ITG Virtual CON 090 November 2018 

Course counts toward requirements for DAWIA Level 1 certification and NCMA ICC-D certification.  The course is current and refelcts all updates made by DAU in 2018.  Please note that although ACE has judged the DAU course to be equivalent to 3 graduate credits, each university has standards and procedures concerning transfer of credits.  ITG can not grant these credits.  Check with your educational institution to learn their policy.

Course Description

CON 090 FAR Fundamentals is a foundational course for new hires that provides a total immersion into the Federal Acquisition Regulation (Parts 1-53) and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). The course will prepare the 21st century acquisition workforce to operate successfully in a web enabled environment.  The objective of the course is to present students with various contracting scenarios and teach them to locate, interpret, and apply the appropriate acquisition regulations.  At the completion of the course students will demonstrate mastery of this objective.  In order to maintain our DAU equivalency designation, we are required to teach the DFARS.

   Delivery Method

23 Week Course.

The course is structured into weekly lessons.  Each lesson addresses specific functions associated with the 1102 job duties and walks participants through the contracting process beginning with Acquisition Planning and concluding with Contract Management.  The lesson consists of providing students with a firm foundation and an overview of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) System and the 53 Parts of the FAR.

In each subsequent week, students will complete homework that they will upload to CourseSites for grading by their instructor.  Homework will require students to visit the FAR and conduct research to answer various questions and provide a correct citation to the appropriate source (FAR/DFARS, Class Deviations).   Students will also engage in online discussions with other students concerning course exercises designed to introduce the students to real-world scenarios that they will face day-to-day performing as 1102s.  Students will complete exercises and review scenarios that require them to develop either a conclusion, approach or plan that is based on finding relevant guidance in the FAR, assessing what the guidance means, how it applies, what options the information presents and the correct course of action to take. 

At the conclusion of the 23 weeks, the students have progressed through the levels of  Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive learning as revised in 2001 and presented below. 

The course schedule follows. 

 Course Schedule

Weeks 1, 2 & 3

Terminal Learning Objective.  Using Web-based resources, apply the policies and procedure in the FAR, DFARS, PGI and DOD class deviations to a given acquisition.            

This three-week multifaceted lesson immerses students in to FAR research and provides the firm foundation that they need to succeed in the challenging CON 090.

Week 4

Terminal Learning Objective.  Using Web-based resources, determine the requirements of the acquisition planning process as mandated by law and implemented by regulation.     

Week 5

Terminal Learning Objectives.  Using Web-based resources, determine the policies and procedures for acquisitions from required and preferred sources of supplies and services.  Using Web-based resources, determine the competition requirements for a given acquisition.

Week 6

Terminal Learning Objectives.  Using Web-based resources, determine a permissible method of contracting for a given acquisition.  Using Web-based resources, describe the types of contract that may be used in acquisitions.

Week 7

Terminal Learning Objectives.  Using Web-based resources, determine the policies and procedures for describing agency needs.  Using Web-based resources, determine the policies and procedures for publicizing contract opportunities.

Week 8

Terminal Learning Objective.  Using Web-based resources, determine the applicability of socioeconomic programs to a given acquisition

Weeks 9, 10 & 11

Terminal Learning Objective.  Identify the legal principles used by courts and boards of contract appeals to determine whether the Government has entered into a relationship involving one or more promises

This three-week lesson includes introduction to the principles of offer and consideration and includes an exercise and a quiz.

Weeks 10, 11 & 12

Terminal Learning Objective.  Using Web-based resources, determine the policies and procedure for soliciting offers

This three-week lesson includes reading, research, individual and group exercises, and online forum discussion questions that immerse students in the process of preparing a solicitation, and selecting solicitation provisions and contract clauses using FAR prescriptions based on scenarios.

Week 13

Terminal Learning Objective.  Using Web-based resources, determine the policies and procedures for evaluating bids.

Week 14

Terminal Learning Objectives.  Using Web-based resources, determine the policies and procedures for evaluating competitive proposals and having exchanges with offerors after receipt of proposals.  Using Web-based resources, determine the policies for making contract awards.

Week 15

Terminal Learning Objectives.  Using Web-based resources, determine the policies and procedures for protests.  Using Web-based resources determine the policies and procedures for the use of simplified acquisition procedures.

Week 16      

Terminal Learning Objective.  Using Web-based resources, determine the policies and procedures for the initiation of work

Weeks 17 & 18

Terminal Learning Objective.  Using Web-based resources, determine the policies and procedures for managing contractor performance

Week 19

Terminal Learning Objectives.  Using Web-based resources, determine the policies and procedures for preparing and processing contract modifications. Using Web-based resources, determine the policies and procedures for payment.

Week 20

Terminal Learning Objectives. Using Web-based resources, determine the policies for processing contract disputes and appeals. Using Web-based resources, determine the policies and procedures for termination and closing out Government contract.

Weeks 21 - 23

Students demonstrate their mastery of FAR research, analysis and application by selecting a problems or issue in contracting, acquisition or procurement and proposing solutions and options by preparing a research paper.  The research paper allows the student to demonstrate their ability to evaluate a situation and create a range of appropriate solutions and strategies based on the information contained in the FAR.