Revised 04/2024

CON 104 - Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Fundamentals I (3 CR.)

Course Description

Part I of II. Covers Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Fundamentals (Parts 1-53) and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). Introduces the following basic principles of government contracting: Basic government contracting by using the FAR and DFARS; and Contract Acquisition Planning. Part I of II/

Lecture 3 hours. Total 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

Provide the student with foundational knowledge of government acquisition processes and immerse the student in the FAR and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). The course is intended for beginning contract officers and students who are just entering a Contract Management program. Uses the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited Contract Management Standard (CMS) developed by the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) as a foundation and framework for understanding the FAR and its alignment to the CMS within the federal acquisition lifecycle.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

None.

Course Objectives

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

  • Apply policies and procedures in the FAR, DFAR and other rules and regulations to a given acquisition.
  • Determine the requirements of the acquisition planning process as mandated by law and implemented by regulation.
  • Determine the policies and procedures for acquisition from required and preferred sources of supplies and services.
  • Determine the extent of competition needed to execute a given acquisition.
  • Determine the permissible method of contracting for a given acquisition.
  • Apply and describe the type of contract that may be utilized in a given procurement action.
  • Describe the policies and procedures for describing a federal agency's needs.
  • Apply policies and procedures for publicizing contract opportunities.
  • Determine the applicability of labor laws and other socioeconomic programs to given acquisition.
  • Apply policy and procedures for properly soliciting offers (i.e. assigning contract line items, proper contract clauses, amendment solicitations)
  • Students also will be capable of identifying the legal principles used by the courts and board of contract appeals to determine whether the Government has entered into a relationship involving one or more enforceable contracts.

Major Topics to Be Included

  • The Federal Acquisition Regulation
  • Competition in Contracting Act
  • Developing Acquisition Plans
  • Types of Contracts
  • Socioeconomic Policies
  • Manage Contract Performance
  • Evaluating Competitive Offers
  • Small Business Programs
  • Market Research policies
  • Performance Based Acquisition methods
  • Domestic Preference Policies
  • Labor Laws-Davis Bacon Act and Service Contract Act
  • Sealed Bid
  • Contract by Negotiations
  • Pricing Arrangements
  • Simplified Acquisition Procedures
  • Developing Requirements Documents