of managing construction contractors in the New Orleans district.  The engineers engaged the Academy because they want to become more adept at correctly interpreting and applying federal contracting rules.

“Construction engineers play an important role by interfacing with both the contracting office and individual contractors,” explained Donna Bertrand, the Academy’s program manager.  “In addition to making sure that the work is being performed correctly, they act as the contracting office’s eyes and ears in the field.”   Bertrand managed the course implementation during the entire four weeks, including the administration of 12 quizzes and four exams.

The Academy, an official equivalency training provider for the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), adapted the FAR Fundamentals course to the Corps’ needs by developing training exercises and materials around real-life scenarios.

“The FAR is an extremely detailed and complicated subject matter,” said  Chuck Schadl, group manager for government contracting services.  “In presenting this course, we used every creative approach we could think of  to hold the students’ interest and enable learning.”

Some of the teaching techniques utilized included:

  • Creation of a deck of 53 playing cards, corresponding with each of the FAR’s 53 chapters, enabling students to use them as flash cards to learn the FAR’s structure and parts.
  • Using games – adapted from the board game “Scattergories” and the TV show “Jeopardy”— to stimulate student participation in the classroom, encourage competition, and help students prepare for testing.
  • Introduction of special web page of contracting resources – consisting of templates, case studies, and other electronic tools – created exclusively for the Corps’ students.
  • Providing small prizes –Georgia Tech memorabilia — to reward student accomplishments at key points in the course.
  • Daily review of contracting news items to illustrate the importance of the acquisition profession and why it’s necessary to stay current.

The Academy’s lead instructor for this course was Clarence Roberts, a retired DAU professor and former federal contracting officer.  Clarence’s instructional style is lively and engaging, and students frequently stated their appreciation for his willingness to listen to different approaches to contracting.  “We try to instill in students the fact that, while the FAR may have a rule for everything, there frequently is more than one correct way to handle contracting situations,” Roberts  pointed out.

Students of the FAR Fundamentals course earn 13.3 Continuing Education Units, or 133 Continuous Learning Points, that can be used to satisfy federal training requirements.

“We hope that this will be only the first of many more on-site engagements where we bring the Academy’s coursework to government agencies,”  Bertrand concluded.  “In this time of budget austerity, agencies are looking for ways to trim travel budgets, especially.”

For more details on the Academy, including the courses and services offered, please see www.ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu.

 

Shown below: The Academy’s instructors and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ officials celebrate completion of the four-week FAR Fundamentals class.

class photo 03.29.2013

Contracting News

Read More

Contracting Tips

Read More

GTPAC News

Read More

Georgia Tech News

Read More