News for the Acquisition Workforce

Nominations for the 2023 Acquisition, Program Management, Small Business and Procurement Equity, and Sustainable Acquisition Excellence Awards are being accepted by the Chief Acquisition Officers Council until July 31, 2023. These awards recognize acquisition professionals who contribute to outstanding improvements in acquisition throughout the federal government, and candidates are evaluated based on results and impact. 

Acquisition workforce members from across the federal government are making amazing contributions to the acquisition community every day, and FAI wants you to know about them! Check out this quarter’s spotlight featuring Kimberly Himes, an acquisition workforce program lead, from the Department of Transportation (DOT). Go to FAI.gov to learn more about Kimberly and her work with DOT!

CON 1300V - Contract Award (May 1 - May 10 & May 15 - May 24)

CON 2420V - Architect-Engineer Indirect Rates (May 15 - May 19 & June 12 - June 16)

CON 1400V - Contract Post-Award (June 1 - June 9)

CON 2450V - Construction Modification Proposal Analysis (June 5 - June 9)

CON 1200V - Contract Pre-Award (June 5 - June 16)

FCN 180 - Emerging Technologies - Robotic Process Automation (June 9)

FCN 400 - Emergency Contracting Basics (June 15 - June 16)

Join the Federal Program and Project Management Community of Practice on Wednesday, May 3 at 1:00 p.m. E.T. / 10:00 a.m. P.T. for the quarterly meeting. Register here.

Their latest video describes the "5 Skills Needed to Become a Procurement Champion." Join the dull and lackluster Contracting Officer Mitch Gibson as he navigates an environment where a new procurement robot, P-39, threatens to take his job away by perfecting his menial tasks. Amidst the humor, contracting professionals will glean some priceless insights that will advance their careers should they take heed. ASI Education’s new content can be found here. 

GSA Professional Services and Human Capital Categories (PSHC) offer optional, no-cost scope reviews that analyze the scope and Pool/SIN/NAICS assignment of your proposed requirement. Knowledgeable project managers and contracting staff are well-versed and ready to help you find an available contracting solution for your professional and human capital services needs. Join them this month to learn more about how PSHC conducts scope reviews and what types of information can be helpful in determining which might be the right solution to match your requirement. Register now and earn one CLP.

The Office of Acquisition Management invites government employees to the annual Big “A” Acquisition and Financial Assistance Conference, which will be held virtually, May 8–10, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. E.T. each day. The conference will expose attendees to best practices in procurement, risk and program management, cost estimation, and financial assistance operations. It will also cover new technologies, laws, regulations, and policy changes, as well as certification requirements for contracting officers, contracting officer representatives, and project managers. 

You must have an OMB MAX account to register. If you do not have an account, you can establish one by going to https://login.max.gov and click the register now box at the top right of the page.

1. Log on to: https://community.max.gov/x/yA-cj
2. Click on “Register Here” and select the date(s) you plan to attend.
3. Click RSVP. Your name, email, and phone number will automatically populate. Please type your bureau (OS, NIST, etc.) and community (procurement, financial assistance, etc.); these are mandatory fields where applicable.

Questions? Contact Ron Allen at: rallen@doc.gov

The GSA multiple award schedule can meet a variety of print management product and service needs and strict security requirements. GSA can help with copiers, multifunction devices (MFD), and managed print services! Watch their recorded training webinar on GSA's mail management website for industry tips on maximizing competition and reducing costs. Federal buyers can download the comprehensive MFD buying guide, the guide to deciding whether to buy, rent, or lease, acquisition templates and samples, interactive calculators to calculate monthly lease payments and termination charges, and more! Questions? Email the office management inbox at: officemanagement@gsa.gov.

Acquisition Training for the Real World Spring FY23 is a two-week program, running from April 24 to May 5, consisting of daily virtual training sessions. It is designed to help acquisition professionals, including program and project managers, learn about GSA’s tools and digital resources and to share the latest information on federal marketplace initiatives. Topics for this session include: market research as a service, innovation in source selection, writing better requirements and much more! Register here.