Description:
Cost Dynamics is an interactive, web-based course that immerses acquisition professionals in the critical thinking and decision dynamics that shape cost outcomes across the acquisition lifecycle.
Through structured modules, simulations, and a capstone scenario, the course focuses on how cost considerations evolve over time - particularly as early decisions about flexibility, competition, and data access influence long-term pricing transparency and leverage. Rather than covering acquisition topics in isolation, Cost Dynamics centers on how they intersect in practice to shape real-world contracting outcomes.
Learners engage with how key acquisition tools (such as commercial item determinations, TINA compliance, MOSA, and intellectual property rights) work together within complex, time-sensitive environments. Cost Dynamics highlights how these decisions affect not only immediate outcomes, but also the long-term balance between innovation access, competition, and cost control.
Cost Dynamics is designed to build integrated reasoning, helping professionals anticipate structural pricing risks, evaluate tradeoffs, and navigate uncertainty with greater clarity and intent. By turning lifecycle cost awareness into a practical, repeatable skill, Cost Dynamics equips acquisition professionals to make more informed, consistent, and defensible decisions - preserving both mission capability and long-term cost discipline.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Recognize and mitigate cognitive biases that can distort contracting decisions under pressure
- Apply structured critical thinking techniques to evaluate information, assumptions, and stakeholder perspectives
- Make sound, defensible decisions in complex environments involving uncertainty, time constraints, and competing priorities
- Reflect on decision patterns and outcomes to strengthen judgment, improve consistency, and enhance future performance
Who Should Take This:
- Acquisition professionals making complex, high-stakes contracting decisions
- Contracting officers and specialists responsible for applying FAR and evaluation criteria
- Professionals working under time pressure, uncertainty, and competing stakeholder demands
- Individuals seeking to recognize and reduce bias in decision-making
- Teams aiming to improve consistency, objectivity, and defensibility in contracting outcomes
- Anyone looking to strengthen critical thinking and judgment in real-world contracting scenarios
Prerequisites: NA
Credits: 1.5 CPEs (Max. time)
Course Access Detail:
- To access this self-paced training, log in to Cost Dynamics at https://cost-dynamics.ncmahq.org in the Business Operations Testing Studio using your NCMA credentials.
- Access is provided for the exclusive personal use of the registrant and may not be shared or redistributed.
- For questions about access, please contact [email protected].
Access information:
- Unlimited access upon purchase