Contracting and Acquisition Courses

Who Should Attend

This class is designed for administrative personnel, office managers, program and technical staff, and anyone else who needs to learn the fundamentals of government contracting and procurement.

Course Objectives

• Learn the language of acquisition and how to translate complex acquisition terms and concepts into plain English.
   
• Understand your administrative and support responsibilities in procurement.
   
• Review Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAPs), Government Purchase Card regulations, the GSA SmartPay program, Purchase Orders, and Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs).
   
• Recognize and avoid potential conflicts of interest.
   
• Review important provisions of the Procurement Integrity Act.
   
• Review important sections of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).
   
• Discover the sources of contracting power and authority.
   
• Understand the contractual relationship and the roles of the different parties involved in the contractual relationship.
   
• Discuss factors for determining when to use the sealed bidding versus negotiation procedures.
   
• Learn how to identify potential contractors.
   
• Describe key differences in various contract types.
   
• Learn how to evaluate a technical proposal, conduct negotiations, and identify the contractor to receive the contract award.
   
• Review the important fundamentals of contract management.
   
• Explain the importance of the post award orientation.
   
• Review different methods of changing contract performance.
   
• Describe how to review the quality of the contractor’s performance, evaluate the contractor’s performance, and resolve performance problems.
   
• Explain the various procedures in the contract payment and closeout process.

Why You Should Attend

The demand for Federal employees with contracting knowledge and experience has been increasing for some time. Understanding the Federal acquisition and procurement process will help you contribute to your organization's contracting success and make you a much more valuable asset within your agency. If you develop your knowledge and understanding of Federal contracting and procurement, you will significantly increase your chances for advancement.  Successful students will be eligible for 24 Continuous Learning Points (CLPs).

Course includes lunch, continental breakfast, refreshments, certificate, and all course materials.