Centre's CSCM

Program Benefits

  • Navigate the complex system of negotiating and managing GSA and VA Schedules
  • Understand the ordering process from A to Z
  • Avoid common contract administration and compliance pitfalls
  • Career advancement opportunities.
  • Elevates your credibility amongst your peers and leadership
Centre's CSCM

Program Requirements

This certificate program requires the completion of 5 mandatory courses and 1 elective. The certificate is valid for two years, after which the individual must attend a one-day Annual Review to renew the certificate for an additional two years.

  1. Boot Camp for GSA Multiple Award Schedule Contracting.
  2. Federal Contracting Basics (Applicants with 7 or more years of experience in federal contracting or who have completed CON 110 can substitute that experience for this course)
  3. GSA Task Order Lifecycle Management
  4. Successfully Managing GSA Audits & Mandatory Disclosure
  5. Negotiation Skills
  6. 1 Course Elective – View full course catalog.

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Learn about our certification training program for federal contractors in managing, negotiating, and complying with GSA & VA Schedule contracts.

Program FAQs

How Do I Enroll in Centre’s CSCM (Certified Schedules Contract Manager) Certification Program?

Proceed by submitting your $300 registration fee.

Have you already enrolled in classes or participated in Centre’s training programs and are looking to complete the CSCM program? Great! Your registration fee can be paid at any point prior to completion of the CSCM program and prior to receipt of your certificate.

As part of the CSCM certificate program you will need to complete 5 mandatory courses and 1 elective. These classes are as follows:

  1. Boot Camp for GSA Multiple Award Schedule Contracting.
  2. 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)
  3. GSA Task Order Lifecycle Management
  4. Successfully Managing GSA Audits & Mandatory Disclosure
  5. Negotiation Skills
  6. 1 Course Elective

Please proceed with enrolling in upcoming classes (we offer both Virtual and On Demand). View Centre’s course calendar for the latest offerings.

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.

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 reliance of contractors on consultants and others in administering and renewing their Federal Supply Schedule Contacts.

 

 

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.

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.

Waivers are handled on a case-by-case basis and subject to the review and approval of Centre’s Training Manager.

 

 

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.

Testimonials

  • With the CSCM program, I was very impressed with the professionalism of the instructors, quality of course content, the energetic discussions, and the instructors’ willingness to answer questions during and after class. There were subjects in which I had little previous knowledge, and the courses have been great in enhancing my knowledge and the value of my counsel to our small business clients, as well as providing an analytical framework for future work. When you attend a Federal Contracting Institute program with Centre, you’re going to get a graduate-level education on the subject matter, not superficial knowledge you would get in a training course. CSCM has been an extremely positive educational experience as well as a great networking opportunity to meaningfully interact with other professionals in the contracting field. - Jeff, Contracts Manager

  • My experience with Centre and the CSCM certification training program has been excellent in all aspects – most assuredly the content of the training, the professionalism and knowledge of the instructors, class scheduling and support staff, and the willingness of everyone to go above and beyond in answering and responding to questions before, during, and after training. It has enhanced and broadened my knowledge of the GSA Schedules program, resulting in much more confidence in myself, and more efficiency in my job. - Barbara P, GSA Contract Manager

  • The program has provided me with in depth knowledge of GSA Schedules. The topics covered were relevant to many of the challenges I face as a contracts professional and also relevant to the issues that my company faces as an IT reseller. The program also offered me the opportunity to brainstorm and share experiences with others in my field, which provided me with valuable insights into other company’s contract management practices. Lynne, GSA Contract Manager

  • [The CSCM program] distinguishes me as a recognized Subject Matter Expert (SME) on the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program. The program was thorough and covered all aspects of the FSS program, the instructors had a deep understanding of subject matter, and the information presented was up to date. If all GSA consultants were to receive CSCM certification, the quality of the service provided by our industry would significantly improve! - Michelle

  • I highly recommend the CSCM program. It is truly a high quality program with knowledgeable and professional instructors. The classes have improved my GSA/VA contract knowledge which is relevant to the work I do and has prepared me to become a leader in my organization. Centre Law & Consulting provides the opportunity to make connections for networking and continuous learning. Although I have completed the program, I will continue to take classes to further enhance my knowledge. The Annual Review is always very informative and a great experience! Keep up the great work!! Savontaye D, Contracts Manager

Learn More

If you have specific questions regarding Centre’s Federal Contracting Institute, please fill out this form and a member of our team will be in touch to answer any of your questions.