Upcoming focus week offers many opportunities

Published Jan. 5, 2018
By Patty Welsh
66th Air Base Group Public Affairs

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Focus Week winter session will take place Jan. 22 to 26 through both distance learning and local courses.

Organizers say focus weeks help create and maintain a strong learning culture. As in previous sessions, there are both general courses and those focused on a specific area, such as foreign military sales or logistics. Distance learning courses will be through Defense Collaboration Services.

AFLCMC Focus Week Program Manager Brooke Belickis says that Focus Week is a time set aside quarterly to accomplish mandatory, leadership and acquisition training.

“With the variety of courses we offer, from general to specific, not only can you enhance professional development in your own area, you can also gain knowledge in a different discipline,” she said. Belickis added that in many instances attendees can earn “valuable” continuous learning points.

Numerous courses are taking place this session. One course, “Risk and Issue Management,” was originally presented to more than 250 acquisition personnel at the request of the AFLCMC program executive officers. According to the class description, it’s an introductory session that brings the AFLCMC Process Guide for Risk and Issue Management to the classroom, letting attendees identify and evaluate concerns, risks and issues in accordance with the guide.

Another course, intended for FMS employees, is “Harnessing the Case Financial Dashboard to become an FMS Ninja.” This class demonstrates the CFD tool, not only covering how to use the tool, but also how to read and use the resulting report. “Small Business Subcontracting Plans: Solicitation Thru Administration” is another offering. Organizers say that DOD and the Small Business Administration are increasing their focus on small business subcontracting plans, and requiring them for most contract actions over $700,000. This course will address that topic from solicitation development through post-award administration.

A course taking place onsite at Hanscom is “Acquisition and Source Selection Planning.” This is an abbreviated version of the Phase I Acquisition Planning training. According to organizers, it will cover lessons learned from the AFLCMC Hanscom Operating Location Acquisition Center of Excellence Source Selection Advisory Team. Topics to be covered are developing an acquisition strategy, preparing a request for proposal and preparing for source selection.

The entire Focus Week schedule is available on the Acquisition Now Continuous Learning website at https://www.atrrs.army.mil/channels/acqnowcl/. Logon with your CAC, then click on “Apply for a CL event” and search for AFLCMC Focus Week in the event provider to view the courses and/or register. Step-by-step instructions are available at the AFLCMC Focus Week SharePoint site.

In order to provide more course spaces, AFLCMC Focus Week organizers ask that personnel attend local courses for those offered both locally and via distance learning.

“We encourage all personnel to take advantage of these opportunities,” said Belickis. “Focus Weeks provide vital acquisition training, policy updates, core skills and operational perspectives to the acquisition community.”