Description: 

This course provides a valuable overview of the unique complexities of developing price proposals in the U.S. Federal contracting market. Whether you are new to contracting or a pricing expert, this certificate course will provide an engaging and accessible space to learn the basics of cost principles, fair and reasonable pricing, cost and pricing data, cost and price analysis, related regulatory requirements and more. While geared toward sellers preparing cost proposals, this course offers valuable across-the-table perspective for buyers to understand seller incentives and for sellers to catch a glimpse into how their prices will be reviewed.   

Come prepared to participate in this interactive certificate course full of contextualized instruction and hands-on problem solving! You’ll finish with a toolkit to supplement your day-to-day work and expanded knowledge in cost, pricing, and proposals.  

The program takes place over four days for 2.5 hours each day on Zoom. At the end of the program, you will receive a certificate of completion and a digital badge you can share on LinkedIn and elsewhere.? Attendance at all four sessions is required to receive the Certificate of Completion and the digital badge. 

Intended Audience:

• Sellers and businesses looking to sell to the U.S. Federal Government and/or prime contractors. 
• Buyers seeking to understand seller perspectives and how prices are developed. 
• Current or prospective contracting professionals working in government and industry seeking hands-on exploration of cost and pricing concepts, tools, and techniques. 
• New or prospective contract management professionals and students  
• Anyone seeking to build practical knowledge of the fundamentals of cost and pricing in the U.S. Federal contracting environment.   

Learning Outcomes:

• Outline the fundamental principles and regulations associated with cost and pricing, including: CAS, fair and reasonable pricing, cost allowability, and data requirements.
• Compare techniques and methodologies for preparing and reviewing cost proposals.
• Develop a cost proposal informed by market research, internal business needs, and government requirements.
• Distinguish between cost and price.
• Compare methods used by the U.S. Federal Government to evaluate complete proposals. 

Schedule:

• Monday, June 3rd - Thursday,June 6th
• Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM each day
• NOTICE: This is a 4-day virtual event and you must attend all days to receive credit

Topics of Conversation:

• Day 1: Regulations, Compliance, and Cost Principles
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Regulatory environment
  • CAS and cost principles
  • Internal policies and procedures
  • Estimating system adequacy
  • Data requirements
• Day 2: Developing Winning Cost Proposals
  • Cost proposal development models
  • Cost proposal compliance and review models: Proposal compliance plan, RFP shredding, Proposal adequacy checklist, Color team reviews
  • Pricing to win in the federal space: Market research
  • Impacts on pricing methodology: Contract types, Competitive vs. non-competitive
• Day 3: How Buyers Analyze Proposals
  • Cost vs. price
  • Buyer proposal analysis process
  • The price analysis process
  • Competition pricing analysis
  • Historical pricing analysis
  • Economic price adjustments
• Day 4: Price Analysis Methods
  • Parametric pricing analysis
  • Market research price analysis
  • Independent estimate price analysis
  • Analysis of information other than certified cost or pricing data

Credits:  

• 10.0 CPE/CLP

Cost:  

• $936 member / $1194 non-member
• Membership + Certificate Course Bundle: $1106
  • Take advantage of this bundle and save on course fees and become a member of NCMA
  • Membership will activate after the course.

• After registration, to access your course, visit My Virtual Training.  
• *Note: you must be logged into your NCMA profile to access your courses on My Virtual Training. 

Connectivity Requirements:

• This training is conducted through My Virtual Training and presented via Zoom. 
• To have all the zoom features available during the live virtual training, we recommend using the most up-to-date version of Zoom for your system.
• System Requirements can be found here.