Dimitri Hadzi, River Legend, 1976, Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building, Portland, OR. photo: Cheryl McIntosh

Planned Baseline Obligations

In FY24, the Planned Obligations KPI will become a PBS Strategic Measure. In order to accurately forecast planned obligations and the performance of achieving those plans, all capital projects with the following funding types are required to be input and baselined in Kahua:

• New Construction - BA51
• Major Repair and Alteration - BA55. This includes special emphasis projects (e.g., consolidation, fire / life safety, and judicial security)
• Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) - all BA codes
• Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) - all BA codes

Projects that have already been funded are required to have their obligations entered and baselined in Kahua by November 30, 2023. Newly authorized projects or existing projects that receive supplemental funding (including new IRA funds) shall be baselined in Kahua within 60 calendar days of funding being authorized or spend plan approval, as applicable.

Note: Obligations are required to be baselined for the entire project. This includes any planned awards in FY24 and beyond.

For more information on the requirement to baseline planned obligations, please see the Project Delivery Alert issued by the Office of Project Delivery on October 31, 2022.

Baseline Obligation training will be offered on October 3, 2023, and on October 4, 2023. Register for one of the training sessions.

Contact christian.evans@gsa.gov or joe.etienne@gsa.gov for more information.

Center for Customer Delivery on the PM Hub

The Center for Customer Delivery's Measures and Reporting team has a new page on the PM Hub.  The page contains resources related to performance metrics administered by the Office of Project Delivery, reporting guidance, and national and regional dashboards maintained by OPD.

Construction Inclusion Week

PBS is excited to be participating in the 2023 Construction Inclusion Week (CIW) happening in 2 weeks (10/16-10/20)! 

This collaboration between the Office of Project Delivery (OPD), Office of Acquisition Management (OAM), Women's Leadership Network (WLN) and Office of Architecture and Engineering (OAE) will feature live sessions with panelists, as well as presentations, video and information shares on each of the themed days led by the respective teams. 

Join us in celebrating GSA's shared values on the importance and benefits of diversity and inclusion in the construction sector, as we:

• Highlight inclusive construction success stories and best practices;
• Encourage collaboration and knowledge-sharing among industry stakeholders;
• Promote a safe and respectful work environment for all construction workers.

CIW is an industry-wide awareness effort on diversity, equity and inclusion to create collective safe spaces for difficult conversations, provide educational insights, and to foster a more inclusive construction industry.

New employee resources available on the PM Hub

Resources for new employees are now available on the PM Hub New Employee Resources Page.

• Onboarding Tool for new project managers
• PM Quick Start course on OLU
• Updated PM Career Path and Professional Development Plans

New project managers can use these tools during onboarding to understand project management at PBS and create Individual Development Plans.

Continuous professional development training is also available on the PM Hub.  Contact pbs.pm.hub@gsa.gov for more information.

COR Tasks List

The Office of Project Delivery’s (OPD), Center of Strategic Integration with guidance from the COR Desk Guide and OIGs Audit of the GSA Public Buildings Service’s Use of Construction Management Services, has developed a comprehensive list identifying Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) inherently governmental tasks.

This task list offers a streamlined reference guide to what is legally required for CORs and government officials for inherently governmental tasks and non-inherently governmental tasks.  By referencing this list, project managers can leverage the use of the CMa while being in compliance with the COR Desk Guide and the OIG Audit report. 

Contact oscar.s.gomez@gsa.gov for more information.

National RWA Program End of Year Quick Glance Statistics

Happy New Year! Did you know the RWA Program processes and accepts over half of FY23 RWAs in the last quarter of the fiscal year?! For this particular fiscal year, that is just shy of a billion dollars in the last quarter of this year! This workload would be insurmountable if it was not for our hard working team of Regional RWA Managers and PMs. Thank you all for a successful year! Take a look below for a quick snapshot of our FY23 nonseverable RWAs. 

New nonseverable RWAs accepted in FY23: 4131

• Value: $1,635,614,947

New nonseverable RWAs accepted in Q4 of FY23: 2226 (54%)

• Value: $998,940,728 (61%)

Engineer of the Year Awards

PBS engineers play a crucial role in the design, construction, and operations and maintenance of federal buildings, courthouses, and land ports of entry. Diverse engineering disciplines support multiple business lines with technical expertise and contribute to the highest levels of performance and quality of GSA facilities. The PBS Engineer of the Year award program was developed to communicate and celebrate the important work that GSA engineers perform on a daily basis. Congratulations to the Center for Engineering’s William “Bill” Earl, who was named 2023 PBS Engineer of the Year! Bill will now go on to represent PBS as a nominee to the National Society of Professional Engineers Federal Engineer of the Year award program. Information about Bill’s accomplishments, as well as the other awards and nominations, can be found on InSite.

PBS Property Showcase

We are happy to introduce the PBS Property Showcase, formerly known as the key property meetings. The new and improved meetings will provide an opportunity to present highly visible properties and projects to the Commissioner’s Office. The intent will be to provide a short briefing on regional dispositions, success stories, high visibility, high risk and/or politically sensitive projects across PBS business lines. This collaboration will also create a learning opportunity for regions to share best practices, things that went well, complexities, hiccups, and lessons learned. Our site is located on the PM Hub, making it more accessible and convenient for everyone. Information provided includes briefing material, communications, meetings, projects, lessons learned and much more.

PPS PM All-Stars Q3 share their insights on InSite

The Q3 results are in and the PM community has much to celebrate!  Nationally, PBS is performing at Level 5 on our PPS performance metrics: providing customers with a project schedule, maintaining communication and transparency and a clear point of contact throughout a project, and achieving high levels of Overall Satisfaction. You can view results on our PPS Dashboard. What are our PM’s “secrets of success”?  We asked our third batch of PPS PM “All-Stars” to think about this question, and we featured their full responses on our InSite page. Some themes that emerged from their comments included: Be responsive to customers with open communications Keep stakeholders informed, provide regular updates and manage expectations Show customers that you care and be kind Trust is built using words and actions Maintain customer and stakeholder involvement throughout the project, regardless if it’s a positive or negative situation Professional and respectful communications are key to facilitate difficult conversations without being adversarial or punitive Become a trusted advisor Congratulations to all of the PM community, as well as the planning, acquisition, and extended teams of professionals who have enabled our success in the eyes of our customers!  We look forward to celebrating these regional accomplishments and helping all PM’s by sharing these highlighted examples of excellence of global Project Management (gPM) via the ‘PM All-Star’ program. For more information about the Project Pulse Survey, please visit our PPS Resource Page and the PBS Fact Sheets.

Training Opportunities

A complete list of training opportunities can be found on the OAE/OPD Events Calendar.

A+E Training Series

The Office of Architecture and Engineering’s (OAE’s) Architecture + Engineering (A+E) Training Series provides an opportunity to improve the knowledge base of Public Buildings Service (PBS) architects, engineers, project managers, and other design and construction professionals. Training topics will include all aspects of design and construction projects within the PBS portfolio. The training will enhance attendees’ PBS and building industry knowledge to apply across projects and facilities.

• Improve technical proficiency across PBS’s design and construction programs. 
• Foster innovation in design and construction solutions. 
• Promote collaboration across PBS’s design and construction community.

Program Scope

Scheduling Practices

The schedule management program recently performed a review of schedules uploaded to Kahua. This hour-long presentation will provide examples of good and not-so-good scheduling practices observed during the review. 

Scheduling Practices Registration - October 5th from 1-2pm ET

Contact michael.montague@gsa.gov with any questions.

Scheduling Fundamentals

OPD Schedule Management program is pleased to offer the following two Scheduling Fundamentals courses: 

• Introduction to Scheduling and Schedule Development - October 18th, 12-2pm ET 
• Evaluate, Update, and Maintain a Schedule - October 19th, 2-3:30pm ET 

The courses will provide a solid foundation into understanding schedule basics. They are suitable for new PMs or those seeking a refresher in scheduling and provide a sound knowledge base for upcoming MS Project training. 

NOTE: This is not MS Project software training.

CLPs will be provided for full attendance.

Contact michael.montague@gsa.gov for more information.

MS Project 2019

The Schedule Management program is pleased to offer courses on the use of MS Project 2019 software. Course material has been generated in-house to highlight MS Project features that should be helpful to a GSA user in developing and maintaining a schedule.

There are four courses being offered (All times Eastern):

• Basic I (Suitable for all users, limit 40 students)
  • October 23rd, 1-3:30pm
  • October 25th, 2-4:30pm
  • October 30th, 2-4:30pm 
• Basic I Lease Specific (Tailored for the Leasing community)
  • November 7th, 2-4:30pm
• Basic II (Course name was previously named Advanced I. Suitable for all users)
  • October 26th, 1:30-3:30pm
  • November 1st, 2-4pm
• Advanced (Course previously named Advanced II. Suitable for all users)
  • November 2nd, 1-3pm

You can view the course material for the Basic I, Basic I Lease Specific, Basic II, and Advanced courses to determine which is most appropriate for you.

The courses will involve the use of MS Project 2019. To gain maximum benefit from the courses, two monitors are advisable. One to follow the instructor. The other to practice the scheduling features being demonstrated. Prior to registration, check that MS Project 2019 is installed on your computer.

Contact michael.montague@gsa.gov for more information.

Claims Mitigation Series - Bid Protest and Contract Claims

October 24th, 2-3pm ET - Seminar Registration

What were the most common grounds for U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) bid protests in recent years? What trends and takeaways can PBS use to reduce the likelihood of future protests? What are the key requirements for a claim? What are the most common types of claims before the boards of contract appeals and the courts? How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted contractor claims in recent years?

This seminar will discuss recent Government contract decisions issued by GAO, the boards of contract appeals, and the courts that address these and other topics that often impact PBS projects. Such decisions provide insight on how various tribunals adjudicate some of the most commonly seen bid protest issues and contractor claims, and provide useful guidance for avoiding similar protests and claims in the future.

This seminar will be recorded.  Attendees will receive 1 CLP.

Contact michael.montague@gsa.gov for more information.

COR Quarterly Training

Are you a COR and familiar with the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS)? Need refresher on writing evaluations and developing strong narratives? Have questions about the system and want to learn more? Attend the training on October 24th from 1-2pm ET to learn more and ask questions.

No Climate Change Speaker Series in October

The Climate Change Speaker Series is on hiatus for the month of October. When it returns in November, you'll see information on how to re-register to attend the sessions. We'll be using a new link, stay tuned!

Lean Project Delivery Training

Lean Project Delivery Training for project teams will provide an overview of Lean fundamentals and empower project teams to optimize resources, generate value, and focus on continuous improvement. Lean delivery along with PBS’ already established gPM principles provide an opportunity to streamline operations and increase customer satisfaction. The training will be taught by a team of owners, designers, and builders.

Duration: Day 1 (8am - 5pm); ½ Day 2 Lessons Learned (8 -11am)
Format: IN-PERSON 
AIA/ CLPs: 8 / 11 credits
Date/Location: only 2 locations left, open to all regions

1. November 7-8 - San Diego, CA, Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building
2. November 9, 14 - Tacoma, WA, Northwest/Arctic Regional Office Building

Lean Project Delivery Registration

Contact stephanie.holstein@gsa.gov for more information.

High Impact Communications

High Impact Communications training will teach you techniques for creating high-impact, meaningful communication with coworkers, clients, and stakeholders. You will learn how to develop your communication style, identify the communication styles of your audience, and adapt your delivery accordingly. This course will address common communication fallacies, issues in a virtual and global environment, and ways to identify where a miscommunication has occurred.

Trainings are limited to 25 students per class. Please contact phillip.douglas@gsa.gov for more information.

This training will take place virtually.

High Impact Communications training 3: 20-22 November 2023 (1-4pm ET)

• Register [Google Doc] by COB 8 November 2023

Review the FAQs [Google Doc] to learn more.

FPM 110 - FAC P/PM Level I (Entry Level) in-house training

FPM 110 is training for all GSA’s in-house Federal Acquisition Training that encompasses all 7 competencies. This course will prepare you in Applications in Project and Program Management, Applications in Contracting, Applications in Business, Cost Financial Management and Applied Leadership in Project and Program Management for preparation for your FAC P/PM Level I (Entry-Level) certification.

Target Audience:  This is an entry level course targeted to Federal Government personnel interested in gaining knowledge in Federal Government program/project management principles.

Continuous Learning Points: 80 CLPs will be offered with full attendance.

To register, please click on the course date below:

January 29, 2024, to February 16, 2024 (Mon-Fri) 11am – 4pm ET

Note:

If you do not have an account established in FAI CSOD, after accessing the site, select “Need help signing in” and request an account

You can also find the course by searching in FAI CSOD with the title “FPM 110.”

If you sign up for the course but for unforeseen reasons you must drop, please withdraw from the course in FAI CSOD.

Registration is limited to 60 seats per session. Contact phillip.douglas@gsa.gov for more information.

Review the FAQs to learn more!

FPM 210 - FAC P/PM Level II (Mid-Level) in-house training

FPM 310 - FAC P/PM Level III (Senior-Level) in-house training

Lean Construction Institute eLearning

Deepen your Lean design and construction education without taking valuable time away from project work with Lean Construction Institute (LCI) eLearning courses. Every day, busy design and construction practitioners advance their Lean journey on their own time. LCI offers six (6) eLearning courses at your disposal.

GSAs annual corporate membership with LCI affords GSA employees the opportunity to take several eLearning courses on-demand. The eLearning courses can be accessed at any time during the membership period: 19 June 2023 - 30 June 2024.

Continuous enrollment: Interested participants are encouraged to create an account and register for classes. 

The training will take place virtually, self-paced, asynchronous learning with a live instructor on demand. When you complete each knowledge check and the final assessment with a score of 80% or higher, you can self-report (CM-Lean CEUs: 1.5 /or AIA CEUs:1.5, 1 CEU = 1 CLP)

The following classes are available:

1. Effective Big Room: Gain a foundational understanding of the concept of a Big Room by learning the benefits, purpose, and implementation considerations. Understanding how to improve collaboration and drive transparency within your team. Identifying venue types, set up, and activities that work best for your projects. Learning how to effectively advance work and learning to support the success of future projects.
2. Introduction to Lean Project Delivery: Gain insight to Lean Project Delivery (LPD) by understanding how the Lean System connects People, Principles, and Practices to optimize results by shifting both mindset and behaviors. The key achievable goal of this course is to prepare and enable team members with a foundational understanding of Lean approaches for daily use within a project environment.
3. Introduction to the Last Planner System®: This course will allow you to gain in-depth insight to the practical application of the Last Planner® System (LPS) through multimedia, hands-on interactions, diagrams, worksheets, and more. The key achievable goal of this course is to learn how to engage at all five levels of LPS effectively on a day-to-day basis with a team implementing the system.
4. Last Planner System® in Design: Gain a foundational understanding of implementing Last Planner System® (LPS®) during the design (pre-construction) phases of a project. Identify the essential foundational principles of the five conversations of LPS, gain practical application insight for each, and access key action guidelines.
5. Lean in the Design Phase: Gain insight to Lean approaches and tools relative to the design phase of project delivery to optimize team communication, collaboration and results. Understand how a Lean strategy can drive innovative solutions by connecting People, Principles and Practices. The key achievable goal of this course is to prepare and enable team members with a foundational understanding of Lean approaches for daily use within the design phase of a project.
6. Target Value Delivery: Gain an understanding of Target Value Delivery (TVD) by identifying the different phases and components that make up the delivery approach. Discover how the Lean components interact together to improve the process and outcome of the project.

Review the FAQs [Google Doc] to learn more.  Contact phillip.douglas@gsa.gov for more information. 

COBie/BIM training

A new COBie/BIM training is available on the National Acquisition Resource Center.  

The objective of this training is to provide familiarization on COBie and BIM, and the power of visualization, coordination, simulation, and optimization from 3D, 4D, and BIM computer technologies that allows GSA to more effectively meet customer, design, construction, asset management, facility management, and program requirements.

• COBie and BIM Training Presentation
• COBie and BIM Training Video 

Manage Subscription Settings

Do you have something we should include in next month's PM Report? Email suggestions to christopher.barfield@gsa.gov. Visit the PM Hub to view an archive of past issues.