Does your manager conduct regular in-house training about particular subjects, such a contract line item development? Maybe during "brown bag" lunches?

If not, would you welcome it if they did?

In my last government job, we asked each employee to submit a list of contracting topics or subjects they didn’t fully understand or just wanted more training on. We complied the results and identified 16 topics. An outside trainer came in every two weeks to cover each topic. Most were a two hour duration but a few went three or even four hours if needed.

What made it successful is employees decided what training they want rather than training being dictated to them.

We have various training "events" and presentations, but they are usually presented by SMEs. Various topics are covered in a sort of refresher manner. We format the training so folks can earn CLPs. Usually keep them an hour long.

On 9/3/2026 at 7:11 AM, Vern Edwards said:

Does your manager conduct regular in-house training about particular subjects, such a contract line item development? Maybe during "brown bag" lunches?

Yes - Many. A monthly technical review/training - covers CWS things like line items, option dates, etc. Periodic training refresher about contracting concepts - usually an hour long. These are taught in-house. Each year we have an annual training 'symposium' - two or three days. We also have many CLP courses we need to take each 2 years for FAC-C cert. In addition, we have acquisition-adjacent mandatory training - appropriations law, data security, etc. It changes a lot - HCA likes to try new things. We cannot complain about inadequate in-house training. On the contrary, our Contract Specialists complain that they have too much training.

Were I in charge, I would use more of my favorite professional learning tools, retrospectives and case studies - like medicine's Morbidity and Mortality conference, or the Army's After Action Review. Also, discussion of subjects that are buzzy or interesting - how to take advantage of RFO, AI. I would try to find smart people who are outside my organization and just have them talk about whatever they want. Finally, I would ban PowerPoint.

13 hours ago, General.Zhukov said:

Finally, I would ban PowerPoint.

I understand the tedium of PowerPoint. But used properly it can enhance learning from a topical lecture or presentation. It effectively provides attendees with a set of lecture or presentation notes.

I have noticed that few people attending lectures and presentations take notes. They just sit there. I don't know why. Maybe because they don't know how or think that they'll remember what was said. They won't.

When I was an undergraduate I had a professor who, during the first days of class, taught us how to take lecture notes and reading notes. In the early days of the course he would come around, look at our notes, and make suggestions for improvement.

It was one of the most useful things I learned in college. Some of the greatest lectures ever given -- Aristotle, Wittgenstein -- are known to us now only because a talented notetaker wrote things down.

Keep the PowerPoint.

I have asked my team if they would be interested in doing brown bag lunches occastionally and the answer was overwhelming no. I am very concerned for the future of our workforce...

A colleague and I started a biweekly acquisition reading and discussion group last year (I was inspired to do so by @Matthew Fleharty’s Nash and Cibinic article and @Vern Edwards’s intensive training that he provided to the Navy last year.)

Although it became popular, especially with leadership, and attendance was strong, I don’t consider it to have been a successful endeavor. At best, only one or two of the dozen-plus attendees would do the mandatory reading, yet many had opinions to share based on what they thought they knew of that day’s topic.

I think the fundamental problem - aside from a widespread aversion to reading and active learning - was the involvement of leadership. Whereas my colleague and I wanted to keep attendance to the handful willing to do the work, leadership began to mandate office-wide attendance. Worse, leadership themselves attended regularly and shared some of the loudest opinions without ever having done the reading. This produced a chilling effect on discussions and prevented my colleague and I from enforcing attendee standards.

Sadly, we pulled the plug after about 6 months.

3 hours ago, FrankJon said:

At best, only one or two of the dozen-plus attendees would do the mandatory reading, yet many had opinions to share based on what they thought they knew of that day’s topic.

I, too, have noticed an aversion to reading and studying. What's up with that?

Chiefs of contracting offices are largely to blame when they fail to emphasize the need for study and pursuit of mastery and the relationship between that behavior and career advancement. And it doesn't help when they give away contracting officer appointments like cheap lollipops at Halloween.

4 hours ago, OverThinking said:

I have asked my team if they would be interested in doing brown bag lunches occastionally and the answer was overwhelming no. I am very concerned for the future of our workforce...

Self satisfaction is rampant in the workforce. It's the product of a failure of leadership.

I think most Government employees are familiar with the cookie-cutter nature of a brown bag lunch offerings. I don't blame folks for not wanting to use their personal lunch times to go through a cookie-cutter training. I'd prefer an email with the PPT brief. The discussion group sounds promising. Subtract the mandatory requirement and ask questions tied to the reading. A little embarrassment goes a long way to either correct action or self remove.

I could male a great one-hour brown-bag lunch session out of a single sentence in the FAR. If you don't believe me, set it up for online and I'll show you. It won't cost you a nickel, and I'm not trying to sell you anything. I'll just show you how to do it. One sentence. Then you can do it.

16 hours ago, Vern Edwards said:

I could male a great one-hour brown-bag lunch session out of a single sentence in the FAR. If you don't believe me, set it up for online and I'll show you. It won't cost you a nickel, and I'm not trying to sell you anything. I'll just show you how to do it. One sentence. Then you can do it.

I extend that offer to everyone until October 1. Free of charge.

You can email me at vern@thefarbootcamp.com