CSCM Program (Certified Schedules Contract Manager)

Benefits of the CSCM Program accrue to both participants and employers.

Employers benefit with employees skilled in the nuances of the Federal Supply Schedule Program, which facilitates stellar contract administration while simultaneously reducing a company’s risk for non-compliance. CSCM candidates receive training in the critical areas of Business Integrity, Code of Conduct, Trade Agreements Act compliance, the Price Reductions Clause, Basis of Award, subcontract management, contract closeout, and the all-important application of labor laws to government acquisition. CSCM training can reduce the contractor’s reliance on consultants and others in administering and renewing their Federal Supply Schedule Contracts.

CSCM participants benefit from the well-rounded training which provides them with the knowledge and confidence not only to hands-on administer Federal Supply Schedule contracts, but to support their employers in other Federal procurement transactions, such as open market procurements. Additionally, the CSCM certification recognizes the knowledge, skills, and abilities of those successfully completing the program, as they become a member of a professional community which continues to benefit from relationships and networking established during the program with fellow participants and Centre’s instructors.

There are no experience requirements for CSCM certification. Many participants came to the CSCM program as their respective work duties increased to include responsibility for or involvement in the administration of their company’s Federal Supply Schedule Contract, and involvement in open market procurements. Although no work experience is required, successful CSCMs have good organizational skills and demonstrate the ability to understand complex issues covered by Federal statute and regulation, and to assume more progressively responsible positions and assignments.

When budgets are tight, training is often among the first items to be cut. Employers must carefully weigh training for the return on the investment. The costs of the CSCM Program pale in comparison to the cost of non-compliance under a Federal Supply Schedule Contract. Non-compliance can result in a poor Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) assessment, contract termination, and perhaps even lead to suspension and debarment depending on how egregious the non-compliance. Failure to comply with the Trade Agreements Act could potentially result in enforcement, to include civil and criminal penalties under the False Claims Act. A company’s Federal Supply Schedule Contract is a significant company asset and should be protected as all company assets are. An investment in the CSCM Program is an investment in the company’s Federal Supply Schedule Contract’s administration. Although the cost of non-compliance may never be known or realized, it must be avoided at all cost.

No, you may substitute this for another class. This is a frequently asked question. We strongly encourage everyone to take Federal Contracting Basics. We all like to think that as we advance in our careers we have learned everything needed from the basics. But even seasoned acquisition professionals tell us this training is beneficial to them—especially given the dynamic and ever-changing nature of legislation and implementing regulations. Currency is critical in the acquisition profession. Participants who bypass the basics can find themselves in situations where they are not on par with their fellow participants which detracts from the training experience. The basics provide a great foundation on which to build a great acquisition professional.

The registration fee is $300.

Register here: https://centrelawgroup.com/membership/cscm-program-certified-schedules-contract-manager/

This will depend largely on the participant’s needs, objectives, and goals. There is a sufficient variety of classes to meet a wide spectrum of training needs and interests.

Centre’s flagship event, Annual Review: Hot Issues in Federal Contracting, provides everything you need to know to stay current in the ever-changing field of government contracts. This one-day event serves as a refresher on the developments in contracting over the past year and as an opportunity to network with your peers. The fast-paced agenda hosts a series of distinguished speakers and panelists, both from government and industry, covering vital topics to help prepare you for business growth in the upcoming year and beyond. Targeted, interest-specific breakout sessions will fill the afternoon with topics covering GSA and VA Schedule updates, Trends in Bid Protests, Legal Compliance Issues, FAR Updates, small business program updates, and more. This event has grown significantly over the years but is uniquely personal.

Currency in any profession is important but is especially critical in the acquisition profession. Even the Federal government has continuing education requirements for its acquisition professionals, and the CSCM Program recognizes this need as well. Centre’s Annual Review provides a comprehensive training forum meeting the needs of re-certification. In fact, many CSCMs attend this event each year—notwithstanding the biennial re-certification requirement.

GSA does not provide contract administration benefits to its contractors based on the qualifications or certifications of the contractor’s contract administrators. The benefit to contractors from CSCM certification is having trained contract administrator(s) nuanced in the administration of Federal Supply Schedule contracts. The CSCM program was established to train individuals in the Federal Supply Schedule Program so they may become subject matter experts in this area in order to protect their company’s interests in administering the Federal Supply Schedule and establishing a certification which recognizes the individuals’ training and professional accomplishments.

CSCM certification for contract administrators is especially helpful to a company, especially those new to the world of Federal Supply Schedule contracting. There are many moving parts to Federal Supply Schedule Contracts which if not administered properly can be costly to a company, such as disturbing the basis of award and triggering the Price Reduction Clause. In addition, there are myriad reporting and compliance requirements which if not properly administered could jeopardize continued performance of your contract and potentially result in the contract being terminated.

The CSCM Program provides a pathway to developing expertise in administering Federal Supply Schedule contracts which can allows contract administrators to go toe-to-toe with government contracting officers, ensure stellar contract administration simultaneously reducing your company’s risks and increasing its compliance.

Once you have registered, you are required to take our GSA Boot Camp (2 days 9:30-4PM). We typically offer this course every 8-10 weeks.

You can register for the GSA Bootcamp directly on the website here: https://centrelawgroup.com/course-category/gsa-boot-camp/

Once you are registered, you’ll have a session with a member of our training team to map out the rest of your courses/electives.

From there you are required to take the four remaining mandatory courses, plus one elective from the Centre training offering.

Federal Contracting Basics – Applicants with 7 or more years of experience in federal contracting or who have completed CON 110 can substitute this for another course.

The four additional mandatory courses are: (1) Federal Contracting Basics; (2) Managing GSA audits, mandatory disclosure and internal investigations; (3) GSA task order life-cycle management; and 4) negotiation skills. You’ll also be required to select at least 1 elective course from Centre’s half-day or full day course list. You cannot select an elective that is less than a half-day. For each course attended you will receive a certificate and the designated CLPs.

Additional Information:
Once you have completed the program you will be issued an official CSCM Certificate directly from Centre Law &Consulting, a Linkedin badge and Credly badge. Every two years you’ll need to attend Annual Review: Hot Topics in Federal Contracting and also pay a $300 renewal fee to remain current. Annual Review is an all-day, one-day event. CSCM Students and Certificate Holders get special pricing for Annual Review. You will also receive 12 CLPs for attending the event.

CSCM Students have access to our members only portal where they can network and communicate with other CSCMs and have direct access to the Centre Staff and Trainers.

Thank you for recognizing the value of continuous learning and the value of the Centre Law’s Certified Schedules Contract Manager (CSCM) certification. We appreciate your past efforts to obtain the CSCM certification, but also recognize that there may have been intervening events that prevented you from being able to keep your certification active.

If your certification expired on or before December 31, 2022, we want to work with you to bring your certification up to date. As you may be aware, we have revamped the CSCM certification program for 2023-2024 by requiring completion of 5 mandatory class requirements and expanding the choices for the mandatory selection of one additional course of your choosing. For example, if the certificate expired in 2021 or earlier, and depending on how current your past training curriculum is, we will likely require you to take at least one (or more) of the current CSCM course offerings since there have been so many federal acquisition policy and regulatory changes over the past two years.

In addition, you will be required to attend our 2024 Annual Review, which has been scheduled for March 14, 2024. Finally, there is a $300 fee to renew your certification, in addition to any costs for the training classes or the Annual Review.

If your certification expired on or after January 1, 2023, we also want to work with you to bring your certification up to date. If you attended the June 1, 2023, Annual Review, the requirements for renewing the certification will be minimal, and may involve taking only one of the current CSCM course offerings and/or attending (either in person or virtually) the 2024 Annual Review, which has not yet (as of 10/24/23) been scheduled. It will also include paying the $300 fee to renew your certification, in addition to any costs for the training classes or the Annual Review.

Please contact us at [email protected] at your earliest convenience to discuss what actions you will need to take to reactivate your CSCM certification. We look forward to this discussion.

Thank you for recognizing the value of continuous learning and the value of the Centre Law’s Certified Schedules Contract Manager (CSCM) certification. We appreciate your past efforts to obtain the CSCM certification, and your desire to keep your CSCM certification active.

Please contact us at [email protected] at your earliest convenience to discuss what actions you will need to take to renew your CSCM certification. We look forward to this discussion.

At a minimum, you will be required to attend (in-person or virtually) the 2024 Annual Review, which has not yet (as of 10/24/23) been scheduled. Finally, there is a $300 fee to renew your certification, in addition to any costs for the training classes or the Annual Review.