Writing an Effective Performance Work Statement (PWS) — One-Day Essentials
The performance work statement is the contract. What you receive from the contractor, and the standards you can hold them to, directly trace back to how well the PWS was written.
This course is for the acquisition workforce who write, review, or rely on performance work statements and want to write them well.
We start with what a Performance Work Statement (PWS) is and where it fits within performance-based acquisition, including how it flows from the requirement and also informs the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). We will cover how it differs from a Statement of Objectives (SOO) and Statement of Work (SOW). We cover the job analysis that should come before any drafting — the bottom-up look at the requirement that becomes the foundation for everything that follows. From there we cover the anatomy of a strong PWS: describing the work as required outcomes (rather than a step-by-step prescription on how to do it), writing performance standards and acceptable quality levels (AQL) that can actually be measured, and keeping scope, standards, and surveillance aligned so the document holds together.
We then cover what separates a clean PWS from one that causes problems: vague or unmeasurable language, standards no one can inspect against, internal inconsistencies, and the gaps that surface during source selection or administration. We work through real PWS language so you can see the difference between requirements that hold up and requirements that don't. And, as always, you will leave knowing where to find the governing guidance and how to keep building this skill — because writing an excellent PWS is a craft that rewards practice.
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 services, RDT&E, engineering, IT, construction, 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. 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, and the program and requiring-activity staff who write and rely on performance work statements — whether you're building your first PWS or sharpening ones you've written for years.
Format: Available as a one-day course, delivered in person or virtually. Eligible federal acquisition workforce 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 their continuous learning requirements. 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.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.
You might also consider
Performance-Based Acquisition — One-Day Essentials — the bigger picture this document lives inside, covering the full performance-based approach in a focused day.
Performance-Based Acquisition (3- or 5-day) — the complete performance-based process end to end, from structuring outcomes through administering performance.
The performance work statement is the contract. What you receive from the contractor, and the standards you can hold them to, directly trace back to how well the PWS was written.
This course is for the acquisition workforce who write, review, or rely on performance work statements and want to write them well.
We start with what a Performance Work Statement (PWS) is and where it fits within performance-based acquisition, including how it flows from the requirement and also informs the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). We will cover how it differs from a Statement of Objectives (SOO) and Statement of Work (SOW). We cover the job analysis that should come before any drafting — the bottom-up look at the requirement that becomes the foundation for everything that follows. From there we cover the anatomy of a strong PWS: describing the work as required outcomes (rather than a step-by-step prescription on how to do it), writing performance standards and acceptable quality levels (AQL) that can actually be measured, and keeping scope, standards, and surveillance aligned so the document holds together.
We then cover what separates a clean PWS from one that causes problems: vague or unmeasurable language, standards no one can inspect against, internal inconsistencies, and the gaps that surface during source selection or administration. We work through real PWS language so you can see the difference between requirements that hold up and requirements that don't. And, as always, you will leave knowing where to find the governing guidance and how to keep building this skill — because writing an excellent PWS is a craft that rewards practice.
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 services, RDT&E, engineering, IT, construction, 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. 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, and the program and requiring-activity staff who write and rely on performance work statements — whether you're building your first PWS or sharpening ones you've written for years.
Format: Available as a one-day course, delivered in person or virtually. Eligible federal acquisition workforce 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 their continuous learning requirements. 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.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.
You might also consider
Performance-Based Acquisition — One-Day Essentials — the bigger picture this document lives inside, covering the full performance-based approach in a focused day.
Performance-Based Acquisition (3- or 5-day) — the complete performance-based process end to end, from structuring outcomes through administering performance.