Elevating CMS Acquisition Skills with Rainmakers’ Tailored Workshops
Overview
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the Acquisition Development Workshops (ADW) program, a strategic initiative aimed at enhancing the acquisition community by providing tailored workshops specific to the needs of CMS. Rainmakers worked with CMS to deliver customized acquisition development workshops and tailored sessions for experienced Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs) and Project/Program Managers.
Challenge
CMS needed to improve the quality and effectiveness of its federal acquisition process by developing a capable and competent workforce. The challenge was to create and deliver workshops that would meet the specific needs of CMS employees, ensuring they were equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to achieve targeted outcomes.
Solution
The Rainmakers’ team of expert instructional designers, virtual event producers, and facilitators designed, developed, and delivered an interactive and customized curriculum that ensured an effective federal acquisition process. Rainmakers conducted planning meetings to establish learning outcomes, which were then translated into interactive, customized classes, instructor-led sessions, and on-demand training. These workshops were designed using the ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate) methodology to better inform CMS acquisition stakeholders and build a more knowledgeable workforce. Rainmakers’ training served CMS project managers and CORs, ensuring a comprehensive approach to skill development.
We provide the following services:
Training content development
Instructor-led workshop delivery by instructors with lived experiences
On-demand training development
Virtual event production
Workshop feedback and analysis
Rainmakers designed federal acquisition training that was interactive, practical, and learner focused. This included collaboration with CMS stakeholders during learner needs analysis to create realistic case studies, scenarios, and role-play exercises, comprehensive participant materials, and clear learning objectives aligned to practical outcomes.
Our workshops were led by experienced facilitators who are former executives from HHS agencies who bring first-hand knowledge of the federal acquisition processes. They connect theory to practice through real stories, practical insights, and hands-on activities. Our virtual event producers ensured seamless learning experiences on Zoom by handling all technical logistics, allowing facilitators to focus on engagement and content.
Impact
Rainmakers made a significant impact on the workshops and gathered strong feedback.
Throughout the contract, our instructional design team collaborated with facilitators to continuously enhance workshop content and exercises. All deliverables, including course presentations, participant guides, and job aids, were submitted in Section 508-compliant formats.
Rainmakers supported 12 other HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs), ensuring that staff members from agencies such as CDC, NIH, OASH, HIS, SAMHSA, OIG, ACF, PSC, and ASA were able to attend CMS training sessions. Rainmakers ensured all external participants received necessary course materials, Zoom links, and agendas in a timely manner, and generated certificates of completion to address the limitations of the CMS LMS system.
Our work consistently exceeded client expectations, a result of the diverse teaching styles employed by the facilitators and their proven expertise and strong engagement with participants.
The successful collaboration between Rainmakers and CMS shows the effectiveness of adapting traditional events to virtual formats. By providing seamless logistics and virtual platforms, Rainmakers helped CMS reach a larger audience and deliver valuable training and educational content to healthcare professionals.
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