The Professional 1102 for Contract Specialists and Officers October 25-27th 2016 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

ü  Career-minded professionals who want to maximize their impact in federal acquisitions

ü  Current 1102s and those interested in becoming an 1102 (there is a growing need)

ü  1102s seeking acquisition relevant CLPs that satisfies the requirement for electives in the FAC-C and DAWIA curriculum

ü  People seeking a value-added supplement to the Federal Acquisition workforce training requirements

ü  People wanting to extend their knowledge of the acquisition processes and decision making

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN

ü  Skills and concepts that will enhance your performance as an 1102  

ü  Real world situational knowledge that closes gaps that exist with the FAC C curriculum,

ü  Strategies and tactics which for awkward work situations that have no documented answers  

ü  The course will not be graded, but active participation will be required to earn a Certificate of Completion for 20 CLPs

 

 The Professional 1102: An ELECTIVE 1102 Course To Supplement the FAC-C Curriculum

The 1102 career field will see thousands of retirements in the next five years, which is a major opportunity to achieve that promotion potential you were promised when you began your career. I’m very familiar with that punch-in-the-gut frustration of career stagnation, and like sitting water, it stinks. But things are about to shift in your favor. However, you can’t do what you’ve always done, and be like everyone else. It’s time for you to stand out from the crowd and do something extraordinary that distinguishes you from the others. It’s time to take control of your career and stop begging for someone else to give you exposure to gain new skills. If you want to get the confidence and strength to jump over the wall that has stopped you from move up and ahead, then this is your chance to take a quantum leap and gain the skills and situational exposure in 2.5 days that it has taken others an entire career to obtain.

The Professional 1102 © is an elective course for federal contract specialists who want to get promoted.  This course is different from the required CON courses, but just as valuable.  It is for those certain few who want to take their game and careers to the next level, who want to create a path to success instead of waiting for someone else to do it.  Imagine a course where you can learn insider contracting knowledge about services, repair and alteration, schedules, and new construction from a Contracting Officer who has done them for years.  It’s like the “Hogwarts” of federal contracting, where you can learn from the wizards.  The course has no tests, is fun and exciting, and gets you 20 CLPs that you can use for acquisition recertification or as a stepping stone to your desired career. The Professional 1102© is taught by a Contracting Officer who has worked his way up the career ladder, while interviewing and promoting candidates like you. His team members have regularly been promoted to grades 13, 14 and even 15s, and he is sharing his knowledge and expertise to help you do the same.

What do you need to do to be part of this HUGE experience? Just get your supervisor’s approval to register now for this innovative, interactive course that will position you to be a Professional 1102© who cannot be ignored!   

HERE IS A BONUS FOR YOUR AGENCY: This vendor is a small, woman-owned, economically disadvantaged business, so registering for this course will help your agency meet its socio-economic goals!

The Professional 1102© is an in-class seminar that has been designed for your convenience to run from Tuesday morning through Thursday morning, fitting neatly into most alternative work schedules.  You will come out of the seminar a better informed and better equipped Contract Specialist and/or Officer who rises above the crowd.  Isn’t that who you want to be?  Join this seminar and get a step closer.  

The first of the Professional 1102 series will be held from October 25 through 27, 2016 and is geared towards those specialists relatively early in their careers who want to become more situationally aware of how to think, act and speak rigorously in contracting situations of increasing complexity.  Register today to get your seat at the table.

Instructor: James Concannon, MSA

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.

Course Description

This course is a “between the lines” complement to the CON courses taken by contract specialists in the 9-11-12 1102 career path.  It is designed to cover topics like acquisition planning, sourcing and forming contracts, and contract administration from a supervisor’s point of view.  The point of the course is to give the students the perspective of how a supervisor continually evaluates the employees that work for him.  The instruction will center on how the students can improve their presentation to  be viewed as an asset to their organization, which will lead to better yearly evaluations and promotions throughout your career.  It also speaks to the desire of federal government acquisition management to professionalize the series by increasing training opportunities outside of the core curriculum. 

While there are no tests, students are expected to participate in the course by interacting with the instructor and their classmates.  As a realistic course, we will address concerns such as office politics, colleagues intentionally or unintentionally blocking your path, and how to deal with them.  We will also talk about building your brand, positioning yourself to take advantage of opportunities, and knowing when to fold ‘em and move on.   This will all be delivered in a context of contracting, so that the CLPs are legitimate. 

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.  

This course is called “The Professional 1102” because that should be your goal, to be recognized as a pro, the best of the best.  It is designed for Contract Specialists who are relatively new in their career, (or are looking to change into the career) but have a desire to go far.  The course will expose these employees to contracting concepts that they might have heard of, but not worked on.  By giving real life experiences of the instructor, the students can learn how to handle diverse situations they may encounter later in their careers.  They will also be given useful, practical advice on how to get promoted.  It is for those that are on the 9-11-12 career ladder who want to position themselves for consideration for the next level (GS-13).

Who should attend?

This course is for current 1102s, their supervisors, and those interested in changing careers.  It 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 20 CLPs.

This course is intended to inform and enhance your performance as an 1102.  It is drawn from time-tested concepts gained over the instructor’s long career as an active and supervisory Contract Specialist/Officer.  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, and the awkward work situations that have no written answers.  While the course will not be graded, active participation will be required to earn a Certificate of Completion at the end. 

About the Instructor:

 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.  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 t0 a Contract Specialist position at the GSA, where he worked in the Public Building Service.  He started by working on building services contracts for janitorial, guard and 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 worked on a variety of challenging assignments, such as design of a new building A/E contract, Construction Quality Management and new construction projects resulting in new buildings throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.  Mr. Concannon was responsible for interviewing many Contract Specialists who are now supervisors in the branch.

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.  Many of these specialists have went on to be promoted to the GS-13 and 14 level.  He negotiated multi-million dollar contracts with Fortune 500 companies using Inspector General Audits.  Altogether, he had over twenty-five years as a Team Leader, advising, selecting and promoting team members. He has taught procurement for the Graduate School of America and Federally Employed Women National Training Program, amongst others.  He is a National Contract Management Association Certified Professional Contract Manager.

A second session, called “The Professional 1102 - Graduate School” scheduled for late 2016 is a more advanced look at complex contracting concepts that a veteran specialist may encounter in their career.  It also gives advice to those GS-12s and 13s who might have been passed over for promotion, or are going for their first promotion interview.  In gets into the politics of promotion, who gets ahead and why. 

Jim’s LinkedIn profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-concannon-msa-cpcm-435ab016?trk=hp-identity-name

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.

Also, contract administration will be discussed.

 

Register Now! 

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.

Within these objectives students will increase their ability to develop reasoned judgments and critical analysis about the political, institutional, and policy making processes associated with contract management in government and to promote the ability to present ideas and conclusions persuasively, both in writing and orally.

Disclaimer:  Instructor does not guarantee promotion for any attendees, but does guarantee delivery of knowledge, skills and abilities gained during his career.

Testimonials for Jim Concannon from students:

“Excellent instructor that was very thorough with explaining all the material we covered.”  Mark S

“1^st class day instructor was a no show.  Jim was able to come in the 2^nd day to replace the instructor and was successful at getting the class up to speed with short notice.”  Anon

“Jim stepped into a very difficult situation and handled it with poise and professionalism.”  William B