Our Services

Acquisition Support

Productivity Partners provides acquisition support in all phases of the acquisition lifecycle. This includes acquisition planning, acquisition strategy, RFP development, source selection, award, protest support, and post-award administration. Productivity Partners increases the productivity and general success of acquisition professionals. Our unique approach implanting acquisition knowledge of legal frameworks and a comprehensive understanding of the federal procurement process, regulations, and best practices leads to the development of competent contracting professionals.

Training

Productivity Partners is skilled in training acquisition professionals in the nuances of the Federal Acquisition Regulation and Source Selection nuances and best practices. Productivity Partners are masters of delivering cutting-edge, two-hour trainings that will quickly get your professional’s up-to-speed in pertinent subject matter. In consultation with our partners, we can also offer long-form training with a duration of 1-5 days. We not only train Government personnel, but we also assist companies that provide acquisition support directly to the Government by training their staff.

Consulting

Productivity Partners provides consulting services in various phases of the acquisition lifecycle. We consult with industry and government clients to provide persuasive communications, advise on agency-level and GAO protests, and other strategies to achieve client objectives.

Off-The-Shelf Class Offerings

All classes are two-hour virtual classes.

Source Selection Tradecraft Series

  1. 1. FAR 8.405-2 vs Negotiated Procurement
  2. 2. GSA Schedule Source Selections
  3. 3. FAR 13.5 Acquisitions
  4. 4. Simplified Acquisitions (<=$250K)< /li>
  5. 5. FAR 15 Negotiated Procurement
  6. 6. How to Conduct Discussions
  7. 8. Price Analysis (FAR 15 & 8.4)
  8. 9. Small Business Rules – Beyond Rule of Two
  9. 10. The Best Value Principle & the Role of Price
  10. 11. Understanding Bundling & Consolidation
  11. 12. How to Conduct an Excellent Technical Evaluation
  12. 13. Effectively Documenting the Source Selection Decision
  13. 14. Organizational Conflicts of Interest
  14. 15. Realism Analysis
  15. 16. Contemporary Issues in Market Research
  16. 17. Developing the IGCE
  17. 18. Crafting a Work Statement
  18. 19. Contemporary Issues in the Development of the Work Statement
  19. 20. Understanding Commercial Provisions and Clauses (52.212-1 & 52.212-4)
  20. 21. Effective Presolicitation Communications
  21. 22. Evaluating Past Performance

Contract Admin Tradecraft Series

  1. 1. The Practical Execution of Contract Types
  2. 2. Compliance Monitoring
  3. 3. Change Management
  4. 4. Contract Administration in Concert with the COR
  5. 5. Contract Management Overview
  6. 6. Inspection, Acceptance, & Payment
  7. 8. Preparing for Post Award Administration
  8. 9. Modification Authorities
  9. 10. Overview of Intellectual Property

Class Pricing

Item Minimum Participants Maximum Participants Class Price*
Acquisition Training 10 25 $4,995
Acquisition Training 26 50 $7,500
Acquisition Training 51 Unlimited $9,995

* Price includes two-hour lecture, PowerPoint Slide Deck with two question and answer sessions that reinforce learning.

Other Pricing

Item Hourly Rate
Persuasive Government Communications Negotiable
Protest Support Negotiable
Class Title Class Description
The Source Selection Tradecraft Series
FAR 8.405-2 vs Negotiated Procurement This course addresses the distinctions between FAR 8.405-2 source selection procedures and FAR 15 source selection procedures.
GSA Schedule Source Selections This course takes an in-depth look at the GSA Schedule source selection process, the market research to the solicitation and award phase. The topics are presented in a manner that highlights the flexibilities inherent in this full and open competition procedure.
FAR 13.5 Acquisitions This course takes an in-depth look at how to effectively utilize simplified acquisition procedures for commercial products and services over the simplified acquisition threshold. This course highlights the restrictions and the flexibility of this maximum practicable competition procedure.
Simplified Acquisitions (<=$250K)< /td> This course takes an in-depth look at the flexibilities inherent in this maximum practicable competition procedure from micro-purchases and its unique rules, purchases up to $25,000 and those up to $250,000. These rules, properly understood, will increase productivity of acquisition professionals.
FAR 15 Negotiated Procurement This course examines strategies that can be used with FAR 15 negotiated procurement procedures to shorten lead times while effectively delivering products and services to your government clientele.
How to Conduct Discussions This course takes an in-depth look at how to conduct discussions in different procurement environments including FAR 15, 8.4, 13, and 16.5. It examines how to enter discussions in these environments and how to legally engage vendors in each stage of the negotiation.
Evaluation of Key Personnel This course provides an overview of the key personnel factor and a close look at how to properly evaluate it in a source selection. The course also covers the pitfalls to avoid during the evaluation and streamlining strategies that may be successfully utilized.
Price Analysis (FAR 15 & 8.4) This course provides an in-depth look at the approaches to evaluating price in the FAR 15.4 and FAR 8.4 environments. It provides streamlining insight and advanced strategies utilized in the FAR 15.4 environment and draws distinctions with price analysis in FAR 8.4.
Small Business Rules – Beyond Rule of Two) Small business regulations affect every part of the acquisition lifecycle from market research to source selections to payment of small businesses. This course takes and in-depth examination of the regulations that will be encountered in the preaward and solicitation and award phases of the acquisition.
The Best Value Principle & the Role of Price This course clarifies what the best value principle is (as opposed to procedures) and elaborates on the role of price in the different source selection procedures utilized to acquire products and services.
Understanding Bundling & Consolidation The Government seeks to streamline operations and increase its spending power in the market. This often causes them to combine contracts to achieve their objectives. This course identified the nuances of bundling and consolidation, including how to recognize when your transactions meet the definitions in the Small Business Act.
The Art of Conducting an Excellent Technical Evaluation This course takes an in-depth look at how a contracting professional should conduct the technical evaluation by implementing the guiding principles during a technical evaluation as well as how to avoid the pitfalls that will cause the technical evaluation to fail a judicial review.
Effectively Documenting the Source Selection Decision This course examines the people process and papers involved in making a source selection decision, as well as, the rules the Government the decision, and skills and information that a contracting professional will need to successfully carry out this important acquisition function.
Organizational Conflicts of Interest This course provides an overview of Organizational Conflicts of Interest and examines the three major types of them so the contracting professional will be able to recognize when they have and have not occurred and successfully navigate the issues.
Realism Analysis This course provides an overview of the using realism as an evaluation factor and the methods utilized to perform effective and/or legally sufficient analysis. In addition, it addresses the language in the solicitation and how it can be crafted to ensure the agency has the flexibility and authority to perform a successful analysis.
Contemporary Issues in Market Research This course addresses the basic concept of market research and how to apply it in the product and service environments. In addition, it focuses on how to get results during the process by knowing the ins and outs of how to communicate with industry.
Developing the IGCE This course examines the development of the IGCE in the Service Acquisition Lifecycle. This class demonstrates that the IGCE should be developed based on agency’s acquisition strategy and its intended use in the source selection procedures.
Preparing Performance Work Statements This course examines the difference between the statement of work, the performance work statement, and the statement of objectives. In addition, it walks the student through the mechanics of developing the statement of objectives and the performance work statement.
Contemporary Issues in the Development of the Work Statement This course continues to expound on work statements and looks at more advanced issues related to service contracts, the intricacies of performance-based contracting for different service types and how to consult with agency customers.
Understanding Commercial Provisions and Clauses (52.212-1 & 52.212-4) This course intricately examines the 52.212-1 provision and the omnibus clause 52.212-4 to dissect the different terms and conditions therein. This knowledge ensures the contracting professional can avoid source selection pitfall and properly manage the contract after the award.
Evaluating Past Performance An unreasonable past performance evaluation continues to be one of the top five reasons why a protest is sustained at the GAO. This course walks contracting professionals through the nuances of the law and regulations that affect this issue and how to perform and document the evaluation successfully.
The Basics of Contract Interpretation This course assists Contracting Professionals to understand what their contract means overall, the effect of specific language, and how to recognize and rectify ambiguities in the solicitation before the contract is awarded.
The Contract Administration Tradecraft Series
Evaluating Past Performance An unreasonable past performance evaluation continues to be one of the top five reasons why a protest is sustained at the GAO. This course walks contracting professionals through the nuances of the law and regulations that affect this issue and how to perform and document the evaluation successfully.
Compliance Monitoring Government contracts are unique in that they have built-in compliances in their terms and conditions that fulfill public policy objectives as expressed in law, regulation, and executive orders such as labor laws, section 508 standards, subcontracting regulations, section 889 restrictions. In addition, there are contract specific compliances such as subcontracting limitations and qualifications of contract personnel that must be managed. Although, the course is not an exhaustive treatment of the subject matter, it provides general guidance and awareness of contract compliance issues that contract specialists are likely to encounter when managing Government contracts.
Inspection, Acceptance, & Payment Inspection determines the acceptability or non-acceptability of the supplies or services furnished by the contractor. Acceptance is the government’s acknowledgment that the product or service tendered meets the contract requirement(s). Upon government acceptance, the contractor is entitled to payment. This course addresses “how” and “when” to inspect, problems that may arise during inspection, the general theory of inspection and the due diligence required, exceptions to acceptance, and payment triggers by contract type.
Contract Management Overview Contract administration begins once the contract is awarded. This class outlines the foundational concepts for successful vendor performance. Topical areas include Contract administration theory, understanding inputs and outputs, and using contractual concepts to manage the contract effectively.
Contract Administration in Concert with the COR The contracting officer is authorized to enter, administer, modify, and/or terminate contracts. The CO frequently appoints a contracting officer representative (COR) to assist with contract management and protection of the interests of the United States. This course addresses the relationship between the parties, the CO’s administrative duties regarding the COR, and an in-depth look at how the CO and COR manage the contract via the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)
Preparing for Post Award Administration The objective of this class is to understand key concepts and the steps that may need to be taken to successfully prepare to administer a contract. This includes an introduction to contract analysis, contract types, the kickoff meeting, and we will take a brief discussion about the contract administration plan. Learning opportunities are embedded in the course to reenforce class objectives and bring the concepts to life.
Change Management This foundational contact administration course provides instructions about changes that enable a CO to know the kinds of changes that occurs, when a change has occurred, the changes clause, and what relief is due to the contractor when a change is made. Learning opportunities are embedded in the course to reenforce class objectives and bring the concepts to life.
Developing the IGCE An IGCE is a cost estimate developed by the Government requiring activity before soliciting proposals or quotations. This course will instruct CORs on the basics of IGCE construction, the key questions that should be answered, and illustrate how the composition of the IGCE will vary based on its expected use and/or contract type.
Contemporary Issues in Market Research This course will explore key concepts and practices used to effectively research the market, explore various tools used to obtain relevant information, and highlights the importance of communication with industry. Learning opportunities are embedded in the course to reenforce class objectives and bring the concepts to life.
Modifications Authorities A contract modification refers to a situation where the contracting parties agree to change the terms of their original agreement. This course addresses the basics of the contract modification process, its authorities, and common modifications that Co’s execute during contract administration.
COR Package: Crafting a Work Statement This course addresses the statement of work, performance-based acquisition and general theory, the Government development of the PWS, and obtaining the PWS via the publication of a Statement of Objectives. Learning opportunities are embedded in the course to reenforce class objectives and bring the concepts to life.