Contract Management articles from December 2005

Contract Management archives from December 2005

Delivering value.(LEADERSHIP FORUM)(National Contract Management Association )
December 1, 2005... Networking, sharing information, and learning about contract management trends, technology, best practices, and updates on legislation that affect you day to day.... that is what being part of NCMA is all about. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Caring managers keep customers happy.(PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
December 1, 2005... "Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game. Service wins the game." --Tony Alessandra Competition is fierce regardless of what business you're in; prudent companies study their competitors, spend money on...

Fire your customer: stop wasting your time on the customers who really don't appreciate you, and you will find the time to develop more of the customers who are a joy to work with, and who, in turn, will refer more customers like themselves to you.(Cover Story)
December 1, 2005... Editor's Note: A related article will appear on this topic in the January 2006 issue. "In the last economy, owning capacity was your source of strategic control. Today, there tends to be overcapacity around the world. What's critical...

Searching for honor: trends in federal acquisition ethics; Has there been a change in the ethical beliefs and attitudes among CPCMs over the past 15 years? Survey says ...
December 1, 2005... Reports of ethics failures in the public sector are frequently in the news, despite numerous laws and codes of conduct that define acceptable behavior. However, there is little discussion or research about the factors that actually affect...

Building business relationships through value: as more and more companies focus on becoming solution-centric organizations, many of them are turning to customer relationship management systems to boost their bottom line.
December 1, 2005... Building successful customer relationships begins with understanding customers' business needs and aligning this understanding with the value that your offering provides. Customers recognize the advantages of, and continue to seek long-term...

Contracting for supplies and services in the federal government: the "down and dirty"; How does a novice navigate these treacherous bureaucratic waters and actually contract for simple supplies or services?
December 1, 2005... Ask any contracting officer in your organization how long it will take to award a contract for any requirement, and rest assured that whatever response you receive will include the words: "It depends." More likely than not, you'll walk away...

E-courses.
December 1, 2005... With the support of our new on-line learning partner, VCampus, we are proud to offer you virtual courses to support the NCMA Certification Program. On-line learning is a flexible, affordable, and effective way to meet your continuing education...

Performance-based payments: FASA's stepchild grows up; Despite its early successes, critics still debate the pros and cons of PBPs.
December 1, 2005... Introduction Created by the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 (FASA), performance-based payments (PBPs) are the latest type of contract financing available to federal government contractors. FASA mandated a number of...

World Congress 2006; Achieving high performance in global business: leadership, outsourcing, & risk management.
December 1, 2005... Attend this event for the opportunity to network, share information, and learn about contract management trends, technology, best practices, and updates on legislation that affect your day-to-day job. Keynote Presenters Janet...

ADR for Air Force contracts: precision-guided solutions right on target; Six years have passed since the advent of the Air Force "ADR First" policy. Results show that contractors have much to benefit and nothing to lose by electing to use ADR.(Alternative Dispute Resolution)(methods of conflict resolution mangement of United States. Airforce)
December 1, 2005... "I was never ruined but twice: once when I lost a lawsuit, and once when I won." --Voltaire With the advent of the "ADR First" policy in 1999, U.S. Air Force contract dispute strategy evolved into a creative quest for mutually...

Overreaching contract requirements.(CASE COMMENTARY)(Rio Construction Corporation)(Antilles Construction Office of the United States )
December 1, 2005... On September 21, 2001, Rio Construction Corporation (Rio) contracted with the Antilles Construction Office of the United States (U.S. Antilles) to construct a flood control project at Rio Grande De Manati, in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, for a...

Bill authorizing appropriations for the DOD passes in the Senate.(Legislation)(Department of Defense)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... On October 7, 2005, the Senate passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2006 (the "Act"). Items in the Act relevant to procurement include, inter alia, Section 8029, which provides certain "Buy American" requirements with respect...

The Gulf Coast Recovery and Disaster Preparedness Act of 2005 is introduced in the Senate.(Legislation)
December 1, 2005... On October 6, 2005, Senator Judd Gregg introduced the Gulf Coast Recovery and Disaster Preparedness Act of 2005 (the "Act") that would establish the Gulf Coast Recovery and Disaster Preparedness Agency to rebuild the infrastructure of the Gulf...

Gulf Coast Small Business Recovery Act introduced in the House.(Legislation)
December 1, 2005... On October 6, 2005, Representative Bobby Jindal introduced the "Gulf Coast Small Business Recovery Act" (the "Act"). According to the text of the proposed legislation, the Act provides priority in federal contracting for businesses in areas...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue final rule emphasizing the requirement to place orders for architect-engineer services that are consistent with the FAR.(Regulations)
December 1, 2005... DOD, General Services Administration ("GSA"), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration ("NASA") have issued a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation ("FAR") to implement Section 1427(b) of the Services Acquisition...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue final rule amending the FAR to implement the Anti-Lobbying Statute.(Regulations)
December 1, 2005... DOD, GSA, and NASA have issued a final rule amending FAR Section 3.802 to implement the Anti-Lobbying Statute and make minor changes to the interim rule issued in 1990. (See 55 Fed. Reg. 3190, 1/30/90). The changes made to the interim rule...

DOD, GSA, and NASA propose rule to include the process of validating a CCR registrant's tax ID number with the IRS.(Regulations)
December 1, 2005... DOD, GSA, and NASA have proposed a rule to amend the FAR to include the process of validating a Central Contractor Registration ("CCR") registrant's taxpayer identification number ("TIN") with the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"). A...

DOD issues final rule amending the DFARS in order to improve billing and payment instructions in DOD contracts.(Regulations)
December 1, 2005... DOD has issued a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations Supplement ("DFARS") that the agency claims will result in improved payment and billing instructions for DOD contracts. According to the agency, the purpose behind...

DHS issues interim rule establishing uniform administrative procedures for implementing the program fraud civil remedies act of 1986.(Regulations)
December 1, 2005... DHS has issued an interim rule that will provide a uniform, department-wide administrative process for assessing civil penalties and recovering funds that were procured by fraud under departmental programs. The interim rule replaces the...

DOL issues final rule modifying OFCCP applicant recordkeeping requirements.(Regulations)
December 1, 2005... The Department of Labor's ("DOL") Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs ("OFCCP") has issued a final rule modifying OFCCP recordkeeping requirements to address challenges presented by the use of the Internet and other electronic data...

December 2005 Audio Seminar: how to sell IT to the government without killing your commercial margins.
December 1, 2005... Register Today: www.ncmahq.org/education/audio.asp [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Registration Fee: $150.00 December 15, 2005, Noon to 1:30 PM ET A GREAT DEAL HAS BEEN WRITTEN about "Selling to the Government." Very little of it deals...

The passing of a beloved icon.(NCMA ASSOCIATION NEWS)(W. Macfarlan)(Obituary)
December 1, 2005... The NCMA community is mourning the loss of W. "Greg" Macfarlan, a giant in the contract management profession, who passed away October 23 at age 76. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Remembered as a scholar, gentleman, and teacher whose...

Cravens Award recogizes Huntsville member's passion for NCMA.(NCMA ASSOCIATION NEWS)(Doyle McBride)(National Contract Management Association )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... NCMA is pleased to announce Doyle McBride of the Huntsville Chapter as the recipient of the prestigious James E. Cravens Membership Award for the 2004-2005 program year. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Cravens Award is bestowed to a member...

Procurement Round Table 2006: Elmer B. Staats Young Acquisition Professional Excellence Award.
December 1, 2005... For the fourth year, the Procurement Round Table, in cooperation with the senior procurement executives, will award $5,000 to a young federal acquisition professional who has contributed significantly to acquisition operations or acquisition...

2004-2005 Graalman winners announced.(NCMA ASSOCIATION NEWS)(National Contract Management Association )
December 1, 2005... The chapters were hard at work during the 2004-2005 program year, as evidenced by the Graalman submissions. A total of 41 chapters submitted an application for the annual Walter R. Graalman Award, named after its founder, Walter R. Graalman,...

The NCMA certification program: the standard of excellence for contract management professionals.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... You made a smart decision when you obtained NCMA professional certification--now protect your career investment. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Your NCMA certification designation has afforded you a mark of distinction and demonstrates not...

Award nominations.(NCMA ASSOCIATION NEWS)
December 1, 2005... Charles J. Delaney Memorial Award Nominations Due 12/31/2005 Nominate your favorite 2005 article from CM magazine! Main criteria for best article * Timeliness, * Relevance and usefulness, and * Importance to professional...

CM magazine 2006 editorial calendar.(Calendar)
December 1, 2005... April -- Articles Due: January 1, 2006 Project/Program Management Project teams, life-cycle management, risk management, process reviews, defining a goal, project planning, work breakdown structure, quality, conflict and negotiation,...

Commerical contract management best practices take center stage in Atlanta.(NCMA ASSOCIATION NEWS)
December 1, 2005... NCMA 5th Annual COMMERCIAL Contract Management Conference Make the Connection: Your Customers, Suppliers, and Partners While thoughts of fall often turn to colorful foliage and family festivities, this season's headline event was the...

Win $5,000 with the ESI International Contracting Award.
December 1, 2005... Once again, in 2006, NCMA and ESI International, in cooperation with the contracting community, will award $5,000 to a commercial or government contracts professional who has contributed significantly to acquisition operations or acquisition...

NCMA 2005 National Education Seminars (NES) series.(National Contract Management Association )
December 1, 2005... NEW! Performance-Based Acquisition DATES AND LOCATIONS National Date: 12/7/2005 Site: Sheraton Premiere Hotel Tysons Corner, VA Registrar: Denise Richards 800-344-8096, ext. 408 drichards@ncmahq.org ...

Huntsville: learning together.(NCMA Chapter Profile)(National Contract Management Association )(economic conditions of huntsville )
December 1, 2005... Huntsville, Alabama, was still a cotton market town of 16,437 people in 1950 when U.S. Sen. John Sparkman brought a band of German rocket scientists to Redstone Arsenal to develop rockets for the U.S. Army. By the end of the decade, Wernher von...

Finger lakes chapter.(CHAPTER BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2005... From left to right: Rose Gazarek, director, NCMA Board; Rollo Clark, retired; and Paul Wilson, Harris RF Communications and dinner speaker gather at a chapter meeting. Gazarek and 39-year member Clark eagerly await Wilson's dinner presentation...

Texoma chapter.(CHAPTER BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2005... The Texoma Chapter recently held a meeting during which new officers and committee chairs were installed. Back row, from left, Rose Marie Fidelie, Hazell Barnes, Laura McRee, Vickie Sullivan, Colleen Phipps, Mark Snyder; front row Edwin...

Norfolk, Virginia-area chapter.(CHAPTER BULLETIN BOARD)
December 1, 2005... Treasurer Andy Slizewski (seated) and secretary Beverly Arviso welcome Dick Ydoyaga, vice president, Preferred Systems Solutions to the year's first dinner meeting, which was on Alaska Native Corporations. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]