Centre's Training Institute
Centre Law and Consulting is a leader in providing award-winning public and in-house training to both federal contractors and government agency personnel.
Our trainers are successful consultants and attorneys with over 30 years of experience. Our courseware is grounded in the best of adult learning theory and continually updated, so you leave class with the tools you need to ensure your success. Centre also provides government contracting curriculum training (FAC-C, FAC-COR). We are also certified education providers through DAU, and FAI. Taking courses with Centre will allow you to earn CLEs (Continuing Legal Education Credits), CLPs (Continuous Learning Points), and CEUs (Continuing Education Units), while staying on top of the latest in your field.
2022 Training Calendar
How to Obtain a GSA Schedule: FREE Webinar January 13, 2022 | 1-2 PM
- This is a concise, fact-packed webinar covering GSA’s massive ($40 billion per FY) Federal Supply Schedules (FSS) program (also known as the Multiple Award Schedule or MAS program). It is designed for members of industry (individuals or companies) who are seeking – or considering seeking – a GSA Schedule contract, and need a basic understanding of the program to make informed business decisions.
- When pricing US Government contracts based on cost, a contractor must identify and segregate unallowable costs, regardless of the contract type. When billing flexibly-priced contracts, unallowable costs must be excluded from all claimed cost – both direct and indirect costs. FAR Part 31, Contract cost principles and procedures proscribe the requirements for cost allowability. In this course, you will gain an understanding of FAR Part 31 applicability, record keeping requirements, and key points associated with contract cost principles.
Proposal Management Tips & Tricks January 20, 2022 | 1-2:30 PM | On-Demand (available after January 25)
- Learn best practices, techniques, and tools for managing every aspect of a proposal from our expert instructor. Improve your win rates with proven methods to match your proposal process to the pursuit at hand.
Bid Protests: What to Expect in a Protest: FREE Webinar January 25, 2022 | 1-2 PM
- This short webinar will explain why bid protests occur, what to expect from a bid protest, and how you can ultimately take steps to prevent them. Learn from an experienced government contract attorney why bid protests have become a regular feature of government contracting.
Termination for Default: What Every Government Contractor Needs to Know: NEW Webinar January 27, 2022 | 1-2 PM | On-Demand (available after February 1)
- Understand your legal rights and responsibilities when the Federal Government issues a termination for default (T4D) of your contract. Learn about the government’s right to terminate and its limitations; how a T4D impacts the contract and the contractor; contractor strategies to challenge/overturn a T4D, and more.
- Solve complex contracting issues, comply with contract requirements, fulfill reporting requirements, and manage difficult situations. This course gives you an in-depth tutorial on contract management fundamentals including the role of the contract manager in each phase of the acquisition lifecycle. Basic project management principles are interwoven to provide a baseline for successful contract management.
- Understand the laws and regulations that apply to government contractors with hourly service workers. The Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS/SCA) are one of the most challenging requirements for contractors with federal service contracts, from award competition to successful contract administration. This course is designed to help you understand the laws and regulations that apply to government contractors with hourly service workers and avoid the massive fines that result in violating this common government contract clause. Taught by expert lawyers who offer real-world, practical advice, this is an SCA course unlike any other on the market. Our instructors provide all the ins and outs of how to navigate the complexities of the SCLS, not just the typical Department of Labor agency lines. Consider this: Would you trust the DOL to give you inside advice on how to avoid audits when conducting audits is part of their responsibility?
Teaming Agreements: Do’s and Don’ts: March 24, 2022 | 1-3 PM | On-Demand Available after April 19th
- Draft a successful Teaming Agreement to meet your business goals. Join our attorneys in understanding the effects and importance of executing comprehensive teaming agreements and subcontracts that include all of the terms, conditions, and provisions that are essential to a successful partnership for government business.
- Recent changes under the Trump and Biden Administration have put a renewed focus on enforcement of the regulations around Buy American. This course will cover all aspects of the BAA, TAA, and related exceptions. Learn what the Acts cover, how to ensure your products comply, and how to create a Compliance Program to avoid the costly penalties.
Subcontract Management, Teaming Agreements & Flowdowns: April 14th 10 AM – 4:30PM
- Keep your subcontracts profitable and maintain compliance with federal requirements. This one day training course covers the complex relationships between the Federal government, prime contractors, and subcontractors. This course will help you understand the role of teaming agreements, contract clause flow-downs, consent to subcontract, make or buy plans, privity, and mandatory disclosure.
- Boot Camp for GSA Multiple Award Schedules Contracting (MAS) isn’t just about getting a MAS contract, it’s so much more. This course focuses in on obtaining a Schedule, maintaining compliance, and ultimately driving your government sales. Centre’s GSA gurus will help you keep up with the changes that affect your contract administration and compliance efforts. In addition, you’ll learn the key components to making your MAS contract a worthwhile investment for your company.
FAR “Less Complicated”: April 20-21, 2022 | 9:30 AM-4:30 PM |On-Demand Available after May 5th
- Our comprehensive explanations will help new FAR users, while our in-depth examples will aid experienced contract professionals. This two-day training offers critical information through hands-on workshops that will help both contracting and technical personnel better understand and navigate the FAR. Attendees will come away from the course feeling confident about how to apply the FAR to a variety of acquisition scenarios.
Find solutions to the most complex contact administration issues.
- This fast-paced two-day course focuses on increasing contract compliance while reducing contractor risk. The class addresses tackling the most complex issues in Federal contract administration including bilateral and unilateral modifications/change orders, cure notices, show cause notices, the Disputes Statute, time extensions, delay and impact claims, requests for equitable adjustment, subcontracting requirements, post-award size status changes, novation agreements, flow-down requirements, payment issues, and much more. Enhance your skills with our hands-on workshop.
Fundamentals of Business Development: April 28, 2022 | 12-4 PM | On-Demand Available after May 3rd
- Discover how to grow your practice and business by learning how to support Business Development (BD) and proposal efforts. Learn the business development lifecycle and how to lead your delivery team to expand current contracts, retain and win new work.
- Having an understanding of this unique contract vehicle from the Government contracting professional’s perspective will benefit your business and marketing efforts. This course is designed for any contractor who holds or plans to obtain a GSA or VA Multiple Award Schedules contract. You will strengthen your knowledge of Federal Supply Schedules contracting ordering procedures along with other nuances. The course covers the guidance outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Subpart 8.4 and other parts of the FAR that are applicable to orders placed against Schedules.
Federal Contracting Basics: May 17-18, 2022 | 10 AM-4PM | On-Demand Available after May 30th
- Are you feeling overwhelmed by Federal contracting? Are you unsure how to navigate through the Federal contracting process? Take the guesswork out of your job by attending our comprehensive, two-day Federal Contracting Basics course. You’ll gain an in-depth understanding of the basic framework and core principles governing Federal procurements and will prepare you to respond to the full range of issues that can arise in Federal contracting.
Bid Protests: Winning & Losing: May 19, 2022 | 1-3 PM | On-Demand Available after June 1st.
- Learn why Bid Protests occur and the steps you can take to prevent them. Bid protests have become a regular feature of government contracting. Experienced contractors know that understanding how bid protests work—both the process and the substantive issues—is essential to maximizing their competitive positions. This is true when deciding if, and when, to protest, and knowing how to participate in a protest to help protect a contract award. This webinar, taught by two government contract attorneys with protest experience, will provide a comprehensive look at bid protests.
- Keep your subcontracts profitable and maintain compliance with federal requirements. This one day training course covers the complex relationships between the Federal government, prime contractors, and subcontractors. This course will help you understand the role of teaming agreements, contract clause flow-downs, consent to subcontract, make or buy plans, privity, and mandatory disclosure.
- Boot Camp for GSA Multiple Award Schedules Contracting (MAS) isn’t just about getting a MAS contract, it’s so much more. This course focuses in on obtaining a Schedule, maintaining compliance, and ultimately driving your government sales. Centre’s GSA gurus will help you keep up with the changes that affect your contract administration and compliance efforts. In addition, you’ll learn the key components to making your MAS contract a worthwhile investment for your company.
FREE Webinar – Terminations in Government Contracting | June 16, 2022 | 1-2 PM on Zoom
- You are terminated. Three words government contractors dread to hear. Terminations don’t have to be scary and often do not mean you did something wrong. We will explain to you what terminations are all about, what your rights are and what your cost entitlements may be.
- Solve complex contracting issues, comply with contract requirements, fulfill reporting requirements, and manage difficult situations. This course gives you an in-depth tutorial on contract management fundamentals including the role of the contract manager in each phase of the acquisition lifecycle. Basic project management principles are interwoven to provide a baseline for successful contract management.
Federal Contracting Basics: June 28th & 29th, 2022 | 10 AM-4PM (Rescheduled from May)
- Are you feeling overwhelmed by Federal contracting? Are you unsure how to navigate through the Federal contracting process? Take the guesswork out of your job by attending our comprehensive, two-day Federal Contracting Basics course. You’ll gain an in-depth understanding of the basic framework and core principles governing Federal procurements and will prepare you to respond to the full range of issues that can arise in Federal contracting.
- Boot Camp for GSA Multiple Award Schedules Contracting (MAS) isn’t just about getting a MAS contract, it’s so much more. This course focuses in on obtaining a Schedule, maintaining compliance, and ultimately driving your government sales. Centre’s GSA gurus will help you keep up with the changes that affect your contract administration and compliance efforts. In addition, you’ll learn the key components to making your MAS contract a worthwhile investment for your company.
- Gain an in-depth understanding of the basic framework and core principles governing Federal procurements. Federal Procurement Survey provides an excellent foundation for participants to build on in preparation for higher-level, more specialized and complex procurement training. It’s ideal for new hires in the private Federal sectors with responsibilities involving Federal procurement, for seasoned acquisition professionals who are looking for a refresher, and for management officials with responsibility for overseeing these processes.
- There is accounting…and then there is Government contract accounting. Cost-based government contractors are subject to a wide range of unique accounting regulations such as Cost Accounting Standards (“CAS”) and FAR contract cost principles. While CAS and FAR are based on Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), major differences abound. Without an adequate system in place, a contractor may be faced with enormous challenges — not the least of which is lost profits and lost opportunities. Join us for an informative webinar/seminar to learn some of the key differences, the requirements, and strategies to mitigate contract risk.
Subcontracting Plans: From A-Z: July 27, 2022 | 1-3 PM | On-Demand Available after August 18th
- This 3-hour course provides interactive discussion and hands-on exercises in developing, evaluating, and managing subcontracting plans.
Course Topics Included:
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- Subcontracting Plan Policies and Regulations
- Master Subcontracting Plan
- Individual Subcontracting Plan
- Commercial Subcontracting Plan
- Small Business Participation Plan
If your company is involved with federal contracting, do you know all the employment rules and regulations you’ll need to follow in order to stay compliant? Like many contractors, are you not following proper protocol without even realizing it?
- The employment laws, executive orders, and regulations applicable to federal contractors present an ever-changing sea of compliance challenges, and well-meaning contractors often find themselves either under the regulatory microscope or on the unexpected receiving end of a demand letter from plaintiff’s counsel (or both!). Our comprehensive “Employment Law-What Every Federal Contractor Needs To Know” course will provide you with a thorough understanding of the employment authorities and unique challenges you’ll need to be aware of in order to avoid conflict and legal action. Taught by employment attorneys who specialize in the needs of federal contractors, this course provides attendees with detailed course materials covering the statutory texts, regulations and regulatory guidance, and court decisions. Our classroom is an interactive forum that assists HR and in-house legal professionals identify and mitigate risk as well as avoid violations and lawsuits. We’ll also provide examples of court cases and guidance on addressing common, real world employment law challenges.
- We will unlock the mysteries of contract negotiation by providing you with best practices in negotiating your MAS Contract. GSA’s Contracting Officers are trained acquisition professionals who negotiate and administer contracts daily. Review the do’s and don’ts of contract negotiation with actual examples before you begin negotiations with GSA. While contract negotiations may be tricky, administering a Multiple Award Schedule contract can also be challenging. Our Senior GSA Consultant and staff will show you how to develop a contract administration plan to ensure stellar contract compliance and reduce risks associated with poor contract administration.
- Our comprehensive explanations will help new FAR users, while our in-depth examples will aid experienced contract professionals. This two-day training offers critical information through hands-on workshops that will help both contracting and technical personnel better understand and navigate the FAR. Attendees will come away from the course feeling confident about how to apply the FAR to a variety of acquisition scenarios.
- Government contractors must understand their role in contract closeouts to ensure their interests are fully protected. Our one-day course for government contractors focuses on key elements of contract closeout — from final delivery to final payment — and highlights solutions to common mistakes that can lead to closeout delays or losing the ability to address any issues affecting contractor/subcontractor costs.
Government Contract Compliance: August 25, 2022 | 12-4 PM | On-Demand Available after September 8th
- The best way to remain in compliance is to implement a proactive Government Compliance Program. Our training covers the foundations of federal government contracting and keeps you up-to-date on emerging topics in the federal contracting industry. Government contracting is a highly regulated environment, with significant penalties for non-compliance with laws, regulations, and contract provisions.
- Participants will learn how to better position themselves in the Federal Marketplace and effectively respond to opportunities. Our instructor will take you through the basics of getting started, where and how to find procurement opportunities in the Federal Marketplace, finding contracting officers and end users, preparing to meet with/call on prospective Federal customers, and how to distinguish and differentiate your company from others.
- You need a Subcontractor – now what? The Federal Acquisition Regulations sets forth a number of requirements. Prime Contractors must follow these requirements when issuing subcontracts. This webinar will discuss these requirements and how they impact subcontract formation as well as prime contractor procurement policies and procedures.
- Increase Compliance and Mitigate Your Firms Risk! The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and agency acquisition regulation supplements require Federal prime contractors and under certain circumstances, first-tier and lower-tier subcontractors, small and large alike, to flow-down certain clauses from their Federal contracts and subcontracts when buying items from their suppliers and subcontractors. Although Small businesses are exempt from the requirement for subcontracting plans, small businesses are not exempt from flow-down requirements.
- Explore the relationship between Contract Pricing and Contract Accounting. In Government contracts, contract types drive contract pricing and administration requirements, including pre and post award contract audit requirements. There are two primary contract types – Cost reimbursable and Fixed Price. And then there are the hybrids which include characteristics of each contract type. Join this webinar to learn more about the various contract types and explore the relationship between contract pricing and contract accounting including contract terms that govern the oversight of flexibly prices contracts including Cost Reimbursable and Time and Materials.
- Solve complex contracting issues, comply with contract requirements, fulfill reporting requirements, and manage difficult situations. This course gives you an in-depth tutorial on contract management fundamentals including the role of the contract manager in each phase of the acquisition lifecycle. Basic project management principles are interwoven to provide a baseline for successful contract management.
- Understand the laws and regulations that apply to government contractors with hourly service workers. The Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS/SCA) are one of the most challenging requirements for contractors with federal service contracts, from award competition to successful contract administration. This course is designed to help you understand the laws and regulations that apply to government contractors with hourly service workers and avoid the massive fines that result in violating this common government contract clause.
- Taught by expert lawyers who offer real-world, practical advice, this is an SCA course unlike any other on the market. Our instructors provide all the ins and outs of how to navigate the complexities of the SCLS, not just the typical Department of Labor agency lines. Consider this: Would you trust the DOL to give you inside advice on how to avoid audits when conducting audits is part of their responsibility?
- Boot Camp for GSA Multiple Award Schedules Contracting (MAS) isn’t just about getting a MAS contract, it’s so much more. This course focuses in on obtaining a Schedule, maintaining compliance, and ultimately driving your government sales. Centre’s GSA gurus will help you keep up with the changes that affect your contract administration and compliance efforts. In addition, you’ll learn the key components to making your MAS contract a worthwhile investment for your company.
- Gain an in-depth understanding of the basic framework and core principles governing Federal procurements. Federal Procurement Survey provides an excellent foundation for participants to build on in preparation for higher-level, more specialized and complex procurement training. It’s ideal for new hires in the private Federal sectors with responsibilities involving Federal procurement, for seasoned acquisition professionals who are looking for a refresher, and for management officials with responsibility for overseeing these processes.
The New SAM.GOV: October 27, 2022 | 1-3 PM | On-Demand Available after November 8th
- As of May 2021, the new SAM.gov is where entities register to do business with the federal government. Join us for a tour of how to navigate the new SAM.gov and take full advantage of what it has to offer.
- Keep your subcontracts profitable and maintain compliance with federal requirements. This one day training course covers the complex relationships between the Federal government, prime contractors, and subcontractors. This course will help you understand the role of teaming agreements, contract clause flow-downs, consent to subcontract, make or buy plans, privity, and mandatory disclosure.
- Understand your legal rights and responsibilities when the Federal Government issues a termination for default (T4D) of your contract. Learn about the government’s right to terminate and its limitations; how a T4D impacts the contract and the contractor; contractor strategies to challenge/overturn a T4D, and more.
Find solutions to the most complex contact administration issues.
- This fast-paced two-day course focuses on increasing contract compliance while reducing contractor risk. The class addresses tackling the most complex issues in Federal contract administration including bilateral and unilateral modifications/change orders, cure notices, show cause notices, the Disputes Statute, time extensions, delay and impact claims, requests for equitable adjustment, subcontracting requirements, post-award size status changes, novation agreements, flow-down requirements, payment issues, and much more. Enhance your skills with our hands-on workshop.
- Recent changes under the Trump and Biden Administration have put a renewed focus on enforcement of the regulations around Buy American.
- This course will cover all aspects of the BAA, TAA, and related exceptions. Learn what the Acts cover, how to ensure your products comply, and how to create a Compliance Program to avoid the costly penalties
- Start building your understanding of the requirements under DFAR business systems. We will discuss the FAR requirements to perform subcontractor price analysis when responding to proposals and prior to issuing subcontracts. We will discuss analysis under FAR part 15 and FAR part 44.
- Our comprehensive explanations will help new FAR users, while our in-depth examples will aid experienced contract professionals. This two-day training offers critical information through hands-on workshops that will help both contracting and technical personnel better understand and navigate the FAR. Attendees will come away from the course feeling confident about how to apply the FAR to a variety of acquisition scenarios.
Centre Training Institute
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Our attorneys have over 30 years of experience in Government Contract Law and are ready to assist you today.
Centre's Training Experts
Federal Training Manager
Michelle Jasper
Michelle Jasper is the Federal Training Manager at Centre Law & Consulting, where she manages logistics for Centre’s on-site training courses for government contractors and agencies. Michelle is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and has more than 30 years of experience in government, association, and corporate meeting planning. She also works closely with the project management and business development teams to promote and ensure the seamless execution of world-class trainings. Michelle was nominated for the 2018 Virginia Business Meeting Planner of the Year Award.