GSA Launches IT Acquisition Training Portal For Procurement Officers and Program Managers
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By
Aaron Boyd
The on-demand video courses offer continuous learning points, and many are open to the public.
The heavy bureaucratic burden associated with government procurement is often cited as a main reason major agency projects fail, especially when IT is a central component of those projects. But a lack of understanding of core IT issues among procurement officials can be equally problematic.
To help agency buyers, project managers and decision-makers make better decisions, the General Services Administration launched a new online training portal: the IT Acquisition University, or ITAU. The new resource is embedded in GSA’s Acquisition Gateway site.
“The federal IT market is evolving at unprecedented speed,” said Laura Stanton, acting assistant commissioner for GSA’s IT Category, the office that created the training program.
“New innovations and emerging technology are introduced and deployed rapidly, and it can be difficult for IT acquisition professionals to keep pace with the latest innovations, maintain various certifications and CLP requirements, while also focusing on day-to-day work,” Stanton said in a release Thursday announcing the program. “We hope the wider federal acquisition community will take advantage of this new and exciting tool.”
The site includes access to live training events, as well as on-demand videos that can be viewed at any time.
Some of the training videos are restricted to federal employees. However, the majority are open for public viewing, including open trainings sorted by topic and by contract vehicle, such as videos centered on the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions telecom contract. All of the videos offer continuous learning points, or CLPs.
“The IT Category team at GSA understands the challenges of maintaining various certifications while also focusing on day to day projects,” the website states. “Our goal is to allow for easier access to CLP certified training provided by expert IT professionals.”
The page is also home to a calendar of ongoing training events, including the Security in Emerging Technology event scheduled for Aug. 11.