Other Transaction Authority (OTA) — One-Day Essentials
Within government contracting offices, a complex, high-dollar federal contract can take well over a year to award. The same requirement, run as an Other Transaction (OT) under the Other Transaction Authority (OTA), can come together in a fraction of the time. That speed, and the flexibility behind it, is why OTs / OTAs have become one of the fastest-growing tools in federal acquisition.
This course is for government and industry professionals who want to understand OTs / OTAs: what they are, when to use them, how they work, and how to use them well.
We start with what an OT/OTA is — a non-FAR government-contracting vehicle built for speed, flexibility, and access to nontraditional and commercial innovators who don't otherwise work with the government — and we dispel the popular myth that OT/OTA use means you don't have to deal with any rules. We cover the three authorities, and also the various OT types they support (research, prototype, and follow-on production), plus the agencies that hold OT/OTA authority. We cover when an OT/OTA is the right tool for the job and when it isn't, including the public-policy and economic reasons the authorities exist in the first place.
From there we get practical. We cover the consortium model — how consortia and consortium managers work, and how government and industry connect through them. We cover the statutory mechanics that matter: the prototype conditions, approval thresholds, the path to a noncompetitive follow-on production award, and the Agreement Officer (AO) and Agreement Officer's Representative (AOR) role. We cover the flexibility OTs/OTAs offer on intellectual property and data rights, and how to use it deliberately. We cover using borrowed FAR and DFARS (or another agency's supplemental acquisition regulation) language wisely — why it is a sensible, common shortcut in some circumstances, and why familiar language is not always the right fit for a non-FAR instrument. Finally, we cover the limited protest and challenge landscape, so you know what recourse exists.
Throughout, we weave in the negotiation and communication realities that decide whether a faster vehicle actually moves faster — because a better tool still needs people who can move a deal through other people. And, as always, you will leave knowing how to find the current authorities, guides, and resources yourself, so you can keep up as this quickly evolving government contracting landscape changes.
This course is taught by Melinda Milheim, JD, who spent her federal career in the acquisition workforce. She served as a Contract Specialist, COR, and AOR for the U.S. Navy (and later a Contract Specialist for the Department of Health and Human Services / Indian Health Service), where she worked on more than $7.7 billion in federal contracts across major weapon-systems, RDT&E, IT, construction, OT/OTAs, and engineering contracts/agreements — including a tour on the Boeing F/A-18 and EA-18G Growler IPT. She draws on that experience, along with her law degree and MBA studies, to teach the why behind the how — so participants leave with sharper judgment, not just a stack of slides. An award-winning DAU/WarU (DAWIA and FAI) instructor, she has taught more than 1,000 federal acquisition workforce students across 20-plus agencies.
Best for: contracting officers, contract specialists, CORs, agreements officers, AORs, program and project managers, and the federal contractors and consortium members who work with them — anyone who wants to understand when and how OTs/OTAs are used, and how to use them well.
Format: Available as a one-day (8 CLPs/0.8 CEU, delivered in person or virtually. Phoenix Canyon issues every attendee a certificate of completion documenting the number of training hours as well as CEUs and CLPs earned, which eligible attendees may apply toward Continuous Learning or Professional Development requirements at their organization’s discretion. Phoenix Canyon is a DAU/WarU equivalent course provider.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.
Within government contracting offices, a complex, high-dollar federal contract can take well over a year to award. The same requirement, run as an Other Transaction (OT) under the Other Transaction Authority (OTA), can come together in a fraction of the time. That speed, and the flexibility behind it, is why OTs / OTAs have become one of the fastest-growing tools in federal acquisition.
This course is for government and industry professionals who want to understand OTs / OTAs: what they are, when to use them, how they work, and how to use them well.
We start with what an OT/OTA is — a non-FAR government-contracting vehicle built for speed, flexibility, and access to nontraditional and commercial innovators who don't otherwise work with the government — and we dispel the popular myth that OT/OTA use means you don't have to deal with any rules. We cover the three authorities, and also the various OT types they support (research, prototype, and follow-on production), plus the agencies that hold OT/OTA authority. We cover when an OT/OTA is the right tool for the job and when it isn't, including the public-policy and economic reasons the authorities exist in the first place.
From there we get practical. We cover the consortium model — how consortia and consortium managers work, and how government and industry connect through them. We cover the statutory mechanics that matter: the prototype conditions, approval thresholds, the path to a noncompetitive follow-on production award, and the Agreement Officer (AO) and Agreement Officer's Representative (AOR) role. We cover the flexibility OTs/OTAs offer on intellectual property and data rights, and how to use it deliberately. We cover using borrowed FAR and DFARS (or another agency's supplemental acquisition regulation) language wisely — why it is a sensible, common shortcut in some circumstances, and why familiar language is not always the right fit for a non-FAR instrument. Finally, we cover the limited protest and challenge landscape, so you know what recourse exists.
Throughout, we weave in the negotiation and communication realities that decide whether a faster vehicle actually moves faster — because a better tool still needs people who can move a deal through other people. And, as always, you will leave knowing how to find the current authorities, guides, and resources yourself, so you can keep up as this quickly evolving government contracting landscape changes.
This course is taught by Melinda Milheim, JD, who spent her federal career in the acquisition workforce. She served as a Contract Specialist, COR, and AOR for the U.S. Navy (and later a Contract Specialist for the Department of Health and Human Services / Indian Health Service), where she worked on more than $7.7 billion in federal contracts across major weapon-systems, RDT&E, IT, construction, OT/OTAs, and engineering contracts/agreements — including a tour on the Boeing F/A-18 and EA-18G Growler IPT. She draws on that experience, along with her law degree and MBA studies, to teach the why behind the how — so participants leave with sharper judgment, not just a stack of slides. An award-winning DAU/WarU (DAWIA and FAI) instructor, she has taught more than 1,000 federal acquisition workforce students across 20-plus agencies.
Best for: contracting officers, contract specialists, CORs, agreements officers, AORs, program and project managers, and the federal contractors and consortium members who work with them — anyone who wants to understand when and how OTs/OTAs are used, and how to use them well.
Format: Available as a one-day (8 CLPs/0.8 CEU, delivered in person or virtually. Phoenix Canyon issues every attendee a certificate of completion documenting the number of training hours as well as CEUs and CLPs earned, which eligible attendees may apply toward Continuous Learning or Professional Development requirements at their organization’s discretion. Phoenix Canyon is a DAU/WarU equivalent course provider.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.