Contract Management articles from December 2003

Contract Management archives from December 2003

Living by "the code".(President's Forum)
December 1, 2003... Recent events in the business world have caused me to reflect on our association's Code of Ethics. As a result of the public accounting scandals, companies have re-examined their own procedures and internal controls for areas such as revenue...

How to handle customer complaints like a pro.(Professional Development)
December 1, 2003... Sue, a former co-worker at a large retail store, was a hard worker with tons of potential. Sadly, she had a glaring weakness that continued to rear its ugly head--poor customer conflict resolution skills. Rather than smoothly handling volatile...

Service through the customer's eyes: today's consumer is not only discriminating, but demands outstanding service. So, what's your firm doing to ensure the customer keeps coming back--and brings his friends?
December 1, 2003... Imagine for a few moments you are an actor playing a key role in a major movie production, and the movie's success at the box office depends on how moviegoers receive your performance. The customers' expectations of your performance are formed...

Managing Complex Outsourced Projects: turning project management discipline into an organizational reality requires real commitment from the top down, in addition to a dedicated, highly-trained workforce.
December 1, 2003... This article is an extract from Managing Complex Outsourced Projects by Gregory A. Garrett, scheduled for publication in January 2004 by CCH Inc. (Chicago). In today's world of ever-increasing outsourcing, the key to ensuring project...

Service with a smile: despite the challenge of working within the government's rules and regulations, today's contracting professionals are making outstanding customer service a top priority.
December 1, 2003... The contracting profession has undergone dramatic changes in the last few years. Gone are the days when contracting professionals were procurement cops, or when they dictated requirements to the customers. Today, the focus is on delighting...

Homeland security contracting--the year in review: a year after the Homeland Security Act of 2002 was enacted, many action items still remain for both the federal government and Congress to pursue, if all the provisions of the Homeland Security Act are to be implemented.
December 1, 2003... One year ago, President Bush signed the Homeland Security Act of 2002 into law, (1) creating the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a cabinet-level agency with a $29.4 billion budget. This agency is dedicated to preventing terrorist attacks...

The incentive-term arrangement: a new strategy for creating value; What do you get when you cross an award-term arrangement with an incentive-fee arrangement? Incentive-term, a quantitative, non-monetary reward that's easy to administer.
December 1, 2003... While much has been written recently about performance-based contracting, we continue to search for novel ways to motivate superior contractor performance. Incentive-term arrangements may be positive or negative; they may be monetary or...

Performance-based contracting in a non-performance-based world: many types of creative and incentive contracts are used to motivate excellent contractor performance. On the surface, this may appear to be just another multiple-incentive fee contract, but it is much more than that.
December 1, 2003... By now, most of us have all heard long, sounding, and monotone broadcasts about how we are supposed to employ performance-based contracting (PBC) methods of procurement wherever possible in federal acquisitions. The Federal Acquisition...

Technical data licensing.(Case Commentary)
December 1, 2003... In April 1992, the regional contracting department of the Naval Supply Center (NSC) in Norfolk, Virginia, published an intent to negotiate a fixed-price contract for the design, development, and manufacture of a quantity of data terminals and...

Procurement Round Table Elmer Staats Award for Young Acquisition Professional Excellence.
December 1, 2003... Each year, the Procurement Round Table, in cooperation with the Federal Acquisition Council, awards $5,000 to a young federal acquisition professional, who has contributed significantly to acquisition operations or acquisition policy: *...

Lynx's OmniCom software: "all things for all people"?(Information Technology)(Lynx Technologies)
December 1, 2003... Based in Norway, Lynx Technologies originally developed the OmniCom software package for the oil and energy industry, where remote locations, joint ventures, and multi-lateral teaming arrangements are the norm. That market required a flexible,...

FedBizOpps: avoid the tedium.(GSA Case Study)
December 1, 2003... Trying to locate procurement announcements and solicitations used to be a tedious task for vendors. Federal Business Opportunities, better known as FedBizOpps, makes on-line searches for procurement information and vendors much easier....

CM magazine 2004 editorial calendar.(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... April--Articles Due: Jan. 1, 2004 Project/Program Management Project teams, life-cycle management, risk management, process reviews, defining a goal, project planning, work breakdown structure, quality, conflict and negotiation, cycle...

Tracking constructive changes.(Best Practices)
December 1, 2003... The one thing that is certain in government contracting is that changes will occur throughout the life of a contract. Every government contract should include a "Changes" clause, which is located under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part...

Teaming agreements: proceed with caution; Both prime contractors and subcontractors should exercise extreme care in negotiating teaming agreements, which are no "light" commitments.(Case Study)
December 1, 2003... Many government contractors routinely compete for government contracts as part of a "team." Sometimes these arrangements are formalized with the execution of a written teaming agreement, and, at other times, the team competes for the contract...

CM solution provider building partner network.(Business News)(contract management )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... In the rapidly growing market for contract management solutions, it is a growing requirement for software vendors to partner with other companies to provide complete solutions to their customers. Upside Software is currently expanding their...

Final Edition.
December 1, 2003... Legislation Bill Regarding Contracting in Iraq Introduced in House Representative Carolyn Maloney has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives to require increased competition and notification of contracting relating to...

The "Iceman Cameth"--a cool visit to NCMA Texans.(NCMA Association News)(National Contract Management Association)(George Gervin)
December 1, 2003... Exceptional individual talent is one thing, but it takes a team to help you reach your goal. That was the message from Hall-of-Famer George "the Iceman" Gervin to members of the NCMA Greater San Antonio and Alamo Chapters, who gathered for a...

South Western Region: making things happen for procurement transformation.(NCMA Association News)(Related Article: 2003-2004 NCMA EVENTS)
December 1, 2003... Transformation is the buzzword of the day. NCMA headquarters is "transforming" to meet their private and public customers' needs. The federal government is transforming acquisition and incorporating "lessons learned" from the acquisition...

Chapter bulletin board.(NCMA Association News)
December 1, 2003... Caption: AROUND THE WORLD In a recent visit to England, National Director Janet Mattson (far left), Bethesda Medical Chapter, visited the mysterious astronomical Stonehenge outside of London, England, with Emily Kough (regulatory affairs...