Three firms received contract awards to teach more than 80 courses on federal contracting training, the General Services Administration announced today.

The three recipients of the awards, which fall under GSA schedule contracts, are Business Management Research Associates, ESI International and Management Concepts. GSA awarded the contracts for the Federal Acquisition Institute, a federal body fostering the development of the federal acquisition workforce.

“Providing the right training represents a major step forward in the government’s ability to strategically manage our contracting workforce,” said Emily Murphy, GSA’s chief acquisition officer.

GSA called this the first major acquisition under the Acquisition Workforce Training Fund for training services from commercial vendors. The Services Acquisition Reform Act established the fund to improve the acquisition workforce’s skills in an ever-changing environment.

“We are forced into the new world order,” M.J. Pizzella, associate administrator of GSA’s Office of Citizen Services and Communications, said last week about the problems plaguing the agency. She believes the challenges will strengthen GSA because they force the agency to address such problems as contracting issues.

Classes will begin April 3, and the orders include options for additional sessions in fiscal 2007. The courses will be free for individual participants. The institute coordinates contracting training with the Defense Acquisition University.

The classes adhere to guidelines for training established by the White House Office of Federal Procurement Policy that are consistent with Defense Department practices.

Classes include Shaping Smart Business Arrangements and Contract Negotiation Techniques, Price and Cost Analysis, and Contract Formation. For more information, visit www.fai.gov.