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Bid on a Course

The information on this page explains the bid and award process for contract instructors teaching National Fire Academy (NFA) courses. A successful bid depends on your understanding of this information.

All bids are confidential. Only the winning bid is published online. The NFA no longer accepts combination bids.

The bid period is:
OPEN

Bid between –

CLOSED

Instructors may place bids only during open bidding periods. Learn more about our schedule.

Sign in

Contact: Instructor Help Desk

Download bid package

How to bid

  1. Sign in to your dashboard.
  2. Select “Course Offerings I Can Bid On.”
    This returns on- and off-campus course offerings for which you are eligible to bid, along with other important offering information.
  3. Create a bid by selecting “Bid Now.”
  4. Confirm that your profile is correct.
    If your profile needs to be updated, change the information on this screen.
  5. Verify course information.
    Make sure that the name, location, offering dates and role for the course you are about to bid on are correct.
  6. Indicate if you will require housing at the National Emergency Training Center.
  7. Enter the dates you will teach (if they differ from the offering dates).
  8. Enter your bid.
    This should be your total fee, including per diem, travel costs and miscellaneous expenses.
  9. Enter any additional information for the NFA’s consideration under Comments.
  10. Select “Submit Bid.”
    An email receipt for your bid will be sent to you. The bid will now display on your dashboard under “Live Bids.”

Editing or withdrawing a bid

To withdraw or edit your bid, select the dollar amount and choose either “Withdraw” or “Edit.” You will receive an email receipt.

Bid schedule deadlines

Instructors may place bids only during open bidding periods. Bids are due quarterly as shown below.

Open bid periodFor courses held in the months of
March 1 through April 1July, August and September of the current year
June 1 through July 1October, November and December of the current year
Sept. 1 through Oct. 1January, February and March of the following year
Dec. 1 through Jan. 1April, May and June of the following year

Check the awards

At the end of the bid period, the NFA’s micropurchasing staff will evaluate bids and award courses to instructors based on best value to the government. The NFA will issue a purchase order 30 to 45 days before the course start date.

To see if you were awarded a course, look under My Bid History.

  • If NFA has not yet awarded the course offering you bid on, “Pending” will display under Awarded to You.
  • If NFA awards the offering to you, the course offering will appear green and “Yes” will display under Awarded to You.
  • If NFA does not award the offering to you, “No” will display under Awarded to You.

For information about courses you bid on, select “Review Your Bid and Award History.” Choose the “Details” link for a listing of all instructors who bid on, and were awarded, the offering.

See all successful bidders

Best value to the government

When making a contract award based on “best value to the government,” the government reserves the right to award course offerings based on considerations other than the lowest priced quotation. The best value to the government for NFA instructional delivery contract awards includes consideration of:

  • Curriculum requirements.
  • Instructor experience.
  • Past performance.
  • Price reasonableness.
  • Technical merit.