Professional Certificate in Contract Management/Advanced Contract Management

CM 0017 Effective Negotiation Skills and Techniques – Level II

This course explores advanced negotiation skills that are also applicable to all levels of business interaction. Topics include: multi-levels of communication and their impact on negotiations and business relationships, necessary active listening skills, conflicts due to business disputes and personal interactions, dealing with difficult personalities in negotiations, and the psychological dynamics of how professionals behave and operate to achieve optimal negotiation results.

CM 0018 Acquisition Planning and Solicitation Development

This class will help you develop a successful acquisition strategy, acquisition plan, and source selection plan. This course will discuss acquisition coordination teams, contract planning conferences, and other acquisition documentation. Students will conduct a mock procurement in class. We will define our requirements in a performance-based work statement, write a request for proposal, and develop proposal evaluation criteria. Emphasis will be on federal government requirements of DoD 5000.02, FAR, and DFARS regulations.

CM 0002 Contract Types and Effective Contracting Methodologies

Designed to provide a working knowledge of contract types, grants, and effective contracting methodologies. Students will receive an overview of the contract types most frequently used in federal contracting, including factors in the selection of contract types, applicable contract clauses, as well as the basic principles and limitations governing their use. Course topic will also cover how contracts differ from grants.

CM 0003 Effective Negotiation Skills and Techniques – Level I

Designed to enhance knowledge of negotiations and provide negotiating experience to individuals involved in contract administration, pricing, purchasing, project management, marketing, and engineering. Classes will include a combination of lectures (covering buyer, seller, government, and commercial perspectives) and mock negotiations, seeking to reach agreement on a variety of issues.

CM 0004 Essential Contract Management Techniques

Students will follow the day-to-day management of government and commercial contracts in this course. This will include the review and execution of new contractual authorizations; coping with daily administration matters; obtaining timely and full payments; dealing with contract changes, modifications and terminations; and issuance of subcontracts.

CM 0005 Effective Proposal Writing and Communication

This course will focus on writing effective proposals (cost and business volumes) and other communication topics encountered in the contracting environment. Topics will include effective solicitation review, proposal writing strategies and techniques, proposal review scenarios, and appropriate communication methods for various proposal and contractual situations. A number of case studies and hands-on exercises involving verbal and written communication scenarios will be utilized to emphasize key concepts.

CM 0006 Legal Aspects of Contracts

This course focuses on those legal and regulatory aspects of the government acquisition process important to the creation and administration of contract formation, interpretation, and performance.

CM 0010 Teaming, Partnering and Subcontracting

This course will discuss the strategic and practical aspects of partnering with other companies including the use of a variety of contractual documents to implement these relationships such as teaming agreements, joint ventures, reseller agreements and subcontracts. The applicability of each potential relationship will be addressed along with implementation practices and risks associated in both the government and commercial business sectors. Emphasis will be on strategy and planning necessary for the successful use of each technique, typical negotiation issues and approaches, and keys to successful management of such agreements once established.

CM 0012 Sourcing and Cost/Price Analysis

The emphasis of this course is on how to maximize the use of adequate price competition in the source selection process. It includes how to remove barriers to competition and find qualified, responsible sources, at a fair and reasonable price. In the absence of competition, other price analysis methods and techniques are used to develop contract price objectives and provide a basis for negotiation. Instruction covers the application of cost analysis techniques, when it is performed, and how to analyze specific elements of a suppliers cost. Cost elements include direct material, direct labor, other direct costs, indirect costs, and profit or fee. Using case studies, students will learn about the tools and techniques involved in cost/price analysis.

CM 0016 Financial Management of Government Contracts

What you need to know to establish an auditable accounting system for a government contract and financially manage the contract once it is awarded. This course presents an overview of government cost accounting practices, concepts and controls; government audit and contractor interface relationships, FAR cost principles, TINA, role of DCAA/DCMA, and emerging patterns of government financial policy. The course examines financial and administrative issues related to management of government contracts and funding government contracts including various types of direct and indirect costs for different forms of organizations and operations; elements of indirect rates, billing, fee recovery and final settlement; contract cost principles of allowability, advanced agreements, and disallowance of costs; cost accounting standards, rules, regulations, and contract provisions, including administration of accounting changes and noncompliance actions.

CM 0001 Introduction to Contract Management: Principles of the Acquisition Process

The entire spectrum of the contracting process (market research to contract closeout) at federal, state, commercial, and international levels will be covered. Topics include: past performance, socioeconomic programs, oral proposals, the political process, plus emerging topics. The student will learn the concepts, terminology, and essential rules of contract management. The course will furnish the student with a solid foundation for more advanced studies in contracting.

CM 0013 Intellectual Property and Licensing

San Diego is the "hotbed" of high technology with heavy concentrations of biotech, telecommunication, and defense firms. Many contract managers and procurement professionals encounter intellectual property issues on a daily basis. This course will introduce students to the four areas of intellectual property; patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, and how they interact with the contracting/procurement profession. One class session will specifically address the licensing of intellectual property and technology. Students in this course will be able to directly apply course information to their job or business.

CM 0014 Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Contracting

This course will discuss practical aspects and critical requirements of compliance and ethics within any organization. Emphasis will be on compliance and ethical issues relating to contracting and the statutory and other regulatory requirements of such programs. The course will cover topics such as: creating and maintaining an ethical workplace, Sarbanes-Oxley requirements, Stark and anti-kickback guidelines, federal sentencing guidelines, and federal and state compliance guidance.

CM 0011 International Contracting

The International Contracting class will present a practical look at the complexities of international business contracting and an analysis of the laws and risks inherent in transactions that cross national boundaries. Students will be able to recognize the essential contracting elements and discuss appropriate steps/actions in successfully completing international business transactions. Topics include: what is international contracting, key issues and considerations, challenges involving cultural differences, legal requirements, federal government international contracting, export considerations and processes, and international ethics and crimes.

CM 0019 Fundamentals of the FAR

The objective of this course is to prepare the student to use the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to solve Federal contract management issues. The course will cover the origin of the FAR System, the organization and arrangement of the FAR, agency implementation and supplementation of the FAR, deviations from the FAR, and the incorporation of clauses and provisions. Students will learn techniques for researching, interpreting, and applying the FAR to real-world contracting scenarios. The emphasis of the course will be on the development of practical skills.