Learning
Rules & Regulations for US Govt Funding Recipients (3 days)
Doing business with USAID/US Govt agencies under an assistance grant or cooperative agreement requires an in-depth understanding of the rules & regulations that need to be followed & complied with. This workshop will focus on:
• How to effectively implement USAID/US Govt programs in a cost-effective, compliant manner including knowing what your award contains, when prior approvals & waiver are needed & when to request them.
• How to effectively communicate, negotiate & work with USAID/US Govt through a demystification of the complex USAID/USG Rules & Regulations.
Procurement: Regulatory Requirements & Best Practices (2 days)
With every USAID/US Govt award, procurement planning & execution is a key element of effective program delivery, minimizing audit-risk & ultimately successfully managing the NGO’s relationship with USAID/US Govt. This workshop will focus on:
• How to develop a map & tools for effective procurement planning, execution & management, including the importance of a preventative internal control framework.
• An understanding of the USAID/US Govt procurement regulations, required prior approvals, waivers & conflicts of interest issues.
Fighting Fraud (2 days)
Fraud is a costly & serious problem for USG funded NGO’s. NGO’s need to be aware of & alert to fraudulent activities & employ fraud prevention & detection measures to safeguard against & mitigate financial losses. This workshop will focus on:
• Fraud in the global context & its impact on an organization’s reputation, plus whistle-blower programs, fraud prevention measures & fraud schemes.
• Fraudster profiles, red flags, fraud detection & prevention measures, plus USG regulatory responses to fraud & how to work with regulatory authorities to respond to allegations & investigations.
Sub-Awards: Management & Risk Mitigation (2 days)
With every USAID/US Govt award, working with sub-recipients and sub-contractors to implement program (goods and services) delivery is required. Having knowledge of the applicable compliance regulations/requirements, sub-award best practices, plus tools & techniques to successfully evaluate/assess, issue sub-awards/contracts/instruments, monitor & manage sub-recipients from inception to close-out, is essential for every NGO. This workshop will focus on:
• Understanding the USAID/USG requirements & compliance obligations of a Prime/pass-through entity & its sub-recipients.
• Learning the best practices for sub-recipient monitoring & management – across the range of subaward instruments.
• Identifying & learning how to manage difficult issues & common challenges between Prime & Sub organizations regarding compliance, roles & expectations, program implementation etc.
Supervisory & People Capacity Building (2 days)
Designed for the function, department or team supervisor & front-line managers to deepen your knowledge & skills of team development, coaching & feedback techniques for improved individual & team performance – plus better project results. Attendees will learn & also practice communication skills & management essentials for employee & larger project team performance. This workshop will focus on:
• Individual & team development.
• Communication, coaching & feedback approaches/techniques.
Project Management Training & Certification (Project DPro) (3 days)
The Project DPro course teaches the international standard of project management practices, techniques, processes & tools. This course includes a final exam, that if successfully passed, provides the attendee with an international certification in Project Management. The workshop will:
• Provide & facilitate a shared understanding of the relevant tools, processes & language of effective Project Management.
• Provide & facilitate the commonly used frameworks for a project lifecycle.
• Provide & facilitate the skills & knowledge required to make use of project management tools such as Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Gantt, Activity Based Budgets, Risk Assessments, Change Controls & Project Charter agreements.
• Build on existing project management soft skills required for managing teams, external communications with stakeholders & internal team communication, etc.
• Prepare attendees for the Project DPro Certification exam.
Indirect Cost Concepts & Cost Recovery (2 days)
Designed for NGO leaders, program heads & finance staff, this workshop provides attendees with a chance to learn the in-depth principles, concepts & nuances of indirect costs. It also offers an opportunity to learn how to assess & evaluate your methods for calculating indirect costs & determine if you are effectively maximizing your recovery from funders. The workshop will focus on:
• What recovering your indirect cost “fair share” means.
• What the regulations & procedures for obtaining a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA), the indirect cost recovery system requirements, the types of indirect rate structures & other related management challenges.
US Govt Acquisition Awards (Contracts) (3 days)
It is critical for NGOs to understand the applicable regulatory rules & specific complexities surrounding USAID/US Govt acquisition contracts & how to manage these to ensure compliance. This workshop will focus on:
• Key aspects of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and USAID’s supplement to the FAR.
• The required culture change of moving from assistance awards to acquisition mechanisms, systems & business practices needed to effectively bid, negotiate, report & manage the contractual relationship with USAID.
• Helping attendees assess their readiness to manage acquisition contracts & provide ways to minimize associated contractual & sub-contractual risk, through implementation of a preventative internal controls framework.
Financial Management for USG Assistance Awards (3 days)
For every NGO, developing, implementing & maintaining effective financial management systems is key to USAID/USG funding eligibility, to reducing audit risk & investigations, to maximizing cost recovery & to effectively managing budgets. This workshop will teach you:
• Financial management fundamentals.
• Direct vs. indirect cost rates & NICRAs.
• Budgeting best practices & SF424As.
• Internal controls, segregation of duties & authorizations.
• Monthly reporting, applicable Forms, monthly close & pipeline analysis.
• Preparing for & defending audits.
Training of Trainers (3 days)
This Workshop is designed for development professionals seeking to deepen their training, communication & facilitation skills. It provides an interactive, hands-on opportunity to learn the essential design elements to build engaging workshops & effectively delivering content – both live & virtual. This highly participatory Workshop includes key exercises that help attendees gain confidence while practicing facilitation & guiding knowledge transfer.
• Course design: Frameworks for learning objectives & session design.
• Participatory techniques: Participatory methods to engage learners for better learning & retention.
• Practicum: Participants design & facilitate a learning session.