Week 1 discussion
DQ1
“Three Major Concerns” Please respond to the
following:
Analyze at least two major concerns for the federal
government concerning the pricing of goods and services. Determine which major
concern you believe is the most important to address, and provide a rationale
for your response.
Distinguish between at least two of the major factors that
are important when a company decides upon a price at which to sell its goods
and services to the government. Provide a rationale for your response.
DQ2
“Fair Pricing” Please respond to the following:
Categorize at least two factors that VectorCal uses to
determine a fair and reasonable price for the navigation system it is marketing
to the government. Suggest key reasons why these two factors are important in
determining the fair and reasonable prices for VectorCal’s navigation systems.
Support your response with one example of the importance of such factors.
Using the two important factors that you identified in Part
1 of this discussion, suggest the manner in which the proposed price is fair
and reasonable for the government to pay. Provide a rationale for your
response.
Week 2 discussion
DQ1
“Initial Bid” Please respond to the following:
Suggest the most significant manner in which the cost of the
solicitation process adds to the bottom-line in the initial bid for a
government contract. Justify your response.
Determine the steps in the sealed bidding process. Next,
create an argument for or against the sealed bidding process as a method of
lowering the government’s potential expense for a good or service. Justify your
response with one example.
DQ2
“Fixed Price –vs- Cost-Reimbursement” Please
respond to the following:
Compare and contrast the fixed-price and cost-reimbursement
for the VectorCal navigation system. Determine which type of costing mechanism
best serves VectorCal’s needs. Provide a rationale for your response.
From the e-Activity, compare and contrast the
characteristics of the federal contact project that you researched with the
contract used during the VectorCal scenario. Specify which characteristics you
believe to be the most and least important for any project, and justify your
rationale for each.
Week 3 discussion
DQ1
“Price Analysis” Please respond to the following:
Examine at least two purposes that price analysis serves to
a company like VectorCal and to its product line. Support your answer with two
(2) examples of companies that used price analysis to better serve their
organizations.
Imagine you are a CEO of a large company. Provide two
examples of the manner in which you would incorporate a price analysis in your
company. Predict the important ways in which your use of price analysis would
lead to financial success for the whole company.
DQ2
“Best Use of Price Analysis” Please respond to the
following:
Examine all of the methods for performing a price analysis
that VectorCal can use when creating its own price analysis, and then specify
two to three (2-3) price analysis methods that would best serve VectorCal’s
needs. Explain your rationale.
From the e-Activity, speculate on key areas where most
companies fall short when conducting price analyses. Suggest two (2) methods
that a company CEO should use in order to reduce price analysis
inconsistencies. Support your suggestion with real-world examples.
Week 4 discussion
DQ1
“Classifications of Costs” Please respond to the
following:
Diagram two to three (2-3) of the classifications for costs,
and propose the value of each of these classifications in the production of the
navigation system at VectorCal. Explain your decision for each classification
chosen.
From first the e-Activity, compare and contrast the manner
in which VectorCal and the other businesses that you researched utilize cost
principles. Specify which cost principles you believe to be the most and least
important for any business, and justify your rationale for each.
DQ2
“Other Costs” Please respond to the following:
Determine the differences between overhead costs and G &
A costs in the production of VectorCal’s navigation systems overall. Analyze
the role that each of these types of costs plays in the long-term production of
VectorCal’s navigation systems. Justify your analysis.
Predict VectorCal’s direct labor cost, direct material cost,
overhead costs, and G&A costs related to production. Next, from the second
e-Activity, provide two to three(2-3) examples of companies with the same cost
structure that you predicted for VectorCal. Speculate on what the cost
structure of the existing companies bodes for the future of VectorCal.
Week 5 discussion
DQ1
“How to Forecast Costs” Please respond to the following:
Infer the main reasons for the high number of government
contracting invitations extended for the purpose of obtaining certified cost or
pricing data. Speculate on why the invitation is the last item in the gathering
of cost and pricing process. Justify your response.
Provide two to three (2-3) examples of other strategies to
use to obtain cost or pricing data in a more accurate fashion. Predict the
manner in which these examples could be utilized to also save the government
funds. Provide a rationale for your response.
DQ2
“Certified Costs” Please respond to the following:
Imagine that a contracting office requests certified cost or
pricing data related to your company, VectorCal. Speculate on what would happen
to VectorCal in the long term if the cost or pricing data was defective or
inaccurate. Provide a rationale for your response.
Predict the manner in which VectorCal would absorb the
certified cost or pricing data expense based on the information presented in
Chapter 5. From the e-Activity, present two to three (2-3) examples of
instances where companies have absorbed the certified cost or pricing data
expenses similarly to your prediction of VectorCal. Speculate on what the
manner in which the existing companies absorbed the certified cost or pricing
data expenses bodes for the future of VectorCal.
Week 6 discussion
DQ1
Labor Costs” Please respond to the following:
Identify at least two factors that VectorCal uses to
determine its labor costs for the creation of the navigation system that it is
marketing to the government. Specify key reasons why these two factors are important
in determining the labor costs for VectorCal’s navigation systems. Support your
response with one example of such importance.
From the e-Activity, speculate on key areas where most
companies fall short when determining their labor costs. Suggest two (2)
methods that a company CEO should use in order to reduce price labor cost
inconsistencies. Support your suggestion with two (2) real-world examples.
DQ2
“Work Breakdown Structure” Please respond to the
following:
Compare and contrast work breakdown schedule (WBS) and Phase
Diagram in terms of appropriateness and effectiveness for the VectorCal
navigation system. Determine which method best serves VectorCal’s needs.
Provide a rationale for your response.
Suggest two to three (2-3) other methods that VectorCal
could use to obtain labor cost data in anaccurate fashion in addition to WBS
and Phase Diagram. Predict the manner in which VectorCal could use these
methods to decrease the amount of government funds needed.
Week 7 discussion
DQ1
Indirect Costs” Please respond to the following:
Predict VectorCal’s indirect costs based on the direct costs
(e.g. direct labor, direct materials or both). Next, from the e-Activity
provide two examples of companies with the same indirect costs that you
predicted for VectorCal. Speculate on what the indirect costs of the existing
companies bodes for the future of VectorCal.
Suggest one way in which how VectorCal could estimate the
future indirect costs for at least ten potential line items related to the
production of its navigation systems. Determine two to three (2-3) line items
that could affect the indirect costs the most. Justify your response.
DQ2
Direct Costs” Please respond to the following:
Examine the methods that VectorCal could use for estimating
the direct costs. Next, specify two to three (2-3) ways in which VectorCal
could control these costs. Explain your rationale.
Determine the manner in which VectorCal could estimate the
future direct costs for at least ten potential line items related to the
production of its navigation systems. Determine two to three (2-3) line items
that could affect the direct costs the most. Justify your response.
Week 8 discussion
DQ1
“Overhead Expenses” Please respond to the
following:
From the-Activity, compare and contrast the manner in which
VectorCal and other businesses that you researched analyze overhead
costs.Selecttwo to three (2-3) methods that the businesses in question used for
allocating costs for theanalysis of their overhead expenses. Explain your
rationale.
Analyze key ways in whichyou would make the most use of the
cost analysis in supporting VectorCal’s contract with the federal
government.Speculate on what you believe would happen if the cost analysis
related to the VectorCal’s current federal government contract changed. Justify
your response.
DQ2
“G & A Expense” Please respond to the
following:
Specify several advantages of operating a small business
when it comes to General and Administrative (G&A) expenses. Determine the
single most important advantage that you believe would benefit the small-business
owner the most. Explain your answer.
Compare and contrast the G&A expense from a large
company and a smaller company. Determine which characteristics you believe are
the most important for both large and small companies. Justify your response
for each.
Week 9 discussion
DQ1
Facility Costs” Please respond to the following:
Suppose you have been working with the federal government
for a period of time, and you decide to form a small company. Explain the
difference between depreciation and the facilities capital cost of money.
Specify the key advantages of having facilities capital cost of money as an
allowable cost. Justify your response.
Compare and contrast the facility costs of VectorCal and the
US Government. Determine at least two advantages for using facility costs for both
VectorCal and the US Government. Explain your rationale.
DQ2
“Procedures of FCCOM” Please respond to the
following:
Describe two to three (2-3) circumstances in which
facilities capital costs of money is an allowable cost. Determine the single
most significant advantage of having facilities capital costs as an allowable
cost under the circumstances you described. Support your response.
Determine two to three (2-3) possible factors that could
make facilities capital costs of money unallowable based on the information
presented in Chapter 9. Present two to three (2-3) examples of instances where
companies have made facility capital costs of money available.
Week 10 discussion
DQ1
Profit” Please respond to the following:
Determine two to three (2-3) reasons why VectorCal may not
always receive the exact amount of profit that it negotiated into its contract
with the federal government. Predict two to three (2-3) outcomes VectorCal may
experience as a result of not meeting the profit requirements specified in
their government contract. Justify your response.
Hypothesize two examples of circumstances where a company
has not met the profit requirements of a government contract. Next, speculate
on why these circumstances resulted in a failure to meet the profit
requirements of its contract with the federal government. Next, from the
e-Activity, provide one example of a company that has not met the profit
requirements of a government contract, and specify the company’s end result.
DQ2
“NASA” Please respond to the following:
Analyze the methods used by NASA in itsstructured profit
approach, and speculate on how VectorCal could possibly use the same structured
profit approach with their manufacturing operations. Support your analysis with
examples of such an approach.
Take a position on whether or not companies benefit from
using a structured profit approach to calculate their profits. Provide an
explanation of your position with at least two examples or scenarios of the use
of such an approach.
Week 11 discussion
DQ1
“Course Wrap-Up” Please respond to the following:
Sum up two of the most important concepts you learned from
this course and state how you might use these.
Identify someone in your life who would benefit from taking
this course, and explain the reasons why.
DQ2
“Looking Forward” Please respond to the following:
Speculate on what technology might be able to do in 15 years
to improve the contracting process.
Hypothesize whether contracting with the government will be
easier or more difficult in the future. Provide a rationale for your answer.
Week 3
assignment
Assignment 1: Proposal
Note: Refer to scenarios and readings from previous weeks in
order to complete this assignment.
Imagine that you just created a new start-up company. You
want to compete in the growing industry of drone navigation systems. VectorCal
is the only major company in the field. You also want to be a leaner, faster
version of a company that you view as being too slow and costly. Note: you may
create and /or make all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of this
assignment.
Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you:
Describe the new start-up company that you have created.
Include in your description the nature of your company, its mission and vision,
your company’s product, an analysis of your staff, and your target clientele.
Criticize VectorCal’s forecasting method. Determine the
appropriate forecasting approach for your company. Provide a rationale to
support your determination.
Suggest the semi-variable, allocated, and indirect costs
that you should address in the startup phase of your company. Provide a
rationale to support your response.
Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment.
Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment mustfollow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, doublespaced, using Times New Roman font (size
12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow
APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional
instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment,
the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date.The
cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment
page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this
assignment are:
Determine the characteristics of government contracting that
affect pricing and what is considered fair and reasonable pricing.
Outline the process to forecast the likely price of an
acquisition, calculate semi-variable costs, and allocate direct and indirect
costs.
Use technology and information resources to research issues
in cost and price analysis.
Write clearly and concisely about cost and price analysis
using proper writing mechanics
Week 4
assignment
Assignment 2: Price Analysis for the Navigation System
In order to complete this assignment, refer to the scenario
from Assignment 1, as well as to the scenarios and readings from previous
weeks.
Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you:
Analyze your company’s cost classification for pricing of
the navigation system. Defend your cost classification to the US government.
Determine reasonable, allowable, allocable, variable, fixed
& semi-variable costs for your company after the initial startup phase is
complete.
Predict the method for performing price analysis that the US
government will want from your new company and VectorCal. Justify your
response.
Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment.
Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size
12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow
APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment,
the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The
cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment
page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this
assignment are:
Examine the various cost classifications, the different
allocation bases, and the application of cost-accounting standards.
Use technology and information resources to research issues
in cost and price analysis.
Write clearly and concisely about cost and price analysis
using proper writing mechanics.
Week 6
assignment
Assignment 3: Buy American Requirements
In order to complete this assignment, refer to the scenario
from Assignment 1, as well as to the scenarios and readings from previous
weeks.
Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you:
Specify the main points of the Buy American Requirements in
one page or less.
Determine the substantive means by which the Buy American Requirements
would benefit both VectorCal and your new company. Provide a rationale for your
response.
Analyze the fundamental ways in which the Buy American
Requirements are contradictory to a capitalistic ethos, given that the U.S.
government claims to promote competition and the U.S. espouses a free market
ideology (i.e., capitalism). Support your answer with two examples of such a
contradiction.
Debate whether or not you believe that the exceptions to the
Buy American Requirements set forth by the government are fair and advantageous
to the US economy. Provide a rationale for your response.
Determine the key advantages and disadvantages of using the
Buy American Requirements with the navigation system that both VectorCal and
your company produce. Justify your response.
Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment.
Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size
12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow
APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional
instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment,
the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The
cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment
page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this
assignment are:
Determine how to validate costs and certify cost and pricing
data.
Specify the government policies regarding profit and pricing
adjustments for contracts.
Use technology and information resources to research issues
in cost and price analysis.
Write clearly and concisely about cost and price analysis
using proper writing mechanics.
Week 8
assignment
Assignment 4: Analysis of Direct Costs
In order to complete this assignment, refer to the scenario
from Assignment 1, as well as to the scenarios and readings from previous
weeks.
Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you:
Predict the main costs (e.g. labor cost, material cost)
associated with the production of VectorCal’s drone navigation system. Provide
a rationale for your response.
Compare and contrast the direct and indirect costs
associated with the drone navigation system that both your company and
VectorCal would assume. Predict whether or not your company could easily
control these costs and thus reduce production expenses. Justify your response.
Compare your company with VectorCal relative to the price of
acquisition, semi-variable costs, and allocated direct and indirect costs of
the drone navigation system. Justify your response.
Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment.
Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size
12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow
APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional
instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment,
the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The
cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment
page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this
assignment are:
Outline the process to forecast the likely price of an
acquisition, calculate semi-variable costs, and allocate direct and indirect
costs.
Examine the various cost classifications, the different
allocation bases, and the application of cost-accounting standards.
Determine how to validate costs and certify cost and pricing
data.
Use technology and information resources to research issues
in cost and price analysis.
Write clearly and concisely about cost and price analysis
using proper writing mechanics.
Week 10
assignment
Assignment 5: Federal Contracting Activities and Contract
Types
Note: Refer to scenarios and readings from previous weeks in
order to complete this assignment.
The Department of Defense plans to issue a $400,000
government contract to a company that specializes in drone navigation
technologies. As a result, a government auditor has been contacted to examine
the operational data VectorCal and one competitor (previously identified as
“your company”) in order to decide which company should win the government
contract.
Note: You may create and /or make all necessary assumptions
needed for the completion of this assignment.
Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you:
Create a one-page overview of the history and background of
each company vying for the government contract.
Specify at least one (1) of the recent major contracts that
was awarded to both companies. Explain the fundamental reasons why both
companies were awarded the contract(s) that you specified.
Determine the type(s) of contract for which both companies
might be eligible (e.g., fixed-price, cost reimbursement, etc.). Justify your
response.
Discuss at least three (3) direct costs and three (3)
indirect costs that each company incurred during the production of its
navigation system. Explain the manner in which this data would factor into your
decision as to which company would be more eligible to receive the contract.
Suggest which company should be awarded this government
contract based on the data that was presented for each company. Next, provide
three to five (3-5) reasons to support your stance.
Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment.
Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size
12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow
APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional
instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment,
the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover
page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page
length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this
assignment are:
Specify the government policies regarding profit and pricing
adjustments for contracts.
Evaluate the role played by contract auditors.
Use technology and information resources to research issues
in cost and price analysis.
Write clearly and concisely about cost and price analysis
using proper writing mechanics.
