PART THREE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

TITLE: A “STAY IN YOUR LANE” STRATEGY
Course #: 301

List Price: $11,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

A two day session that highlights the unique regulatory requirements for the most common methods of procurement, i.e., simplified acquisition procedures (FAR 13), open market negotiated procurements over $5.5M (FAR 15), multiple award/indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity acquisitions (FAR 16.505), and FSS multiple award schedule buys (FAR 8.4). The class discusses the consequences of “crossing lanes” by using terminology and procedures from one FAR part to another. Each method of procurement was designed to address differing levels of selection risk and associated resource demands (time, people, and money). The original intent and the inherent advantages of specific methods are lost when you do not “stay in your lane.”

TITLE: BASIC PERFORMANCE-WORK STATEMENT WRITING
Course #: 302

List Price: $18,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

This customized acquisition training course is designed for a more in-depth "hands-on," results-oriented contracting workshop that produces "ready-to-compete" task orders. The objective of this course is to actually produce performance-based SOWs; to include performance oriented tasks, performance standards, quality assurance plans, and incentives. In addition, evaluation factors for selection and proposal instructions will be drafted. Special emphasis is also placed on the requirements of FAR Part 16.505 Ordering as it relates to the award of the task orders. At the conclusion of the course, students will have completed PBSOW task order requests ready for competition in MA/IDIQ pools. Students are encouraged to attend the session with clients. Work will be accomplished in small groups.

TITLE: BASIC PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT WRITING SHORT COURSE
Course #: 303

List Price: $13,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

A condensed version of the five day course. This course concentrates on theory and does not have the extended practical exercises found in the longer course.

TITLE: DEVELOPING PERFORMANCE-BASED REQUIREMENTS:
Course #: 304

List Price: $18,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

The course covers the entire spectrum of performance-based service acquisition. Course includes a review of the Seven Steps to Performance-based Service Acquisition. It specifically covers the key steps to actually writing a performance-based Work Statement. Class lecture and practical exercises detail the development of work breakdown structures (WBS), the development of the performance based output or “shall” statements, the design of standards for successful performance, the creation of tailored Quality Assurance Surveillance Plans, and decision making process concerning additional incentives. The course concludes with an analysis of the source selection issues such as determination of evaluation factors and proposal instructions.

TITLE: COST-REIMBURSEMENT CONTRACTING
Course #: 305

List Price: $18,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

This customized acquisition training course focuses on the unique considerations in issuing cost reimbursement contracts. Course begins with an overview of the award and administration of cost reimbursement contracts. Discussion includes relevant clauses with particular emphasis on the Limitation of Costs and Limitation of Funds clauses. Other topics include required task order evaluation factors such as "cost realism," the need for "earned value" for project monitoring, the use of audits and the role of DCAA, the special surveillance requirements of cost contracts, and the design of incentives such as award fees and incentive fee. Course topics include: contract types, cost accounting systems, allowability, etc.

TITLE: EARNED VALUE MANAGEMENT
Course #: 306

List Price: $11,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

A must attend course for all personnel involved in the awarding and administration of contracts for projects that are cost reimbursement or time and material (or labor hour). Encompasses a general review of project management systems such as work breakdown structures, critical path methodology and Performance Evaluation and Review Techniques (PERT), milestones, and Gantt charting. Detailed discussion of the theory and application of earned value techniques, including calculating BCWS, ACWS, BCWP, CPI, SPI, critical ratio, EAC, and TCPI. Special emphasis is placed on the application of this monitoring system in the administration of MA/IDIQ labor hour contracts in order to meet FAR Part 16 labor efficiency and cost control surveillance requirements.

TITLE: PREPARING THE QASP
Course #: 307

List Price: $13,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

This customized acquisition training course covers types of contracts, responsibilities of contract parties, and the three steps of a contractor performance evaluation: quality assurance, inspection, and acceptance. Students learn by way of contract examples how to design and implement a comprehensive plan for conducting a contractor performance evaluation and ways to detect, evaluate, communicate, and resolve problems.

TITLE: GSA MAS PROCUREMENTS
Course #: 308

List Price: $18,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

A five day intensive course that explores the complexities and frequent confusion associated with GSA schedule buys. The course relies heavily on case law to outline the proper procedures to employ and the pitfalls to avoid. The session outlines the differing rules depending upon the source of funds, the intent of the procurement, and the specific methods utilized. The consequences of FSS contract clauses and contract type are explained. Special attention is devoted to the design of Request for Quotes and the tailoring of the order to meet client needs.

TITLE: GWACS, IDIQ CONTRACT, AND SCHEDULES
Course #: 309

List Price: $18,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

Agencies can select from a multitude of established contracts when purchasing goods and services. The most widely used are indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts, GSA multiple award schedule (MAS) contracts and government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs). This course covers the nature of GWACS and IDIQ contracts, FASA and FASA requirements, ordering procedures, contract administration issues, pricing issues under GWACs and IDIQ contracts, streamlined source selection, and the GSA programs.

TITLE: MARKET RESEARCH
Course #: 310

List Price: $11,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

Course shows you how to seek relevant information from the commercial market place. Topics include: regulations and definitions, information sought in market research, market structure, buyer versus supplier power and perspective, market classification, elements of a market research plan, commercial pricing methods, critical role of market research, requirements of FAR Part 10, stages of market research, purposes and extent of market research, sample market research report

TITLE: SELECTING CONTRACT TYPE
Course #: 311

List Price: $13,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

Reviews two major contract types – fixed price and cost reimbursement, as well as indefinite delivery, time and materials, labor hour, and agreements. Discusses methodology for selecting contract type, assesses differences in contract administration, and the risks and responsibilities of each type. Detailed discussion of the design and application of incentive contracts or other performance bonus programs. Highlights legal guidance and FAR concepts.

TITLE: USING ORAL PRESENTATIONS IN SOURCE SELECTION:
Course #: 312

List Price: $11,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

The use of oral presentations in the source selection process has rapidly gained broad acceptance in the acquisition community as government acquisition professionals search for innovative ways to do more with less, shorten procurement lead-times, and still obtain high quality goods and services at reasonable prices. Students learn by using and referencing contracts, how the use of oral presentations is evolving, what types of requirements are best suited to its use, and potential problems and pitfalls to avoid.

TITLE: WRITING ACQUISITION PLANS
Course #: 313

List Price: $11,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

Contracting personnel gain the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the specific duties required for acquisition/procurement planning. After successful completion of this course, the student is be able to: understand the contracting environment; determine the government's need; analyze the requirement; provide for adequate competition; plan for source selection; include the proper terms and conditions in a solicitation. This course is especially pertinent to large-scale task order procurements.

TITLE: WRITING STATEMENTS OF OBJECTIVES (SOO):
Course #: 314

List Price: $13,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

In this class, students learn alternative approaches to writing a Performance Work Statement (PWS) by developing a SOO. Class workshops focus on tasks, features, and best practices for identifying the Government’s objectives in the SOO. The objective of this course is for students to be able to describe the scope of objectives; write performance objectives into the SOO; identify legitimate constraints; establish a positive incentive structure as appropriate; evaluate the Statement of Work (the contractor’s plan on how it will achieve the objectives); and learn how to integrate the SOW into the contract.

TITLE: APPROPRIATION LAW
Course #: 315

List Price: $16,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

This course is a must for every career federal employee. It offers an introduction to frequently cited laws and Comptroller General Decisions. Starting with the Federal Budget Process, the course tracks an agency's appropriation from beginning to end. Focusing on the practical application of information, the course explains the legal availability of funds according to Purpose, Time, and Amount.

Major topics include:

GAO Classification of Appropriations, Obligations and Deobligations
The Necessary Expenses Doctrine
The Anti-Deficiency Act
The Bona Fide Needs Rule
Legal Liability and Relief of Accountable Officers
Continuing Resolutions
The Economy Act
Food, Gifts and Business Cards
Case studies and practical exercises help students apply the concepts and understand the impact of Comptroller General decisions on their program areas. GAO's latest decisions will be provided and discussed. Students take home on CD all volumes of GAO's
Principles of Federal Appropriations Law.

TITLE: PREPARING THE IGCE
Course #: 316

List Price: $11,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

Fundamentals of cost estimating, types of estimates, areas of uncertainty affecting cost estimates, the estimating process, cost factors, analogy estimating, parametric estimating, detailed estimating, range estimating, time-phasing the estimate, life-cycle costs, and cost estimating software. all legal requirements.

TITLE: ADVANCED SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION
Course #: 317

List Price: $18,000.00 (up to 25 attendees)

Tailoring: This course can be tailored to reflect agency-unique concerns, forms, requirements, procedures, and acquisition policy.

Fundamentals of cost estimating, types of estimates, areas of uncertainty affecting cost estimates, the estimating process, cost factors, analogy estimating, parametric estimating, detailed estimating, range estimating, time-phasing the estimate, life-cycle costs, and cost estimating software.