Performance-Based Acquisition: One-Day Essentials
This course is for the acquisition workforce who structure, award, and manage outcome-based service contracts.
Contract for the outcome you want — easy to say, hard to do well. Performance-based acquisition is the preferred method for buying services, and for good reason: done well, it gives the contractor room to innovate while holding them to measurable results. Done poorly, it collapses into a level-of-effort contract wearing performance-based clothing — outcomes no one can measure, surveillance that doesn't surveil, and incentives that reward nothing.
This course teaches you how to structure a performance-based acquisition correctly — and, just as important, why each piece works the way it does, so you can adapt when a real acquisition doesn't match the template.
In one focused day, we cover when performance-based acquisition is the right approach and when it isn't, what genuinely measurable outcomes look like, when to use a Statement of Objectives (SOO) versus a Performance Work Statement (PWS), and how to recognize an effective Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). We also discuss the early warning signs that a requirement is in trouble and what to do when you see them.
This course is taught by Melinda Milheim, JD, who 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 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 acquisition in an engaging and innovative way, breaking down complicated principles into easy-to-understand pieces — so participants leave with sharper judgment, not just a process to follow. 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: Anyone who has a hand in the performance-based decision — contracting officers, contract specialists, CORs, and the program and requiring-activity staff who shape and approve service acquisitions. A strong orientation for teams new to performance-based work, and a useful reset for those who've seen it done poorly. Valuable across defense, civilian agencies, and tribal organizations alike.
Format: One-day course, delivered in person or virtually and tailored to your organization's priorities. 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 outside the federal certification system are welcome and benefit from the same practical training.
Ready to go deeper? The full three- or five-day Performance-Based Acquisition course covers the complete process — structuring outcomes, building the surveillance plan, setting incentives, and administering performance from award through closeout.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.
This course is for the acquisition workforce who structure, award, and manage outcome-based service contracts.
Contract for the outcome you want — easy to say, hard to do well. Performance-based acquisition is the preferred method for buying services, and for good reason: done well, it gives the contractor room to innovate while holding them to measurable results. Done poorly, it collapses into a level-of-effort contract wearing performance-based clothing — outcomes no one can measure, surveillance that doesn't surveil, and incentives that reward nothing.
This course teaches you how to structure a performance-based acquisition correctly — and, just as important, why each piece works the way it does, so you can adapt when a real acquisition doesn't match the template.
In one focused day, we cover when performance-based acquisition is the right approach and when it isn't, what genuinely measurable outcomes look like, when to use a Statement of Objectives (SOO) versus a Performance Work Statement (PWS), and how to recognize an effective Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). We also discuss the early warning signs that a requirement is in trouble and what to do when you see them.
This course is taught by Melinda Milheim, JD, who 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 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 acquisition in an engaging and innovative way, breaking down complicated principles into easy-to-understand pieces — so participants leave with sharper judgment, not just a process to follow. 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: Anyone who has a hand in the performance-based decision — contracting officers, contract specialists, CORs, and the program and requiring-activity staff who shape and approve service acquisitions. A strong orientation for teams new to performance-based work, and a useful reset for those who've seen it done poorly. Valuable across defense, civilian agencies, and tribal organizations alike.
Format: One-day course, delivered in person or virtually and tailored to your organization's priorities. 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 outside the federal certification system are welcome and benefit from the same practical training.
Ready to go deeper? The full three- or five-day Performance-Based Acquisition course covers the complete process — structuring outcomes, building the surveillance plan, setting incentives, and administering performance from award through closeout.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.