Contract Management articles from October 2004

Contract Management archives from October 2004

Beyond management--NCMA leadership.(LEADERSHIP FORUM)
October 1, 2004... "Grant studiously avoided performing any duty which some one else could do as well or better than he.... He was one of the few men holding high position who did not waste valuable hours by giving his personal attention to petty...

How to make yourself three times more likely to get hired.(PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT)(Reprint)
October 1, 2004... This article is reprinted from Quintessential Careers at www.quintcareers.com/get_hired.html. Research done by the executive search industry has shown that the first person interviewed gets the job only 17.6 percent of the time. The last...

STAR interviewing response technique for success in behavioral job interviews.(ProD CORNER)
October 1, 2004... One strategy for preparing for behavioral interviews is to use the STAR technique, as outlined below. This technique is often referred to as the SAR and PAR techniques as well. Read up on this technique, and then try it out with our list...

Contracting professional capabilities: a change in paradigms; The challenge was issued. Mission failure was not an option. The role of the contracting professional clearly needed to change.(Cover Story)
October 1, 2004... Today, a whole new methodology exists in the contracting and acquisition career field, due to downsizing and acquisition reform initiatives in the Department of Defense (DOD). Contracting professionals have to focus their attention on...

T & M contracts: are you sitting on a ticking bomb? T & M contracts are most successful when both parties identify a goal and communicate with each other on the status of funding, schedule, and technical issues.
October 1, 2004... Under the Federal Acquisition [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Regulation (FAR), a time and materials (T & M) contract is defined as "providing for acquiring supplies or services on the basis of (1) direct labor hours at specified fixed hourly...

J-Tech and small business--A successful business model: bundling contracts can be a "win-win" situation for the government, while still providing acquisition opportunities for the nation's small business community.
October 1, 2004... For the Department of Defense (DOD), the consolidation of similar technical support services from multiple small contracts into much larger "bundled" contracts has become common--and necessary--to improve the military's combat readiness in a...

Contractors on the battlefield: a danger for both government and contractor; The growing use of contractors in forward-deployed areas during military operations raises many legal and administrative issues that have the possibility of degrading contractor performance.
October 1, 2004... The use of civilian contractors in a theater of military operations to support the logistics needs of the military services is an old practice. Governments have relied on private citizens and commercial firms from ancient times to the...

Are GAO tests for competitive range determinations still alive? The change in law manifested by the FAR Part 15 rewrite has relegated these GAO tests to the graveyard of procurement law.(general accounting office)
October 1, 2004... Before the rewrite and adoption of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 15, the General Accounting Office (GAO) had "tests" as guidance for competitive range determinations. This article will review the validity of these tests, in light...

Pricing commercial items convenience terminations: while the commercial items clause does not provide for an audit, less intrusive and less time-consuming processes are available.
October 1, 2004... As the use of commercial items contracting procedures increases, even seasoned contracting personnel are facing new challenges when contracts for commercial items are terminated for convenience. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The...

Federal Prison Industries, Inc.: set-asides are no longer mandatory; Companies that have been adversely affected by having products removed from the competitive marketplace and placed on the FPI Schedule should review the proposed, and soon-to-be-finalized regulation.
October 1, 2004... For many years, Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (FPI), which is also referred to as UNICOR, has enjoyed the first priority for manufactured supplies purchased by federal agencies. (For services, FPI has the fourth priority after Workshops for...

Middle-east procurements: making a real difference in Afghanistan.(SPEAKING OUT)
October 1, 2004... When I first arrived in Kabul, loudspeakers attached to the local mosques' minarets sounded the first call to prayer at 4:15 am, urging the faithful to their duty. Muslim clerics set the time seasonally, so first prayer occurs just before...

Delivery default.(CASE COMMENTARY)
October 1, 2004... Beta Engineering, Inc. (Beta), bid on a request for quotations (RFQ) issued by Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP) to manufacture and deliver lock release levers (a.k.a. belt feed levers). These levers are described as "the ammunition...

New Benchmark in procurement management: the World Bank recognized its need for consistency and efficiency as an opportunity and worked to use technology to make that vision spring to life.(CASE STUDY)
October 1, 2004... Contract managers everywhere are faced with limitations imposed by aging, often manual, paper-based procurement processes and systems. Add to this the complexities of supporting a growing vendor and buyer community, tighter budgets, and...

NCMA corporate membership.
October 1, 2004... NCMA corporate members enhance their industry image as premier businesses in the contract management community. Learn how your company can take advantage of our growing resources by joining our corporate members. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Relationships matter: DETERMINE contract performance management solution Release 20.
October 1, 2004... This product was reviewed in August 2004. As a senior purchasing leader, you know that managing strategic supplier relationships can be a difficult and time-consuming endeavor, especially when you do not have access to critical contract...

Maximize the power of your purchase cards.(general service adminstrations)
October 1, 2004... Purchase cards have revolutionized the way the federal government acquires commercial products and services. They are easy to use, accepted virtually worldwide, and save the government more than $1.4 billion a year through administrative...

President Bush signs National Defense Appropriation Act for FY 2005.(Legislation)
October 1, 2004... On August 5, 2004, President George W. Bush signed into law the National Defense Appropriation Act for Fiscal Year 2005 for the Department of Defense (DOD), for procurement to support military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and for other...

DOD, GSA, and NASA issue proposed rule to amend FAR provisions regarding powers of attorney for bid bonds.(Regulations)
October 1, 2004... DOD, General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have issued a proposed rule to add provisions to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) regarding powers of attorney for bid bonds....

DOD issues proposed rule to amend DFARS tax provisions for overseas contracts.(Regulations)
October 1, 2004... DOD has issued a proposed rule to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Subpart 229.70, "Special Procedures for Overseas Contracts," by relocating the provisions allowing contracting officers to obtain tax relief...

DOD issues proposed rule to amend DFARS provisions regarding bonds.(Regulations)
October 1, 2004... DOD has issued a proposed rule to amend DFARS Part 228.105, "Other Types of Bonds," by clarifying text to reflect that fidelity and forgery bonds are authorized for use under certain circumstances and to update a cross-reference at Part...

DOD issues proposed rule to amend DFARS provisions regarding resolution of tax problems.(Regulations)
October 1, 2004... DOD has issued a proposed rule to amend DFARS Part 229.101, "Resolving Tax Problems," by relocating text pertaining to the resolution of tax issues under DOD contracts and tax relief agreements between the U.S. and European governments to the...

NASA issues proposed rule to amend NFS regarding contractor rights in data clauses.(Regulations)
October 1, 2004... NASA has issued a proposed rule to amend the NASA FAR Supplement (NFS), by adding an Alternate III to the "Final Scientific and Technical Reports" clause used in small business innovation (SBIR) and small business technology transfer (STTR)...

Postal service publishes issue three of Postal Service Purchasing Manual.(Regulations)
October 1, 2004... The U.S. Postal Service has issued a final rule to announce the publication of Issue Three of the Postal Service Purchasing Manual. The agency stated that Issue Three implements (1) the best practices of the private and public sectors, (2)...

NCMA Contract Management Learning Center.(National Contract Management Association)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The NCMA Contract Management Learning Center (CMLC) is a virtual community for learning, dedicated to the professional development of private and public contract management professionals. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The CMLC is FREE to...

NCMA National Education Seminar (NES) series: participation at each NES seminar earns you .7 CEUs or 7 CLPs!
October 1, 2004... Best Contracting Practices for Business [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Best Contracting Practices for Business" is for those in government or commercial contracting. This interactive seminar examines and offers best practices in building...

Join up--and count the professional benefits.(NCMA ASSOCIATION NEWS)
October 1, 2004... Almost every profession has at least one group, and many have dozens. Some are very loose affiliations, requiring only that you pay dues to be a member. Others have strict standards, requiring that members pass tests or provide proof of...

World Congress 2005; Prime time: contract management at the core of the enterprise.
October 1, 2004... April 25-27, 2005 * Phoenix Civic Plaza/Hyatt Regency Phoenix * Phoenix, Arizona [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sarbanes-Oxley, homeland security, SAB101, war on terrorism... rarely in history have the headlines been so full of issues and...

A success case: employer support of guard and reserve during war.(NCMA ASSOCIATION NEWS)
October 1, 2004... Upon retiring from the U.S. Army Reserve after 30 years, I volunteered to work with the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). I currently serve as an ombudsman and the chairman of the South Central...

Get the skills you need with the NCMA Audio Seminar Series.
October 1, 2004... Most of us would agree that career training is absolutely essential--especially when you consider new legislation, policy changes, and the latest updates from industry. However, given the demands of day-to-day responsibilities at the office,...

CM magazine 2004 editorial calendar.(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... February -- Articles Due: Nov. 1, 2004 Career Management From entry level, mid-management, and executive-level, how can you advance your contract management career? Continuing education, e-learning, human capital...

New outstanding fellow: an inspiration, an innovator.(National Contract Management Association)
October 1, 2004... "He has been an inspiration to our chapter. He is on call 24 hours a day to answer questions from our Board of Directors and any member of our chapter. I know of no other candidate with his special talents." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Board of directors approves two new fellows at last meeting.(NCMA ASSOCIATION NEWS)
October 1, 2004... Major John "BJ" Sarakatsannis is currently a senior subcontracts manager at Northrop Grumman Space Technology; he has 23 years of experience in the acquisition career field. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, he was a senior project manager...

Around the world.(CHAPTER BULLETIN BOARD)
October 1, 2004... Alison Pine, CPCM, explored the Grand Canyon this summer and caught this breathtaking view from the South Rim. Pine is a member of the LA-South Bay Chapter. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

East central Pennsylvania chapter.(CHAPTER BULLETIN BOARD)
October 1, 2004... These are the proud members of the winning team at the 10th Annual Troy Brown Golf Classic. More than 40 golfers showed for the event, held in honor of Troy Brown, an integral member and leader of this chapter. (Left to right) Dale Brumback,...

Washington, D. C., chapter.(CHAPTER BULLETIN BOARD)
October 1, 2004... At a summer chapter Fellows night--pictured here are the numerous Fellows and NCMA's national "big-hitters" in this chapter. Quite impressive! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The NCMA certification program: the standard of excellence for contract management professionals.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... 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...