• How the FAR/DFARS regulatory updates will affect your contracts in GFY26
• Roles and responsibilities across the acquisition team
• Best practices for aligning pre-award, award, and post-award efforts
• Practical tips to avoid common pitfalls and ensure compliance
• Strategies for cross-functional collaboration to achieve mission outcomes

• Contract managers, specialists, and administrators
• Program managers and acquisition professionals
• Industry business development, capture, and compliance teams
• Students and early-career professionals building their GovCon foundation

Will Roberts, previous Acquisition Chief of the DoD Joint AI Center (JAIC), will discuss five essential skills needed for contracting professionals to take their career to the next level and be true assets to their organization.

Mr. William (Will) Roe Roberts is the Director of Acquisition Solutions & Emerging Technologies for ASI Government, LLC. Previously, he was Acquisition Director for the DoD Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC). Will is a member of the Florida Bar and has over 15 years of experience in Government Procurement. His notable work includes the creation of guides, trainings, and contract vehicles to assist the DoD in acquiring and delivering emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence.

Whether you’re a Subcontractor working for a Prime, or a Prime working to onboard a Subcontractor, when it comes time to negotiate and perform on your subcontract, do you know what flowdowns apply? Flowdowns is a frequent topic of discussion for government contractors – it is a critical part of any federal subcontract and there are hundreds of FAR and DFARS clauses that can apply to your work and the resulting agreement: every clause brings a new requirement and, potentially, new expenses and new risks. Contractors are often rightly overwhelmed by the process of negotiating flowdown terms and conditions, and this session should help!

This webinar will provide guidance from 25 years of leading, growing, managing, and owning federal and commercial services firms based on the lessons learned through experience and insights from many accomplished industry colleagues and authors that came before the presenter.

Blaine W Smith, Principal, Centurion Consulting Group, LLC a Woman Owned Small Business and Business Development Executive for AKCENT, LLC an Alaskan Tribal Owned 8(a) HUBZone SDB Joint Venture.

This program designed to help start-up small business owners succeed in the government contracting industry. Participants will learn about the key components of a successful government contracting business, including preparation, marketing, operations, financial management, and professional development. The training will provide practical advice and real-world examples to help small business owners take their business to the next level.

Ms. Michelle M. Currier, a Professor at Defense Acquisition University (DAU), was recognized by the University with the Distinguished Teacher Award in October 2012. The academic community bestows the Distinguished Teacher Award to recognize faculty members who demonstrate teaching mastery through classroom performance and enhancing student outcomes. Ms. Currier serves as a Professor of Contract Management at DAU Middle Atlantic Region. Ms. Currier brings a wealth of real world experience to the classroom from her 35-year career, having served with distinction as a Contracting Officer, Division Chief, and Director of Contracts at the Naval Research Laboratory, Military Sealift Command, Small Business Administration, Naval Sea Systems Command, and the Army Contracting Command.

The audience will gain an understanding of key cost and price analysis concepts and techniques and how to establish fair and reasonable pricing.  We will discuss main takeaways from recent court decisions and how they can be applied in a “real-world” setting when it comes to establishing a fair and reasonable pricing.  This session will be relevant for both Contracting Officers negotiating with Contractors, and for Prime Contractors negotiating with their subs.

John Polcari is a Director in HKA’s Washington, D.C. office with over 12 years of experience assisting clients with various government contracting regulatory compliance issues.  Over the course of his career, John has dealt with a wide range of issues unique to government contractors, including FAR and CAS compliance.  John also has extensive experience related to CAS required Disclosure Statements, Incurred Cost Proposal (“ICP”) submissions, Cost Impact Analyses, and in the general design and maintenance of compliant contractor indirect cost allocation structures.

Avani Rao is a Manager in HKA’s Washington, D.C. office, with a focus on the government contracts practice. Avani has performed accounting, financial, and economic analyses in a variety of matters that center around cost, schedule, and damages analyses, as well as other dispute and compliance related issues, often within the context of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”).  Avani has supported the calculation and evaluation of damages claims ranging from tens of thousands of dollars to over $1 billion, with clients ranging from small, locally owned businesses to defense contractors and Fortune 500 companies.

There are a variety of acquisition strategies than can be employed to establish and maintain competition throughout the life cycle of major systems and equipment. Tom Wells will present a information from a competition handbook that he co-authored. The handbook is intended to help Department of Defense (DOD) acquisition professionals develop and employ competitive approaches from the earliest developmental efforts through the post-production sustainment and modification of systems. All attendees will be provided with a link to download a digital copy of the handbook and to access over 100 other helpful acquisition-related guides and reports.

Tom Wells has over 40 years’ experience in contracting and program management as an Air Force civilian and senior executive, private sector consultant, acquisition course instructor, and small business owner.  Tom is one of five corporate Directors at Dayton Aerospace, Inc. a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business.  Other positions include: Instructor, Management Concepts Inc.; Director, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Lab; Director of Contracting, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command; and Director of Contracting and Chief of Contract Pricing, Electronic Systems Center.

Whether it’s a war or international conflict, natural disaster, regional catastrophic event, severe economic down-turn, or global pandemic, the Federal Government faces crisis on an ongoing basis.  Yet, in the midst and aftermath of these events, Prime Contractors are still responsible for ensuring supply chain and subcontract compliance with regards to their prime contracts, laws, and regulations. Therefore, many ask the following questions:  Are their any procurement compliance-related “short cuts” which can be taken?  If so, what compliance requirements apply under emergent circumstances? 

During this webinar, Jeff White will address these and other concerns that are often viewed as supply chain and subcontract compliance-related challenges we encounter when procuring in support of emergent environments and situations. 

Jeffery White is Founder and CEO of J.A. White & Associates Inc. A leading industry firm in Federal Contracting and Compliance consulting offering a tailored line of advisory services to clients.

With over 38 years of experience in both the private and public sectors, White's expertise has led his firm to have an unprecedented 100% approval rate of Contractor Purchasing System Reviews (CPSR) and other Business System assessments.

The design of document automation, CPSR ProDocs, was spearheaded by visionary, Jeffery White. Used by small and large government contractors, the software streamlines the Procurement workflow process by leveraging a company’s existing enterprise platform and automates compliance-related Procurement file documentation. A company's benefits may include cost savings, 100% accuracy, increased CPSR success, error reduction and lead time reduction. White’s clients currently include government agencies, prime contractors, and subcontractors across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

White is a noted U.S. and International speaker for the Institute for Supply Management (formerly NAPM), the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP), the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), and other Procurement organizations.

Healthy professionals are better equipped to provide and sustain high levels of professional performance. The events of the global pandemic increased awareness and recent studies are confirming, the impacts that heightened and prolonged stress can have on professionals. Job burnout, concerns related to mental, emotional, and physical well-being merit attention.

Dr. Chuck Carringer is President of Chuck Carringer Executive Coaching LLC. Chuck is an executive coach, trainer and speaker based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Chuck holds a doctorate in Executive Leadership emphasizing executive coaching and holds a certification from the prestigious John Maxwell Coaching, Speaking, and Training Certification Program.

Chuck has conducted over 6000 executive coaching meetings with leaders at every organizational level in dozens of different professional fields, partnering with them to advance in both performance outcomes and leadership development.  In addition, he has delivered over 600 training/speaking presentations to diverse audiences featuring best practice content delivered in an engaging and inspirational style.

Chuck serves as a faculty member for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management and as an executive coach for The University of Tennessee Haslam College of Business Graduate and Executive Education Leadership Development Programs. Chuck partners with nonprofit Boards of Directors as a certified BoardSource consultant. Chuck is also certified in the DiSC suite of instruments.

Chuck hosts a weekly leadership podcast entitled, Leadership Upside. In addition, he also posts a weekly “Leadership Nugget”, which is a brief leadership-focused video available on his website.

Chuck is a former distinguished, public school educator serving in a variety of roles at the high school level including teacher, Hall of Fame Coach, Athletic Director, and Principal (during his tenure the graduation rate increased from 79% to 92% and the school successfully completed a 58-million-dollar construction renovation project).