Course Description
Learn How To:
Identify all of the key phases of the acquisition process
Correctly plan an acquisition and select the most appropriate method of procurement
Describe the processes for both the development of the solicitation document and the evaluation of proposals
Identify typical contractual issues and explain how to manage them
Better manage and administer contracts after award
This concentrated two-day course covers all of the most critical aspects of the federal contracting process. The course is intended for those who are new to federal contracting and want to gain an understanding of the basic concepts. It is also intended for non-contracting personnel who are indirectly or occasionally involved in contracting and want to better understand this complex subject, including senior agency personnel, financial managers, technical and quality assurance personnel, evaluators, attorneys, logisticians and private sector personnel seeking to do business with the federal government.
The course effectively combines informative lectures with numerous practical examples and exercises to reinforce the most important aspects of the material. In addition to the course manual, students will receive the most recent edition of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which will be used throughout the course to familiarize students with this critically important reference.
Agenda
Government Contracting Fundamentals
The acquisition process
Federal Acquisition Regulation System
Organization of the FAR
The key players in government procurement
Responsibilities in acquisition
Role of the acquisition team
Standard of conduct
Steps to ethical decision making
Pre-Award
The acquisition process
Government’s pre-award goals
Funding the procurement — fiscal law requirements
Acquisition planning and the acquisition plan
Market research
Competition
Socio-economic goals that affect competition
Set-asides
Identification of sources
Procurement methods
Commercial item preference
Simplified acquisitions
Sealed bidding
Contracting by negotiation
LPTA vs. trade-off process
Drafting evaluation criteria
Evaluating proposals
Performance-based contracting
Solicitation and Award
Solicitations
Contract types: fixed-price and cost reimbursement
Ordering arrangements and agreements
The solicitation document
Clauses and provisions
Publicizing procurements
Contractor’s proposal preparation process
Government’s evaluation of the proposal
Technical
Cost or price analysis
Cost or pricing data
Past performance
Determining competitive range
Conducting discussions
Preparing and executing awards
Notification and debriefings
Protests
Contract Administration (Post-Award)
Develop a contract administration plan
Government contract administration team
Contracting officers (CO)
Contracting officer’s representative (COR)
Post-award orientation
Performance monitoring
Inspections
Acceptance
Performance problems
Payment and accounting
Contract financing payments and invoice payments
Allowable costs
Contract changes
The claims process: government response and contractor appeals rights
Termination procedures – for termination for convenience and termination for default
Contract closeout
Comments
Course CPE14Course PDUs12.0Course CEUs1.2