“How Can My Organization Buy Goods and Services On-Time?”

A One Day Workshop for Government Employees

The government executedover $536 billion in contract money during FY2011, yet many of these efforts to acquire goods and services are delivered late or over budget. The root cause of many of these issues can be traced to an inadequate understanding of the principles of project management and how they apply to acquiring federal goods and services. In this workshop you will examine key factors which affect the duration of contracts in the areas of acquisition planning, source selection, administration, and close out. We will highlight how the interaction between contract complexity, total obligation amount, coherence in the customer needs and vision, and previous experience inside your organization can combine to produce more efficient and more effective schedule estimates.

All attendees will receive the Project Scheduling for Acquisitions Handbook filled with step-by-step instructions, a detailed Acquisition Scheduling Checklist and additional resources that you will use in crafting your best ever contract schedule.

Topics Include—

  • Acquisition Planning
    • How dollar thresholds impact your acquisition lifecycle
      • Simplified Acquisition Threshold
      • Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA) threshold
      • Peer-reviewed threshold at your headquarters
      • A-CAT level program thresholds
      • Peer-reviewed threshold at DOD AT&L
    • Competition
      • Sole-source limitations
      • Competitive Range determinations
      • Sole source price negotiations
      • Specialized elements of your schedule including industry days, market research, draft/final RFP determinations, etc.
    • Crafting an estimate
      • Parametric estimating
      • Past Experience
      • Lessons Learned
    • Source Selection
      • Preparing to decide
      • Managing the SSEB process
      • Plan for Discussions or not?
      • Expectations management for legal reviews, customer communications, and program office reviews
    • Contract Administration
      • How EVM impacts your timeline
      • When to abandon ship based on your schedule
      • Making life easier for your COR
    • Contract Closeout
      • Eliminating loopholes
      • Managing a transition
      • Reminding yourself to finish
    • PMBOK and Contracts
      • Rolling Waves management
      • Crashing a project
      • Communications planning
      • Configuration control
      • Monitoring & Controlling team performance