The Professional 1102

This event qualifies for 40 CLPs

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the planning, analysis, sourcing and forming contracts between public and private parties for the purpose of accomplishing the missions of governmental agencies at the federal level by a Subject Matter Expert. It is designed for individuals considering or engaged in a federal procurement (1102) career. It is for personnel wanting to enhance their knowledge, and suppliers or citizens interested in learning more about the formulation of government contracts. It speaks to the desire of the federal government acquisition management to professionalize by increasing training opportunities.

Students are expected to participate in the course by interacting with the instructor and their classmates. As a interdisciplinary course, we will addresses some of the theories of economics, business, political science, and finance that are necessary ingredients associated with the contracting process, including the need to secure appropriate levels of resources, identify appropriate team members, leadership, and basic public management.

During the class, it is expected that you will draw on your own experiences to further enhance your understanding of the subject matter. Therefore, many of the class discussions may be based on using real situations and instances from real world experiences. We ask only that you maintain the integrity of private information by changing any names such that individuals are not able to be identified – other than those involved in this course. The course has an established start and end date and you will be expected to interact with other students throughout the course.

Who should attend?

This course is designed as a supplement for the Federal Acquisition workforce (1102) training requirements, and for others wanting to understand the various components of acquisition processes and decisions. It satisfies the requirement for electives in the FAC C and DAWIA curriculum. A Certificate of Completion will be issued at the end of the course for 40 CLPs.

This course is intended to inform and enhance your performance as a journeyman level 1102. It is drawn from time-tested concepts gained over a long career as an active and supervisory Contract Specialist. You are encouraged to bring your questions about procurement specific and procurement culture questions to the class for open discussion. The course is intended to fill in the knowledge gaps that exist with the FAC C curriculum, which does not apply to all real world situations. While the course will not be graded, active participation will be required to earn a Certificate of Completion at the end.

This course is five days long, so the material will be covered quickly. Feel free to bring up more sensitive procurement issues in a sidebar conversation with the instructor if you would prefer a confidential opinion.

Course Objectives

Specific objectives of this course as the following:

To understand the importance of strategic planning and analysis to successful procurement support of federal agencies;
To gain an understanding of the importance of considering available resources in planning for federal contracting;
To demonstrate an understanding of the methods of locating and qualifying sources to provide federal government requirements; and
To understand the processes, procedures, documents and legal terms used in soliciting and formalizing contracts for federal requirements.

Course Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

Articulate the need for effective planning and analysis prior to forming government contracts;
Articulate the process of seeking qualified sources to provide the requirements of government;
Apply key planning and sourcing concepts and theories;
Analyze and discuss selected issues of contract formulation; and
Explain the essential elements of successful contract formulation.

Students will gain knowledge of the skills needed on each of the following processes:

Strategic planning for the contract
Analyzing requirements for goods and services
Linking resources to procurement plans
Developing strategic procurement plans
Preparing specifications and statements of work
Locating and selecting appropriate sources
Evaluation and award of proposals
Using appropriate procedures, processes and documents for acquiring needed goods and services
Determining pricing strategies.

Speaker and Presenter Information

James Concannon is a FAC C Level III Senior Warranted Contracting Officer with the United States General Services Administration Federal Acquisition Service. Mr. Concannon has worked as an 1102 Contract Specialist and Officer for 32 years, receiving his first warrant in 1992. He has a Bachelor in Business Administration degree from Temple University, and a Master in Science in Administration from Central Michigan University. He started his career in 1984 at the Defense Logistics Agency as a buyer of industrial supplies, taking the basic training proscribed for new 1102s. He was promoted twice before taking a Contract Specialist position at the GSA. He started by working on building services contracts for janitorial, guard ns other maintenance services. He progressed to the Design and Construction Contracts Branch, where he worked on Architectural Engineering and Repair and Alteration contracts. While in this branch, he received his first warrant, and became a Team Leader. He was assigned to work on the first design of a new building A/E contract, the first Construction Quality Management contract, which required the first formal Source Selection procurement in the region. Concannon would go on to award and administer several other new construction projects resulting in new buildings throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

From there, Mr. Concannon was promoted to the Federal Acquisition Service as a Team Leader. He hired, supervised and trained many Contract Specialists purchasing supplies and services. He negotiated multi-million dollar contracts with Fortune 500 companies using Inspector General Audits. He has taught procurement for the Graduate School of America and Federally Employed Women National Training Program. He has a passion for teaching, and knows procurement very well, so he teaches procurement.

Relevant Government Agencies

Air Force, Army, Navy & Marine Corps, Intelligence Agencies, DOD & Military, Office of the President (includes OMB), Dept of Agriculture, Dept of Commerce, Dept of Education, Dept of Energy, Dept of Health & Human Services, Dept of Homeland Security, Dept of Housing & Urban Development, Dept of the Interior, Dept of Justice, Dept of Labor, Dept of State, Dept of Transportation, Dept of Treasury, Dept of Veterans Affairs, EPA, GSA, SSA, NASA, Other Federal Agencies, Legislative Agencies (GAO, GPO, LOC, etc.), Judicial Branch Agencies, CIA, FEMA, Office of Personnel Management, Coast Guard, National Institutes of Health, FAA, Census Bureau, USAID, National Guard Association, EEOC