Writing an Effective Performance Work Statement (PWS) — One-Day Essentials

A Performance Work Statement looks deceptively similar to an SOW, but the discipline behind writing one well is fundamentally different — you're describing outcomes, not tasks. This one-day workshop covers how to articulate performance objectives that are measurable and contractually meaningful, build the performance standards and surveillance approach that make the PWS enforceable, avoid the drift back into prescriptive task-direction that quietly undermines the PWS, and align the document with the broader performance-based acquisition strategy.

In this course, 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 30 agencies.

Best for: This course is for the acquisition workforce who write, review, or rely on performance work statements and want to write them well.

Format: One day, delivered in person or virtually, 8 CLPs/0.8 CEU. Phoenix Canyon issues every attendee a certificate of completion documenting the number of training hours as well as CEUs and CLPs earned, which employers may count toward Continuous Learning or Professional Development requirements at their discretion. Phoenix Canyon is a DAU/WarU Equivalent Provider.

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