Alpha Contracting for Sole-Source Acquisitions — One-Day Essentials
Most of federal contracting keeps government and industry at arm's length. Alpha contracting throws that playbook out — government and contractor sit at the same table and build the requirement, the price, and the deal together. Done right, it's faster and sharper than the traditional back-and-forth. Done without care, it becomes a nightmare.
It isn't new. Alpha contracting was a 1990s acquisition-reform technique built for sole-source buys, and for years the system drifted away from it — back toward keeping contractors at a distance. The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO FAR) is swinging the pendulum the other way: collaboration and early engagement with industry are once again the encouraged posture. That makes alpha contracting more relevant than it's been in years — and it makes the guardrails matter more, because the line between productive collaboration and a deal that goes south is easy to cross when everyone's been told to “work together.”
This course is for government contracting professionals and federal contractors who want to capture the gains alpha contracting offers, understand when it fits (and when it doesn't), and run a sole-source pre-award using it efficiently.
Grounded in the foundational Naval Postgraduate School research on alpha contracting and in lessons from the instructor's first-hand experience running alpha contracts, the course covers what alpha contracting is, its history, its best uses, and when to avoid it. It then covers how to run a sole-source pre-award as an alpha contract: the team you need in place, communication requirements and best practices, the ground rules that govern the process and how to set them with the team up front, and documentation best practices. It also covers what to watch out for — the early indicators that something is going wrong, and what to do when you see them — and how to close out the pre-award process as the contract is awarded.
The instructor has run sole-source alpha contracts that were a dream — and one that was a complete nightmare. This course passes along both: the best practices that made the good ones work, and the hard lessons from the one that didn't. It's your team's chance to get the expertise without the scars.
This course is taught by Melinda Milheim, JD, who spent her federal career in the acquisition workforce. She served as a Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer's Representative for the U.S. Navy and the Department of Health and Human Services / Indian Health Service, where she worked on more than $7.7 billion in federal contracts — mostly services contracts, spanning RDT&E, engineering, medical, and major weapon-system programs. 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 to follow. As an award-winning negotiation instructor and a Certified Mediator, Melinda is uniquely poised to teach this course, teaching participants how to effectively facilitate collaboration, and successfully negotiate their organization’s needed outcome.
Best for: contracting officers, contract specialists, CORs, program and project managers, and federal contractors who want the judgment to recognize when sole-source alpha contracting is the right call — and the discipline to run it without getting burned.
Format: Available as a one-day course, delivered in person or virtually. Eligible attendees earn 8 CLPs. A note on CLPs: This course earns continuous learning points (CLPs) that both defense (DAWIA) and civilian (FAC-C, FAC-COR, and FAC-P/PM) acquisition professionals can apply toward the continuous learning required to maintain certification. Because agencies set their own rules on what qualifies for CLP credit, check with your Acquisition Career Manager (ACM) or component training office to confirm how it applies to your plan. Attendees from outside the federal acquisition workforce — including contractors — are welcome in this course. Many private organizations maintain their own annual continuing-education requirements, and a company may, at its discretion, recognize this course toward them.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.
Most of federal contracting keeps government and industry at arm's length. Alpha contracting throws that playbook out — government and contractor sit at the same table and build the requirement, the price, and the deal together. Done right, it's faster and sharper than the traditional back-and-forth. Done without care, it becomes a nightmare.
It isn't new. Alpha contracting was a 1990s acquisition-reform technique built for sole-source buys, and for years the system drifted away from it — back toward keeping contractors at a distance. The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO FAR) is swinging the pendulum the other way: collaboration and early engagement with industry are once again the encouraged posture. That makes alpha contracting more relevant than it's been in years — and it makes the guardrails matter more, because the line between productive collaboration and a deal that goes south is easy to cross when everyone's been told to “work together.”
This course is for government contracting professionals and federal contractors who want to capture the gains alpha contracting offers, understand when it fits (and when it doesn't), and run a sole-source pre-award using it efficiently.
Grounded in the foundational Naval Postgraduate School research on alpha contracting and in lessons from the instructor's first-hand experience running alpha contracts, the course covers what alpha contracting is, its history, its best uses, and when to avoid it. It then covers how to run a sole-source pre-award as an alpha contract: the team you need in place, communication requirements and best practices, the ground rules that govern the process and how to set them with the team up front, and documentation best practices. It also covers what to watch out for — the early indicators that something is going wrong, and what to do when you see them — and how to close out the pre-award process as the contract is awarded.
The instructor has run sole-source alpha contracts that were a dream — and one that was a complete nightmare. This course passes along both: the best practices that made the good ones work, and the hard lessons from the one that didn't. It's your team's chance to get the expertise without the scars.
This course is taught by Melinda Milheim, JD, who spent her federal career in the acquisition workforce. She served as a Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer's Representative for the U.S. Navy and the Department of Health and Human Services / Indian Health Service, where she worked on more than $7.7 billion in federal contracts — mostly services contracts, spanning RDT&E, engineering, medical, and major weapon-system programs. 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 to follow. As an award-winning negotiation instructor and a Certified Mediator, Melinda is uniquely poised to teach this course, teaching participants how to effectively facilitate collaboration, and successfully negotiate their organization’s needed outcome.
Best for: contracting officers, contract specialists, CORs, program and project managers, and federal contractors who want the judgment to recognize when sole-source alpha contracting is the right call — and the discipline to run it without getting burned.
Format: Available as a one-day course, delivered in person or virtually. Eligible attendees earn 8 CLPs. A note on CLPs: This course earns continuous learning points (CLPs) that both defense (DAWIA) and civilian (FAC-C, FAC-COR, and FAC-P/PM) acquisition professionals can apply toward the continuous learning required to maintain certification. Because agencies set their own rules on what qualifies for CLP credit, check with your Acquisition Career Manager (ACM) or component training office to confirm how it applies to your plan. Attendees from outside the federal acquisition workforce — including contractors — are welcome in this course. Many private organizations maintain their own annual continuing-education requirements, and a company may, at its discretion, recognize this course toward them.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.