How to create a successful Federal Contracts Manager position in your company when the position is fairly new.

By Tumara Rogers posted 03-09-2018 11:30

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My company has only one Contract Manager and although I have exposure and training to how to be a Federal CM, our company really has no direction as to how to be a successful CM. I am looking for classes, reporting examples, How-Tos on how to create the position to be a fully encompassing position. Currently the position reviews and submits documents for review to our legal department and assists with bid responses to federal contracts. The position needs to move into working with our PM's and executing all the reporting and other aspects of the CM position. Unfortunately, I don't know what the other aspects and the specific reporting requirements are from a sub-contractors position and any and all guidance will be welcome.

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Donald Shannon

11-28-2018 11:14

Start with some of the Cibinic and Nash books - try Contract Administration for a start. Also the NCMA NES on Contract Changes, Disputes and Terminations would be helpful (maybe I'm biased since I developed the material from the C&N text) and also comes with a very good text. The FAR Essentials NES and the Contract Terms and Condition NES will also be of great use to you and will provide valuable reference material.

Finally try to live up to the idea the contract management is a customer service discipline ... our job is to provide knowledge and guidance to our internal customers and assure our external customers of timely and compliant performance. Adopt that attitude and you will go far

Joey Barden

11-09-2018 20:24

At the risk of being flogged in town square, my advice is to contract for a consultant one time to come in and help you define the position, best practices, etc. Sometimes, you just have to spend the money to get the best long-term results.

Karolyn Jones

09-06-2018 08:35

Hi Tumara! There really isn't a single answer to this question, as your agreements and internal requirements will drive your actions. The easiest starting point will be the prime contract deliverables - hopefully tangible evidence of compliance/noncompliance. Get a good handle on those elements and timeframes for submission. Are there any pain points around the deliverables? Are the deliverables meeting the upstream & downstream needs? Are the deliverables duplicative? Use web search to find Procurement manuals online - there is no need to reinvent the wheel! Map out company procedures for Pre-award, Award, post-award activities using the CMBOK as your guide. Then move on to the agreement clauses; do you have supporting references - USC, CFR, FAR, etc? This should be a good start on your journey. Good luck!

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