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Description
Overview
The two-day seminar will cover the cost reimbursement type contract (cost plus fixed fee completion), the most common type of USAID contract. Using a recent USAID solicitation, the facilitator will walk participants through each section and clause and explain their relevance to the phase of the award: responsible prospective contractor, contract administration, modification, performance evaluation, close-out, and audit. The seminar will also explain the application of FAR/AIDAR cost principles (e.g., salaries, allowances, travel and per diem), performance evaluations, geographic codes, consent to subcontract, grants under contracts and close-out). The facilitator will also cover the USAID’s Automated Directives System and how to manage revisions and their application to the contract.
Content and Objectives
- What are the essential contract compliance requirements to receive an USAID contract?
- How to be proactive to establishing and implementing a contract compliance strategy?
- What are the cost principles of the FAR and AIDAR and how to interpret them?
- How to find the critical compliance requirements in the solicitation and award document?
- What are the contract clauses for personnel, allowances, travel, and transportation?
- What are the requirements for consent to subcontract and grants under contracts?
- How to receive an outstanding contractor evaluation?
- What are the restricted, ineligible, and geographical codes for goods and services?
- What is required for a contract modification?
Prerequisites
Complete online questions when you register. If possible, bring a Request for Proposal and laptop to access the internet for classroom exercises.
Registration
Course Duration – 2-days, 9:00am-5:00pm
Who Should Attend
The seminar can be useful for staff involved in business development, finance, contract administration, sub-grant & sub-contract awards, audit, and close-out. The seminar is designed and presented to meet the needs of participants from entry level to senior level.
After the Course
Participants will be able to research and interpret applicable FAR and AIDAR clauses and how they impact proposal development, contract administration, modifications, extensions, and close-out.
I enjoyed Chris’s years of in-depth experience with USAID and found Development Essentials unique in that the focus is on USAID, and not USG in general. He was able to provide a solid foundation on how to manage a contract and the key differences between it and grants. He will be a great resource going forward and glad I took the class.
I participated in 2 courses with Development Essentials: USAID Contracts Compliance for Success and USAID Grants Policies and Procedures. What stood out the most about Chris’s teaching of the information is that he framed it as the art of compliance, and it truly can be an art. Though I came into the course certified as a USAID COR/AOR and having years of experience working with both contracts and grants, both courses highlighted updated regulation changes, as well the inside USAID perspective of such, which was invaluable. Chris brought in real life examples from his many years of experience, as well linked the information to the current work of all the participants. He was also very flexible in adjusting his teaching depending on the level of experience each participant had in this area and never hesitated to answer any question. I highly recommend these courses for anyone working with USAID contracts and grants.
This is a great course, If you are new to the contracting field and would like to learn more about regulations and solicitation process, then this the right course for you. I took this course and learned a a lot.
Definitely worth the time and expense; I wish I had taken the course years earlier.
The course content includes al aspects of contracting for USAID projects covering a vast number of regulations and procedures of contract executions in compliance with the US government rules and regulations.
The materials are detailed and the instructor (Chris) knowledge and experience are excellent.
Definitely worth the time and expense; I wish I had taken the course years earlier.
The course content includes al aspects of contracting for USAID projects covering a vast number of regulations and procedures of contract executions in compliance with the US government rules and regulations.
The materials are detailed and the instructor (Chris) knowledge and experience are excellent.
Many people have recommended this course to me, so I was very excited to attend and it did not disappoint! I thought it was a very helpful, informative and well thought out course. The information provided covered many different regulations, requirements and compliance when working with USAID. As well, it was great to have the perspective from the government side and the private side. Chris is very knowledgeable and always made sure to answer everyone’s questions. I highly recommend this course to help understand the compliance requirements when working with USAID!
Chris was a great trainer, I attended the 2 day Contracts Compliance for Success and I learnt a lot. He made the rules and regulations seem easy and manageable by demystifying most of the requirements bu SAID. The course was participatory and very interesting.
I would recommend that if there are an adequate number of applicants, maybe to have a separate class for NGOs and one for commercial entities which would allow the teams to dig deeper into what directly concerns them based on the type of their organization.
Chris’ knowledge of USG regs combined with his experience supporting USAID contract awardees made this training both highly informative and applicable. I am new to USAID acquisition financing mechanisms and this two day overview of key regulations and compliance topics was incredibly valuable. In particular, I really appreciated the way Chris made an effort to understand the work and experience of each of the course participants in order to demonstrate where and how specific elements were relevant to each of us. This meant that we were not just learning theory, but how to implement it for successful execution of USAID contracts.
I am new working with USAID contracts so this course provided me with a lot of useful information. I feel that moving forward topics discussed in the course will come up and I will be more prepared to deal with them. Chris definitely has a lot of knowledge and experience to share and is more than willing to impart what he knows to help anyone navigate the field.
I got a lot out of this course, including a number of helpful resources and a better sense of what demands arise from laws / regs, vs those coming from preferences of a prime contractor or grantee. Thanks Chris.
I have attended this course in February 2018 in Virginia. It has been a very detailed and comprehensive look at the USAID contracts compliance. The course covered many nuanced aspects of dealing with contracts and understanding the best practices. It has been valuable knowledge acquired. Anyone working with USAID contracts and hesitating about the compliance, this is the course to do!
This course is very good course for people who are looking to learn about government contracts. Chris O’Donnell has a lot of knowledge and experience. This training strengthened my knowledge and skills on contracts management issues, and helped me in interpreting many FAR articles and clauses. Chris met my expectation in this training, and was able to help me find answers for my questions in the FAR. I highly recommend this training.
I attended this training in December 2017 in Virginia, U.S. The trainer Chris O’Donnell is a seasoned USAID contracting officer with a lot of knowledge and experience in USAID Contracts around the world. I found this class to be very productive and informative and I learnt so many rules and regulations and methods of approaching USAID that I would otherwise have not come across with. I recommend this training for staff of contractors at every level specifically for Compliance Managers, COP’s and Finance Managers.
I had a great opportunity to attend this course in September 2017.The purpose of my training was to update my government contracts knowledge, also to maintain a company (Federal Contractor) USAID contracts compliance program. The training course provided by Mr. O’Donnell met all my expectations, as the course is designed as a very valuable resource to assist contractors in managing efficient compliance program. The course covered many areas of specific complexities, also practical guidance based on USAID experience and recommendations for appropriate actions.
I had the opportunity to participate in the course organized in July 2017 in Nairobi. This highly detailed course has allowed me to significantly strengthen and deepen my knowledge and skills on contract management processes in accordance with USAID procedures and policies. The training methods used by Chris are mainly based on practical cases studies. In summary, Chris is an excellent facilitator and has extensive experience on matters related to USAID contract procedures and policies. I highly recommend this course to any Chief of party, Deputy Chief of Party, Country Directors, Senior Finance Officer, and Award Manager from any development organization involved in the administration of USAID contracts.
I had the opportunity to participate in this course organized in July 2017 in Nairobi. This highly detailed course has allowed me to significantly strengthen and deepen my knowledge and skills on contract management processes in accordance with USAID procedures and policies. The training methods used by Chris are mainly based on practical cases studies. In summary, Chris is an excellent facilitator and has extensive experience on matters related to USAID contract procedures and policies. I highly recommend this course to any Chief of party, Deputy Chief of Party, Country Directors, Senior Finance Officer, and Award Manager from any development organization involved in the administration of USAID contracts.
I had the opportunity to participate in this course organized in July 2017 in Nairobi. This highly detailed course has allowed me to significantly strengthen and deepen my knowledge and skills on contract management processes in accordance with USAID procedures and policies. The training methods used by Chris are essentially based on practical cases studies. In summary Chris is an excellent facilitator and has extensive experience on matters related to USAID contract procedures and policies. I highly recommend this course to any Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, Country Directors, Senior Finance and Administration Officer, and Awards Manager from any organizations involved in the administration of USAID contracts.
The course is very helpful and has enabled my understanding on the application of the FAR and AIDAR clauses in the awarded contract which are major compliance requirements effecting project implementation, financial management, audit and close-out. The instructor is highly experienced and the course materials are very relevant to the course. The learning experience was fun because of the relevant experiences and interactive discussions we had.
It is quite rare to get an opportunity to engage such a seasoned Contracting Officer. The course captures and articulates all the critical aspects of contract management from solicitation to close out. One can not over emphasis the value that this course offers especially given the increased inclination towards contracts as the preferred procurement mechanism. The interactions/ questions and live examples will strengthen one’s clarity with regards to Contracts management. I would absolutely encourage any practitioner to attend this course for greater compliance.
I attended a training by Chris in Nairobi in July 2017 and Chris came across as very knowledgeable on USAID rules and regulations on contract management. He breaks down and articulates the regulations so well. He is also up-to date on new regulations. I highly recommend this course for both Finance, and non-financial personnel.
The course is full of helpful resources. The instructor Is highly experienced in USAID contracts, and is capable of addressing all questions.
The course is presented in an interactive manner, which makes it an interesting learning experience.