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Government*Horizons Inc. Training Workshop ™
Introduction to
Federal Government Contracting
April 15-18, 2008
Registration is now closed for this event. If you would still like to register you must bring this form with you to register at the door the day of the event.
Government*Horizons Training Center
4301 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1003 (10th Floor)
Arlington, VA 22203
"For having no
contracting experience, it’s a good crash course."
Analyst, Jorge
Scientific Corp.
"Outstanding course - very helpful."
Murray Rupert, Deputy Director for
Logistics, Defense Continuity and Crisis Management
Registration: 8:00 AM (Day One Only)
Program Starts: 8:30 AM
Wrap-up: 3:30 PM
Course materials, continental breakfast, refreshments included.
This workshop is recommended for 32 Continuous Learning Points (CLPs)
toward DAWIA/FAC-C requirements. A Government*Horizons "Certificate of
Completion" will be provided to all attendees upon conclusion of the
workshop.
About This Workshop
This four-day course covers the key elements of the entire federal
government contracting process. Introduction to Federal Government
Contracting is designed to provide those new to government contracts
(or those looking for a basic refresher) with an understanding of the
entire government contracting process. By providing this framework, you
will be able to understand how your work relates to the overall process
and will be able to more easily move into other areas of responsibility.
Starting with a general overview, Introduction to Federal Government
Contracting will address requirements definition, competition
requirements, types of contracts, market research, performance-based
contracting, acquisition planning and protests. It will also cover the
various procurement methods available, including sealed bidding,
negotiated procurements, simplified acquisitions and commercial item
acquisitions. Finally, various aspects of contract administration will be
covered, such as contract changes, cost allowability, inspections,
terminations and claims.
You will gain a practical understanding of each of the topics covered and
will be better able to protect your contractual rights. This course is
intended for personnel directly involved in the federal government
contracting process, whether as government employees, contractors or
subcontractors. The key points will be reinforced with case studies and
practical exercises so you can develop and refine your skills. You'll
receive a comprehensive course manual that will serve as a valuable desk
reference long after the class is over!
A new government report recommends contract
training to achieve better federal contracting results. Click
here to download the Managing the Government’s Technical Experts to
Achieve Positive Contract Outcomes report by the U.S. Merit Systems
Protection Board dated December 2005.

Who Should
Attend:
- Agency Program Managers
- Budget and Financial
Officers
- General Counsel
- Contracts Administrators
- Procurement Executives
- Federal support
contractors
- Federal product and
services suppliers, systems integrators
Previous Attendees
Include:
- Armor Holdings Inc., Senior Paralegal
- BellSouth Business
- By-Light Professional IT Services,
Chief Financial Officer
- Cabrera Services, Inc., Area Manager
- CALIBRE, Principal
- CAPE, Buyer
- Ceridian Corporation, Director
- Ceridian Corporation, Vice President
& Legal Counsel
- CISCO Systems, Inc., Capture Manager,
Strategic Programs
- CISCO Systems, Inc., Federal Business
Process Manager
- Commonwealth Research Institute, Project
Manager
- Defense Continuity Crisis Management,
Assistant Director for Logistics
- Defense Continuity Crisis Management,
Logistics Management Specialist
- Defense Continuity Crisis Management,
Special Operations Officer
- Department of Justice, Assistant Director,
FASS
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Cemetary
Development Coordinator
- Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation,
Government Contracts Manager
- Hazard Management Solutions, Inc.,
Executive Vice President
- IRS, Program Director
- IRS, Project Director
- Kaydon, Government Sales Manager
- Kuk Construction, Office Manager
- L-3 Communications, Telemetry East,
Contract Administrator
- Lockheed Martin, Senior Contracts
Administrator
- Maritime Security Solutions, President
- SAIC, Operations Contract Manager
- Social Security Administration, Attorney
- Spriggs & Hollingsworth, Attorney
- STG, Inc.
- U.S. Air Force, Quality Assurance
- U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
Attorney
- U.S. EPA, Environmental Engineer/Program
Analyst
- University of Washington,
Administrator
"I found the course to be helpful and a good overview for government
people. (Instructor is)...very knowledgeable and makes the subject
interesting as well as pass along the knowledge. She is a very
knowledgeable contracting officer and I would welcome her as a contracting
officer at my agency." Beth Lofgren, Procurement Analyst, STG, Inc.
"Really enjoyed it, it has been a nice refresher." Bill Foy,
Government Sales Manager, Kaydon
“This course was very useful and a source of good reference for
future use.” NCI
“Excellent and
informative class. Has been a great help”
Red River Army
Depot

Course Syllabus
1.
Overview
a. What We Will Cover
b. Definitions
c. Regulations
d. Key Steps in the Federal Contracting Process
e. How Federal Government Contracting and Commercial Contracting Differ
f. Authority to Contract
g. Current Acquisition Environment
2.
Types of Contracts
a. Overview
b. How to Select the Appropriate Contract Type
c. Fixed-Price and Cost Reimbursement Contracts
d. Level-of-Effort Contracts
e. Indefinite Delivery Contracts
f. Letter Contracts
g. Options
3. Competition
a. Competition Requirements
b. Exceptions to the Competition Requirements
c. Implementation of the Competition Requirements
d. Practices That Restrict Competition
e. Publicizing Contract Actions
4. Sealed Bidding
a. Overview of the Sealed Bidding Process
b. Preparation of the Invitation for Bids (IFB)
c. Release of the IFB
d. Submission of Bids
e. Evaluation of Bids
f. Award of the Contract
5. Negotiated
Contracting Procedures
a. Overview
b. When to Use Negotiated Contracting Procedures
c. Developing the Request for Proposals (RFP)
d. Drafting Evaluation Criteria
e. Award Without Discussions
f. Draft RFPs
g. Cancellation of the RFP
h. Submission and Evaluation of Proposals
i. Setting the Competitive Range’
j. Conducting Meaningful Discussions
k. Final Proposal Revisions
l. Award and Debriefings
6. Simplified
Acquisition Procedures
a. When to Use Simplified Acquisition Procedures
b. Simplified Acquisition Requirements
c. Simplified Acquisition Procedures
7. Commercial Item
Acquisitions
a. Overview
b. Commercial Item Definitions
c. The Federal Supply Schedule
d. Commercial Item Contracting Procedures
e. Commercial Item Clauses
8. Socioeconomic
Policies and Requirements
a. Small Business Policy
b. Responsibility Determinations
c. Small Business Set-Asides
d. Small Business Programs
e. The Buy American Act
9. Protests
a. Introduction to Protests
b. Agency Protests
c. General Accountability Office Protests
10. Costs
a. General Overview
b. Cost Allowability
c. Specific FAR Cost Principles
d. The Truth In Negotiations Act
e. Cost Accounting Standards
11. Contract
Changes
a. Formal Contract Changes
b. Coverage of the Changes Clause
c. Constructive Changes
d. Contract Interpretation
e. Types of Constructive Changes
12. Inspections and
Warranties
a. Goals of the Inspection Process
b. Inspection and Testing
c. Government Remedies Under the Inspection Clauses
d. Strict vs. Substantial Compliance
e. Inspection Lessons Learned
f. Acceptance
g. Warranties
13. Equitable
Adjustments
a. Overview
b. Measuring the Adjustment
c. Methods of Proving the Adjustment Amount
d. Advanced Topics
14. Terminations
for Convenience
a. Nature of Convenience Termination
b. The Government’s Right to Terminate for Convenience
c. Termination Procedures
d. Convenience Termination Settlements
15. Terminations
for Default
a. Overview
b. The Government’s Right to Terminate for Default
c. Grounds for Default Termination
d. Notice Requirements
e. Contractor Defenses to Termination for Default
f. The Contracting Officer’s Decision
g. Rights and Liabilities After Termination for Default
16. The Disputes Process
a. Overview
b. The Disputes Clause
c. Contractor Claims
d. Elements of a Claim
e. Government Claims
f. The Contracting Officer’s Final Decision
g. Appeals to the Boards of Contract Appeals

About Your Instructor
Laura
Willetts has over 12 years of federal acquisition experience in
the disciplines of contracting, financial management and A-76 studies. She
is the President of Alura Consulting and Training, a small business,
acquisition training and consulting firm headquartered in the greater
Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Previous to founding Alura Consulting
and Training, Ms. Willetts was Vice President of Contracts at ManTech
Information Systems and Technology. While at ManTech, she also was the
Chief of Acquisition Consulting and Training for AcqCenter, a division of
ManTech Information Systems and Technology. AcqCenter provides government
customers turnkey, full service acquisition solutions including
consulting, training and software applications.
Ms. Willetts
was a warranted contracting officer for the Central Intelligence Agency
where she supported a diverse set of customers, including the National
Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA).
As a contracting officer, she assisted and conducted several best value
competitive source selections, performed cradle to grave contract
administration functions and worked on the Agency’s contract automation
working group. Upon leaving Government service, Ms. Willetts joined the
acquisition-consulting field where she has provided acquisition-consulting
services to a variety of customers including NSA, CIA, DLA, NRO, USPS, FAA
and DESC. She has assisted in document development including Source
Selection Plans, Evaluation Guides, Statements of Work, proposal
instructions, etc. Prior to joining ManTech, she provided acquisition
support throughout all phases of the A-76 study including: market
research, assisting with the development of the Performance Work Statement
(PWS), assisting with the transition phase and providing support
throughout the Administrative Appeals Process to the DLA and other
customers.
Ms. Willetts is
also a senior instructor, researcher, writer and consultant for The George
Washington University’s (GWU’s) Educational Services Institute
International. Ms. WiIlletts received a Master in Science, Contract and
Acquisition Management from Florida Institute of Technology. She is also a
Certified Professional Contracts Manager.

Contact Us
- For registration and billing information, please email Customer Service or call (703) 807-2758
- For speaker or agenda information, please contact Jaime Uss, (703) 807-2743
Registration Fee
- Government attendees: $1,195 per person
- Small Business (less than 100 employees): $1,395 per person
- Industry (includes government contractors): $1,445 per person
Registration Options
Registration is now closed for this event. If you would still like to register you must bring this form with you to register at the door the day of the event.
Registration
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