Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center Publishes Technical Data and Computer Software Handbook (Aug. 28, 2015)

The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s newly revised handbook entitled Acquiring and Enforcing the Government’s Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software Under Department of Defense Contracts: A Practical Handbook for Acquisition Professionals, has numerous space acquisition examples throughout. It’s a very practical handbook to acquiring technical data and computer software rights at every stage of a system’s life cycle—a critical consideration in controlling life cycle costs.

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EVM 101, Fundamentals of Earned Value Management (August 12, 2015)

The Defense Acquisition University launched a new version of EVM 101, Fundamentals of Earned Value Management (EVM), on Aug. 5, 2015. This new version is a major revision of the existing course, with a completely new design that features six modules instead of the previous 20 lessons. EVM 101 focuses on the use of EVM in the government program management office. The Office of the Secretary of Defense, Performance Assessments and Root Cause Analyses (PARCA) Earned Value Management staff participated in the development process at key review points. It includes the most up-to-date DoD EVM policy and guidance on the use of EVM as a program management tool. The new version enhances the student learning experience through the use of graphical examples and videos to help students understand key points, as well as a notional major acquisition program government program office storyline. To address the various functional disciplines that need to apply EVM on the job, the course design includes discussion of how different functional disciplines might use EVM. This course is ready to meet the learning needs of the various defense acquisition career fields that use EVM. Review a course description of the new EVM 101 at http://icatalog.dau.mil/onlinecatalog/courses.aspx?crs_id=1907.

Contracting in the U.S. Department of Defense is complicated. Imagine doing so in a foreign country or a disaster zone, with multiple services, in multiple languages, and potentially during a war—that’s contingency contracting.

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Defense Acquisition University academic partner, Capella University, announces multiple scholarship opportunities for DAU students, active servicemembers, National Guard members, and civilian employees of the Department of Defense affiliated with DAU.

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Erin Miller, Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Career Manager

The Naval Postgraduate School has obtained DAU equivalency for the courses listed in the table below for the Master of Acquisition & Contract Management-815/835 Curricular Program. The Dec. 23, 2014, memo signed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy-Acquisition and Procurement Elliot Branch and the previous Defense Acquisition Career Manager Rene Thomas-Rizzo, “Extension—Fulfillment for Acquisition & Contracting Course via Graduate Education at the NPS through March 31, 2015” has expired. Upon graduation, students may individually apply for “equivalency” for specific courses completed as they are considered acceptable towards meeting current acquisition career field certification training requirements by following the process in the Department of the Navy Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Operating Guide dated June 24, 2014, Chapter 13, section 13.9.

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The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) is sponsoring an offering of the Defense Systems Acquisition Management (DSAM) course Jan. 24–29, 2016, at the Tampa Marriott Westshore in Tampa, Florida.

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