Writing an Effective Statement of Work (SOW) — One-Day Essentials
This course is for the acquisition workforce who write, review, or rely on statements of work and want to write them well.
We start with what a Statement of Work (SOW) is and where it fits in the federal contracting system — how it flows from the requirement, how it differs from a Performance Work Statement (PWS) and a Statement of Objectives (SOO), and when a SOW is the right instrument for the buy. We cover the work that should come before any drafting: defining the requirement clearly enough that it can be written down without gaps. From there we cover the anatomy of a strong SOW — describing the work, the tasks, and the deliverables with enough precision to direct performance and inspect against it, organizing scope so nothing essential is missing and nothing extraneous creeps in, and keeping tasks, deliverables, and acceptance criteria aligned so the document holds together.
We then cover what separates a clean SOW from one that causes problems: vague or open-ended language, tasks no one can hold a contractor to, missing deliverables, internal inconsistencies, and the gaps that surface during source selection or administration. We work through real SOW 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 SOW 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 statements of work — whether you're building your first SOW 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
Writing an Effective Performance Work Statement (PWS) — One-Day Essentials — the performance-based acquisition counterpart, for outcome-based service requirements.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.
This course is for the acquisition workforce who write, review, or rely on statements of work and want to write them well.
We start with what a Statement of Work (SOW) is and where it fits in the federal contracting system — how it flows from the requirement, how it differs from a Performance Work Statement (PWS) and a Statement of Objectives (SOO), and when a SOW is the right instrument for the buy. We cover the work that should come before any drafting: defining the requirement clearly enough that it can be written down without gaps. From there we cover the anatomy of a strong SOW — describing the work, the tasks, and the deliverables with enough precision to direct performance and inspect against it, organizing scope so nothing essential is missing and nothing extraneous creeps in, and keeping tasks, deliverables, and acceptance criteria aligned so the document holds together.
We then cover what separates a clean SOW from one that causes problems: vague or open-ended language, tasks no one can hold a contractor to, missing deliverables, internal inconsistencies, and the gaps that surface during source selection or administration. We work through real SOW 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 SOW 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 statements of work — whether you're building your first SOW 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
Writing an Effective Performance Work Statement (PWS) — One-Day Essentials — the performance-based acquisition counterpart, for outcome-based service requirements.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.