CON 1200 / CON 1200V: Contract Pre-Award (DoD)
CON 1200, the second course in the DoD contracting certification series, is an in-depth treatment of the pre-award phase of contracting. Delivered under Phoenix Canyon's DAU-Equivalent Provider status, this course builds real skill in acquisition strategy and how to set up a successful award. You'll learn how to shape and define the customer's requirement, conduct market research, perform risk analysis, and write an acquisition plan — and you'll learn what belongs in a complete requirements package, with best practices and the warning signs to watch for in each document.
From there, the course works through the decisions that shape the whole acquisition: writing the right requirements document for the job — a statement of work (SOW), performance work statement (PWS), or statement of objectives (SOO) — and understanding when performance-based contracting is the right approach versus a more traditional one. You'll learn the contract types and when each should be used, how to develop sound evaluation criteria, and how to build the solicitation itself — including the Uniform Contract Format and getting Sections L and M right, where so many acquisitions quietly go wrong.
Here's what makes pre-award worth mastering: every one of these pieces flows into the next. The requirement document drives the evaluation criteria, the evaluation criteria drive the solicitation, and the solicitation drives the source selection process. Done well, it's a beautiful, self-reinforcing system that brings in strong, responsive offers and sets up a contract that is easy to administer. Done poorly — even in one piece — and you'll feel it everywhere: weak offers now, a painful award, and problems that follow you through the entire life of the contract.
You'll also learn the part most courses skip: the business relationship between government and industry, and how contractors read a solicitation and decide how to respond. Understanding how the other side of the table thinks is what lets you write a requirement and a solicitation that get you strong, responsive offers instead of confusion or risk. You won't just learn the steps of pre-award — you'll understand why the choices you make here shape everything that follows, long after award.
Best for: DoD 1102s and defense contracting staff pursuing DAWIA Contracting Professional Certification who are moving into acquisition planning and solicitation development. Recommended prerequisite: CON 1100.
Whether you take it for certification or not — this is a great way to earn CLPs while building genuinely valuable, immediately usable contracting skills. Solid knowledge, real CLP credit, and practical tools and information to make you better at your job.
Format: 8 days / 64 CLPs. Classroom or virtual.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.
CON 1200, the second course in the DoD contracting certification series, is an in-depth treatment of the pre-award phase of contracting. Delivered under Phoenix Canyon's DAU-Equivalent Provider status, this course builds real skill in acquisition strategy and how to set up a successful award. You'll learn how to shape and define the customer's requirement, conduct market research, perform risk analysis, and write an acquisition plan — and you'll learn what belongs in a complete requirements package, with best practices and the warning signs to watch for in each document.
From there, the course works through the decisions that shape the whole acquisition: writing the right requirements document for the job — a statement of work (SOW), performance work statement (PWS), or statement of objectives (SOO) — and understanding when performance-based contracting is the right approach versus a more traditional one. You'll learn the contract types and when each should be used, how to develop sound evaluation criteria, and how to build the solicitation itself — including the Uniform Contract Format and getting Sections L and M right, where so many acquisitions quietly go wrong.
Here's what makes pre-award worth mastering: every one of these pieces flows into the next. The requirement document drives the evaluation criteria, the evaluation criteria drive the solicitation, and the solicitation drives the source selection process. Done well, it's a beautiful, self-reinforcing system that brings in strong, responsive offers and sets up a contract that is easy to administer. Done poorly — even in one piece — and you'll feel it everywhere: weak offers now, a painful award, and problems that follow you through the entire life of the contract.
You'll also learn the part most courses skip: the business relationship between government and industry, and how contractors read a solicitation and decide how to respond. Understanding how the other side of the table thinks is what lets you write a requirement and a solicitation that get you strong, responsive offers instead of confusion or risk. You won't just learn the steps of pre-award — you'll understand why the choices you make here shape everything that follows, long after award.
Best for: DoD 1102s and defense contracting staff pursuing DAWIA Contracting Professional Certification who are moving into acquisition planning and solicitation development. Recommended prerequisite: CON 1100.
Whether you take it for certification or not — this is a great way to earn CLPs while building genuinely valuable, immediately usable contracting skills. Solid knowledge, real CLP credit, and practical tools and information to make you better at your job.
Format: 8 days / 64 CLPs. Classroom or virtual.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.