In this less than 15 minute webinar, learn how the New FPS Leadership Institute can help you develop your leadership skills. Leadership expert, Rex Marks, breaks down the six sessions FPS has developed to better grow your work relationships, business acumen and overall leadership. This succinct webinar will provide the overview you're looking for-- and FPS staff will be available to answer any outstanding questions you may have at the end of the program. Specifically, you will learn:  What six topics are included  How and where to attend the program  Who should enroll  Cost

Now in its 15th year, the Deltek Clarity Government Contracting Industry Study surveyed 600+ contractors to identify current market trends and outlooks. The resulting study helps performance-minded businesses identify areas to improve operational effectiveness, help set business goals, and better understand how they compare to their competition. Join Deltek for an engaging look at the results of this year's Clarity study, featuring government contracting benchmarks, analysis, exclusive industry insights and a review of market conditions and challenges currently facing the industry. Find out what key themes emerged from this year's Clarity study, including:  A strong appetite for investment in artificial intelligence and machine learning to help boost efficiency and reduce operational costs  Addressing market pressures by shifting strategies to offer a more diversified set of products and services  Continued concerns over the impact of rising labor costs in the market  And much more!

For over 25 years, the federal government has used a contractor's past performance on prior contracts and projects as a mandatory evaluation factor in most procurements. So, in deciding whether to award a contract, most federal agencies must examine prior projects, including those performed for the U.S. government. This past performance information could be the reason that an agency refuses to award a contract. And federal contracting rules provide specific limits on a contractor's ability to challenge inaccurate past performance evaluations. This webinar will address (1) how the government uses past performance information in federal procurements; (2) contractor and offeror responses to past performance issues; and (3) the role of the GAO, Boards of Contract Appeals, and U.S. Court of Federal Claims in past performance-related disputes. Based on extensive practical experience and recent caselaw, this webinar will provide guidance to help contractors successfully navigate federal past performance issues, including the process to challenge an agency's inaccurate or improper evaluation. Learning Objectives: By the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to recognize unique features of federal government past performance evaluations, including the use of federal "report cards" or CPARS, the process for challenging adverse ratings, and the role of GAO, Boards of Contracts Appeals and U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The webinar will include discussion of lessons learned from years of experience representing clients in past performance disputes and protests before numerous fora. Finally, this webinar will provide practical advice for contractors to prevent potential disputes regarding an agency's negative past performance rating.

Once a contractor has a contract subject to full CAS coverage, it is important to understand how to make a change to a disclosed cost accounting practice. This session will include a discussion of (Learning Objectives):  What is considered an accounting practice change?  What does not meet the definition of an accounting practice change?  What are common triggers for a cost accounting practice change? Additionally, the course will dive into cost impact proposals covering when a proposal is required, the timing for submission, and how impacts are calculated. The course also includes a case study for hands-on experience with a cost impact calculation.

The second webinar in the series will review Agile planning processes and artifacts. We will introduce and discuss the cadence beginning with developing the product vision, implementation backlog, increment planning, and sprint planning. We will also review tools that will support these processes and effective project management. Learning Objectives  Develop an understanding of the typical Agile planning cadence.  Learn about best practices for developing the primary Agile artifacts.  Discover tools that will support effective Agile processes and project management.

As a contractor, you may be subject to certain requirements related to your accounting system. This program will cover the Pre-Award Survey (Standard Form 1408) as well as the DFARS Accounting System Rule including Timekeeping, Labor Distribution and Billing. Learning Objectives: By the end of the webinar you should be able to:  Understand a pre-award accounting system survey and its purpose in the federal-award process;  Identify the objective of the accounting business system and its common criteria;  Apply the accounting system adequacy attributes to real-world examples;  Recognize which accounting subsystems are covered in the Defense Contract Audit Manual (DCAM); and  Be aware of potential issues when implementing new accounting systems.

The first webinar in the series provides a foundational understanding of Agile methodologies, reviews the benefits of Agile, discusses the differences from traditional management methodologies, and reviews frameworks to implement Agile for non-agile government contracts. Learning Objectives  Develop an understanding of Agile principles and their benefits.  Compare Agile from a traditional `waterfall' methodology.  Learn about options to implement Agile frameworks for Government Contracts.

The last webinar in the series will review Agile methodologies for measuring and monitoring performance. We will also discuss how these metrics may be combined with traditional best practices for Project Controls which will enable government program management and reporting. Learning Objectives  Learn about Agile methodologies which will provide important metrics for measuring and monitoring project performance.  Understand how traditional cost and schedule management tools such as an integrated master schedule (IMS) and EVM may be used for Agile projects.  Discover how these tools will help enable improved government collaboration.

In this session, we will discuss Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) including both full and modified CAS coverage. You will learn about each of the standards, applicability, exemptions, and CAS administration issues such as changes to cost accounting practices. Learning Objectives: By the end of the webinar you should be able to:  Understand the purpose of Cost Accounting Standards (CAS);  Identify the specified exemptions to CAS;  Analyze whether or not a contract is subject to CAS based on contract clauses and thresholds and if covered, whether modified or full coverage is required; and  Have a basic understanding of the cost accounting practice changes.

In this session, we will focus on the CAS administration requirements for reporting and documenting the cost impacts of changes to cost accounting practices. To do this, we will take a deeper look into the Disclosure Statement, including its components, applicability, and the process necessary when changes in accounting practice require a disclosure statement revision. Learning Objectives: By the end of the webinar you should be able to:  Understand how and when to file a Disclosure Statement;  Possess a general understanding of the components of a Disclosure Statement (Parts I to VIII);  Identify a cost accounting practice change; and  Understand the criteria required for an adequate Disclosure Statement.