1. Accelerated Learning: Recapitalizing the Department of Veterans Affairs Acquisition Workforce November 2009

2. About the Department of Veterans Affairs  Second-largest of the 15 Cabinet Departments  Operates nationwide programs for health care, financial assistance and burial benefits  Consists of three major Administrations: –Veterans Health Administration (80% of budget) –Veterans Benefits Administration –National Cemetery Administration  Services 70 million eligible veterans and their families  More than $15B worth of services and/or products were bought under contract last year 2

3. A Department of Veterans Affairs Crisis  Looming retirements of baby boomers  Grade creep  “Doing more with less”  Supervisory Contracting Officers carry full-time workload out of necessity  Many have gone years with little to no training or training has been “check-the-box” and it’s NOT WORKING!  Significant number of veterans returning from war in Iraq, Afghanistan and other theaters will require a more competent, innovative, and “solutions-oriented” acquisition workforce 3

4. We are Not Alone!  The acquisition function is in a state of crisis in all Federal agencies: –Estimated government-wide retirement eligibility is 29% in FY2011 and 50% in FY2016  Acquisition is a mission critical function; contracting is a single but significant piece  Two decades of “downsizing”, increased outsourcing and congressional scrutiny and oversight has strained an over tasked acquisition workforce  Workforce has become risk adverse  Unintended effects of acquisition reform  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act  Acquisition training demands exceed supply 4

5. 5 More 1102’s Required

6. VA Plowing New Ground  First acquisition academy in a civilian agency to respond to growing acquisition workforce crisis –Acquisition has become more complex with greater oversight –Quality of acquisition function has deteriorated –Acquisition workforce reduced in size  Opened brick and mortar facility in November 2008  Created to train and certify the entire VA Acquisition Team – a multi-pronged approach –Contracting Professionals including entry-level interns –Program/Program Managers –Contracting Officer Technical Representatives –Acquisition Leaders  Competency-Based Program 6

7. Making A Meaningful Difference  To develop new and existing/seasoned personnel into trusted business advisors who are capable of executing the FAR’s emphasis on using sound business judgment to deliver best value solutions  To become catalysts for change, transforming the VA acquisition process from “tactical and reactive” to “strategically-driven and focused on results”  Program includes stakeholder engagement and value measurement methodologies to ensure alignment with business needs to satisfy VA mission 7

8. Raising the Bar  Academy curricula will: –Respond to the developmental needs of the entire acquisition workforce (with consideration of competency assessment data to close gaps) –Satisfy government-wide professional certification requirements mandated by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy –Offer specialized acquisition tracks –Include electives such as leadership, communication, writing, and other training offerings to allow VA employees to maintain required professional certifications and currency 8 The Academy’s holistic, integrated, and synergistic approach will lead to a world class VA acquisition capability

9. Four Schools  Acquisition Internship School FAC-C Certification/Levels 1-2  Contracting Professionals School FAC-C Certification/Levels 1-3  Program Management School FAC-P/PM Certifications Program Management Specialty Fields  Acquisition Corps Development School 9

10. The VA Acquisition Academy Acquisition Internship School 10

11. Internship School Facts  Currently 56 interns –Two cohorts move through program together –At full capacity, 100 interns in program at various stages  A 3-year program –Excepted service appointments –Career ladder to GS-12  Intern demographics –Representation from over 15 states across US –More than 53% are veterans –Many with MBAs or Juris Doctorates –All have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree or 24-semester hours of business credit  2009 Chief Acquisition Officer Council Acquisition Excellence Award 11

12. Taking a Holistic Approach  The intern curriculum consists of a holistic approach to developing technical, interpersonal, and leadership skills through courses in: –Technical Contracting –VA Transformation Efforts –Current News Discussion Forums –Leadership –Communication –Customer Service –Team Building –Project Management  Includes formal technical classroom training complimented by SkillBuilding and Non-Classroom activities, Mission Service Work, and Job Rotations 12

13. Program Snapshot 13 Component TypeYear 1Year 2Year 3 Formal Contracting (CON/PM)35 days37 days15 days Formal Leadership (LEAD)12 days4 days2 days Skill-Building Workshops (SBLD) 85 days34 days27 days Non-Classroom (NCR)14 days8 days6 days Job Rotations104 days167 days200 days

14. Leadership Training  Year 1 Basic/Foundational Leadership Level –LEAD 100 – Honing Your Leadership Skills –LEAD 101 – High Performance Teambuilding –LEAD 102 – Communicating With Confidence –LEAD 103 – Negotiation Skills and Techniques –LEAD 104 – Ethics & Standards of Conduct –LEAD 105 – Customer Relations Management  Year 2 - Intermediate Leadership Level –LEAD 200 - Decision Quality –LEAD 400 - Annual Leadership Refresher  Year 3 - Advanced Leadership Level –LEAD 400 - Annual Leadership Refresher

15. What SBLDs Look Like  Allows interns to apply theoretical concepts in a realistic and ‘safe’ simulated environment – our Learning Laboratory –Structured business cases –Hands on real-life scenario-based exercises –Detailed research-based projects –Simulations –Role-play –Learning laboratory where it’s okay to fail in order to learn and improve skills  These practical activities further prepare and equip interns to perform successfully in their job rotations and after program graduation 15

16. Job Rotation Component  “Learning by doing” - critical for intern learning at all levels  Represents a significant investment today from operational/hosting job rotation organizations for enhancing our acquisition capability/capacity in the future  Offers some added bench strength to help VA process real requirements  Dedicated reach-back support to the interns during job rotations 16

17. Mission Service Projects Interns plan and participate in Mission Service activities in order to gain a better understanding of VA’s mission, vision and core values. Projects include: –Veterans Career Boost –Medical Center Visits –Homeless Veterans Welcome Home Program –Veterans Elementary School Letter Writing Campaign –Many Others 17 “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan” ~Abraham Lincoln~

18. 18 Program “Secret Sauce” – Our Experiential Learning Model Adult Learning Model = Tell Me  Show Me  Let Me Try Non-Classroom Activities Tell Me & Show Me Show Me & Let Me Try Let Me Try Formal Contracting Courses Formal Leadership Courses Skill-Building Workshops Job Rotations “Secret Sauce” Non-Classroom Activities and Skill-building Workshops reduce interns’ time to competency

19. Reduced Time to Competency Accelerated Learning Why it Works…  Designed to accelerate learning curve to be more productive more quickly  Emphasis on translating theory, fundamentals, and concepts to practical application  Program evolves from basic to more complex acquisition strategies 19 FAC-C Level III Certified Contracting Professional Trusted Business Advisor Competency Proficiency Time Traditional Intern Program VA Acquisition Intern Program

20. Representative Kudos from the Field  “I have been impressed with his work ethic and the quality of his work. You have really done an excellent job selecting interns if this is representative of group.”  “All 3 of your interns are doing a fantastic job. We would take all 3 back at any time during their internship (unless we can figure out how to steal them from you earlier!). You are doing a great job at the Academy based on their performance to date. All three are really top notch.”  “She has the attitude, the eagerness, the skills and potential to be one of the top 1102 model employees that any acquisition office would like to have, based on my experience these past months.”  “She exhibits an immense understanding of the acquisition process and looks at every opportunity to address different aspects of the process. She rapidly grasps concepts, policies and procedures required for the development, solicitation and award of construction contracts.” 20

21. On the Horizon  Will recruit another intern cohort for June 2010 start  Launching a non-resident program using blended learning approaches to reduce travel expenses  Considering reducing length of program  Development of “feeder” program for severely wounded veterans  Open program up to other civilian agencies 21

22. Contact Information  Lisa Doyle, Chancellor, VA Acquisition Academy –lisa.doyle@va.govlisa.doyle@va.gov –(202) 461-0646  Melissa Starinsky, Vice-Chancellor Internship School –melissa.starinsky@va.govmelissa.starinsky@va.gov –(202) 461-0725  Joanne Choy, Senior Training Specialist –joanne.choy@va.govjoanne.choy@va.gov –(202) 461-0696 Visit us at: http://www.acquisitionacademy.va.gov/index.asp 22

23. QUESTIONS?? 23