I. GENERAL INFORMATION

Title of the Course:  Cost Principles, Effectiveness and Control

Course Code: MGT 5214

Credits: 03

Course requirement(s): MGT 5211 Procurement and Contract Management

Textbook: Guide To Contract Pricing 5th edition by John Edward Murphy ISBN 978-1-56726-241-4

II. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to provide the student with a thorough understanding of the processes and procedures used in performing price/cost analysis. Includes financial and accounting overviews of government acquisition policy and procedures. Requires completion of foundation requirements.

III. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• CLO1 Evaluate and apply appropriate pricing methodologies and analysis techniques to ensure fair and reasonable pricing in government contracts. 
• CLO2 Describe various government contract types and their associated pricing strategies to determine the most suitable procurement approach for different goods and services. 
• CLO3 Use government contracting terminology and concepts to effectively communicate pricing strategies, contract types, and fair and reasonable price determination methods in professional contexts. 
• CLO4 Describe the various methods and procedures used to evaluate offerors’ cost and or price proposal. 
• CLO5 Describe the roles and responsibilities of the various parties involved in the evaluation of an offeror’s cost or price proposal. 
• CLO6 Evaluate various elements of an offeror’s cost proposal. 
• CLO7 Describe the procedures and steps involved in processing change orders for firm fixed price as well as cost -plus fixed fee contracts. 

IV. CONTENT AND ACTIVITIES 

V. ASSESSMENT

University Grade Scale 

Your total point value will be transformed to a percentage. A = 90-100%, B = 80-89%, C = 70-79%, D = 60-69%, F = 0-59%. Refer to the catalog for more details. 

VI. RESOURCES

• Access Peer-Reviewed Articles
• Go to the Evans Library – refer to the online librarian
• Click on "Databases” and "Journals” for additional resources 
• Where to Find Extra Help: Student Success and Support Center

VII. INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES

Academic Accommodations:  Florida Tech is committed to equal opportunity for persons w/disabilities in the participation of activities operated/sponsored by the university. Therefore, students w/documented disabilities are entitled to reasonable educational accommodations. The Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR) supports students by assisting w/accommodations, providing recommended interventions, and engaging in case management services. It is the student’s responsibility to make a request to OAR before any accommodations can be approved/implemented. Also, students w/approved accommodations are encouraged to speak w/the course instructor to discuss any arrangements and/or concerns relating to their accommodations for the class.   

Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR): 

• Phone: 321-674-8285 
• Email: accessibilityresources@fit.edu  
• Website: edu - Accessibility Resources

Academic Honesty: Located in the Student Handbook 

Academic honesty is highly valued in Florida Tech's online courses. The student must always submit work that represents original words or ideas. If any words or ideas are used that do not represent those original words or ideas, the student must cite all relevant sources and provide a clear definition of the extent to which such sources were used. Words or ideas that require citation include, but are not limited to, all hard copy or electronic publications, whether copyrighted or not, and all verbal or visual communication when the content of such communication clearly originates from an identifiable source. In the Florida Tech online course, all submissions to any public meeting bulletin board or private mailbox fall within the scope of words and ideas that require citations if used by someone other than the original author. 

Academic dishonesty in an online learning environment could involve: 

• Having a tutor or friend complete a portion of the student's assignments 
• Having a reviewer make extensive revisions to an assignment 
• Copying work submitted by another student to another public class meeting 
• Using information from online information services without proper citation 

Any of these practices could result in charges of academic dishonesty. For the complete Florida Tech policy on academic dishonesty, cheating, and plagiarism, see the Florida Tech Student Handbook. 

Attendance: Attendance is required on a weekly basis. Students are expected to view the online lectures in the week they are offered, and to log onto the site often enough to remain abreast of the communication in the Inbox/Discussion or Announcements tab or direct information from the professor. It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of everything happening in the class online. 

Course withdrawal: To withdraw prior to the start of class, you must contact your advisor. Once class begins, you must withdraw using Florida Tech's online student account system (PAWS). If you are a new student, PAWS access information will be provided prior to class start. You have the prerogative of dropping a course until the end of the first week of classes without receiving a grade of "W." After the first week, a grade of "W" will be assigned up until the final published date for withdrawing (the last day of Week 6). That grade will be reflected on your transcript, but not calculated into your grade point average. Withdrawals after Week 6 will result in a grade of "F." You are responsible for maintaining written evidence of all drops/withdrawals. 

Telephone and email drops/withdrawals will not be accepted. The following table clearly outlines Florida Tech's withdrawal and refund policies. PAWS is accessible through the university portal TRACKS Florida Tech. 

Table 1. Withdrawal Policy/Refund Chart 

Student Code of Conduct: Florida Tech values a community based on the principles of integrity, civility, and respect. As such, the FIT community expects students to behave in a manner that supports these principles. The Student Code of Conduct is a document that describes behavior that is counteractive to these principles and how the university will hold students accountable to those inappropriate behaviors. See the Code of Conduct/Grounds for Disciplinary Action. 

Sexual Harassment: Florida Tech is committed to the fundamental principles of academic freedom, equality of opportunity and human dignity. To fulfill its multiple missions as an institution of higher learning, FIT encourages a climate that values and nurtures collegiality, diversity, pluralism, and the uniqueness of the individual within our state, nation, and world. All decisions and actions involving students and employees should be based on applicable law and individual merit. FIT, in accordance with applicable federal and state law, prohibits discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, disability, age, or veteran status. 

Title IX Statement: The university’s Title IX policy is available on the fit.edu website. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs and activities. Florida Institute of Technology policy also prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. 

Florida Tech faculty are committed to helping create a safe learning environment for all students that is free from all forms of discrimination and sexual harassment, including sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. If you, or someone you know, have experienced or is experiencing any of these behaviors, know that help and support are available. Florida Tech strongly encourages all members of the community to take action, seek support, and report any incident of sexual harassment or gender discrimination to the Title IX Coordinator at 321-309-3068. 

Please note that your professor must report any incidents to the Title IX Coordinator.  

If you wish to speak to an employee who does not have this reporting responsibility, please contact the Student Counseling Center at 321-674-8050. 

Disaster Statement 

School Closure 

Florida Tech observes national holidays, and students are not required to participate in classes on such days. In the case of an emergency closure of Florida Tech, if classes can still operate, they will continue. If the Learning Management System is unavailable for maintenance reasons, classes will resume as quickly as possible, and students should check the Florida Tech Security website regularly for updates. 

Natural Disaster 

If a natural disaster impacts the Melbourne, Florida, area, all students should check the Florida Tech Security website or call (800) 888-4348 for updates. 

If a natural disaster occurs near students’ residences, they should contact their professor and advisor. Final decisions on the appropriate timeline to complete course requirements are at the discretion of each professor. 

VIII. COURSE POLICIES– “RULES OF THE ROAD”

Late and or incomplete assignments shall not be accepted and will be marked as a 0.  There will be no partial credit for incomplete or late assignments. The Canvas web site clearly indicates the date and time you due for each assignment. If an assignment is submitted one second late the Canvas web site will flag that assignment, as a result it shall be marked as a 0. Late is Late No Excuses.  

As you can see on the Assignment part of the course this class is divided up into different sections with different points assigned to them. Of course, some are weighted more than others, but believe it or not small things add up over the course of time, so please don’t try to game the system by blowing off the threaded discussions and only concentrating on the assignments with more points. Threaded discussions and any voluntary Zoom conference sessions are essential for your homework assignments, quizzes and term paper. They all work together in combination to give you a complete understanding of the subject at hand.

If you have a family emergency and you are unable to complete the assignments, please let me know ASAP. I am more than willing to work with you. This is where your past track record of successfully completing and submitting the assignments and actively participating in the threaded discussions and chat sessions come into play. If you are continually late in submitting assignments, don’t’ participate in the threaded discussions and chat sessions, this course may not be for you.

The time to start worrying about your grade in this class is NOW, not at the end of the semester. There is no extra credit for this class. Your grade at the end of the semester is a total of ALL of your assignments that have been fully completed and turned in on time.  It is what it is. 

This is a graduate level class and I expect graduate level work.  No excuses. With that being said I’m not successful unless everyone is successful.

Threaded Discussion Expectations

The preponderance of the on-line component of this class is built around the readings, PowerPoint Slides, related articles, and threaded discussions. Discussion threads being a large part of the course curriculum. We will utilize any online chat sessions and discussion threads to exchange knowledge and invoke dialogue within the class. Also, participation within these conference sessions and threads will ensure that each student practices crafting concepts and theories learned, discuss knowledge, and shares personal perspectives with the topic at hand. 

Make your exchanges orderly, cooperative, informed--in short, constructive. You should strive to always be involved in class discussions, but no one student should dominate any discussion. (Adopted from Dr. B. Cowles model statement, CMU, East Region). You will also be expected to provide an initial posting and post a substantive response to three (3) of your fellow students’ responses for a total of four (4) threaded postings. Please allow as much time as possible for this part of the course to give each of us the maximum time to exchange dialogue within the threads. Last minute postings of threads will limit the amount of knowledge exchange, thus minimizing the learning process. 

An example response to a peer is: I disagree with your posting on when not to negotiate. I feel that in my organization that we cannot control the Contracting Officer Representatives (COR) and we have a duty to instruct all parties about the duties and responsibilities of CORs as well as Contracting Officers responsibilities in accordance with DFAR 201.602-2 (2) (iv) entitled Responsibilities Do you feel this similar situation happens within your organization?