A five day comprehensive course for Government Contract executives and managers on the principles, practices, and techniques of managing program and project managers, technical professionals, teams, and contracts.
- The business of Government Contracting
- The new emphasis on contractor and agency accountability
- Managing in a mix of corporate cultures, agency consolidation, and contractor mergers and acquisitions
- Metrics for measuring performance and results in a performance-based environment
- Leadership skills in a time of both empowerment and reorganization
- Finance and accounting for executives and managers
- Problem-Solving & Decision-Making from acquisition planning through dispute avoidance
This course covers how to manage managers, technical professionals, teams, and contracts in a Government Contract business environment. Designed for both Government and contractor professionals, its emphasis is on management skills, techniques, and practices in a constantly changing business climate.
The first day is an overview and update of the business of Government Contracting. It lays out a foundation of the business climate we're in and identifies the challenges we face as managers.
The second day is devoted to finance and accounting principles and how managers analyze and use financial reports.
The third day explains marketing and customer service from both Government and contractor perspectives.
The fourth day outlines a formula for decision-making in the new acquisition environment. Through a simple set of diagnostic questions, managers can improve their decision-making skills.
The fifth day examines the subject of leadership and how leadership skills impact productivity and results.
The course will include practical exercises, group discussion and problem-solving, questions, and case studies. The uniqueness of the course is in the resources it provides for managers. You will learn how to find information you need and how to keep up to date in the dynamic business of Government Contracts.
The Government Contract MBA Level Management Course
Monday
THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING
Discussion: What managers must know about the changed and changing landscape in the business of Government Contracting today. Acquisition streamlining from FASA and FARA to SARA. FAR changes. Federal Supply Schedule structure and rules. Commercial Item acquisition and practices. Competition and competitive practices. Service contracting. Strategic planning and managing changes in how offers are developed and proposals prepared and supported. Managing changes in how solicitations are issued and contracts are written. New and proposed statutes and regulations and their implications for managers. How to stay on the top of changes in the dynamic field of Government Contracting.
Facilitator:
Timothy Sullivan Partner in the Washington, D.C. law offices of Thompson Coburn LLP where he specializes in Government contract matters. Former procurement official and contract negotiator for the Central Intelligence Agency. Frequent lecturer on all phases of Government procurement for business groups, professional associations and educational institutions, and has authored several articles on Government contracting matters. Member of the American, District of Columbia and Virginia Bar Associations, and of the National Contract Management Association. Undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan; law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he served on the staff of the Georgetown Law Journal.
Tuesday
FINANCE & ACCOUNTING FOR EXECUTIVES & MANAGERS
Discussion: What executives and managers must know about financial controls as management tools. Reports that managers find most useful. Reports and controls generated through accounting systems. How executives and managers analyze and respond to operating reports and financial statements. How to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and profit through careful attention to reports. Clear, non-technical explanations of contract funding; pre-award cost issues; cost accounting systems; direct and indirect costs; cost pools; progress payments; incurred costs; scope changes; audits & closeouts.
Facilitator:
Joseph Higgins is a Principal at JTH Consulting in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Mr. Higgins has extensive financial management experience in government contracting, specifically in the development and implementation of cost allocation systems to ensure cost recovery on government contracts. He has assisted clients with completion of CASB Disclosure Statements and related issues with compliance with the Cost Accounting Standards. Mr. Higgins has expertise in all required government contracting management systems, including cost estimating and earned value management systems (EVMS). He has extensive knowledge in the areas of contract claims, particularly claims in connection with terminations for the convenience of the government.
Wednesday
MARKETING & MANAGEMENT
Discussion: Marketing is a customer-oriented way of doing business whether your customers are internal or external to your organization. The four Ps and their impact on marketing and customer service: Product/Service; Price/Terms; Place/Delivery; Promotion/Advertising. Sales and marketing in Government contracting. The power of persuasion and the persuasion formula. Demonstrating the quality of your products and services and their best value to your customer. The six primary differences between Government and commercial contracting.
Facilitator:
Chad T. Braley
Chad Braley is a Principal at Capital Edge Consulting Inc., specializing in government contract services from proposal support through contract closeout. Chad works primarily with government contractors, providing cost accounting services, business process reengineering, contract administration support, program management best practices, ERP implementation support, and other consulting services in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, professional services, nonprofit, insurance, construction, and information technology. Chad has extensive experience in indirect rate development, cost allowability and allocability, uncompensated overtime, proposal and estimating support, audit support, labor rate development, risk management, and FAR and CAS applicability, compliance, and interpretation. Chad has taught many courses for nationally recognized government contracting education firms as well as for individual clients.
Thursday
PROBLEM-SOLVING & DECISION-MAKING
Discussion: Contract professionals must make smart business decisions based on the unique requirements of the acquisition and the marketplace potential to meet those requirements. Both Government and contractor professionals will benefit from this diagnostic approach to problem-solving and decision-making. Coverage includes a logical, step-by-step process for developing sound solutions to key issues in the acquisition cycle from needs identification and acquisition planning through contract changes and dispute avoidance.
Facilitator:
Professor Ralph C. Nash, Jr. Nationally recognized as one of the leading and most respected authorities in Government procurement, Ralph Nash’s guidance, insights and innovations have been at the forefront of the contracting profession for decades. Now a Professor Emeritus of Law at The George Washington University, Professor Nash was first appointed to the faculty of the Law School in 1960, where he immediately established and became the founding Director of the Law School’s Government Contracts Program.
Author of one of the most respected texts ever written on a procurement subject-Government Contract Changes-he has co-authored a number of the basic texts on procurement.
Professor Nash received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University and his Juris Doctor degree from The George Washington University.
Friday
LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT
Discussion: The importance of peer influence in working with project teams. Leadership and performance, how managers demonstrate accomplishment. Communicating purpose and vision. Leadership styles and their impact on productivity and efficiency. Leadership skills in managing creative and technical professionals. Leadership skills in the management of multidisciplinary teams. Leadership skills in managing internal and external customers. Conflict resolution in a blended workforce climate. Leadership and interpersonal skills in planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling — the classic management tasks. Leadership skills in workforce development and in creating a climate of approval, encouragement, and entrepreneurship.
Facilitator:
Kenneth J. Allen Formerly Command Counsel for Programs, Acquisition and Litigation, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, and counsel for the Department of Defense's Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program. Mr. Allen has practiced government law for over 30 years, and he lectures frequently on government contract and fiscal law for Defense agencies, the American Society of Military Comptrollers, and the Army War College. He is a graduate of the Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville, the Army JAG School resident basic and advanced courses, the Army Management Staff College, National Defense University, and the Army War College.