Coast Guard seeks training for acquisition staffers

The Coast Guard is seeking a small-business contractor to provide intensive acquisition training for 50 agency employees in the first half of 2009.The service published a solicitation Nov. 21 that seeks a contractor that can provide “hands-on, active and intensive immersion in researching, interpreting and applying the Federal Acquisition Regulation.”The training will be conducted at the Coast Guard’s Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, N.C., from February to June 2009. The closing day for applications is Dec. 5. Contractors will be evaluated based on technical factors, past performance and price, the service said.Coast Guard leaders have been dealing with acquisition-related concerns in recent months after losing special acquisition authority for major projects in September. Earlier this month, the agency updated its formal acquisition guidance.Congress had granted the special acquisition authority in 2003, primarily to help the Coast Guard manage the $24 billion Integrated Deepwater System project. However, after the Government Accountability Office raised concerns about the service's management of Deepwater, Congress ordered Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to withdraw the acquisition authority, which he did on Sept. 25.