Donald E. Mansfield

Donald E. Mansfield has trained over 4,000 students in Federal contracting over the past fifteen years. If you were not one of his students, chances are you know someone that was. Don currently teaches The FAR Bootcamp®, The Source Selection Bootcamp®, and for Don Acquisition LLC, The SAP Course and The DFARS Course. He is also a contract strategy consultant for multiple Navy acquisition programs. Prior to launching Don Acquisition LLC, Don was a Professor of Contract Management for Defense Acquisition University (DAU). While at DAU, Don led the development FAR Fundamentals (CON 090) and subsequently managed the course for four years. During this time, CON 090 became the highest-rated DAU course in terms of general benefit and direct applicability to on-the-job tasks. He also taught several other courses within the DAU curriculum in source selection, decision-making, and small business programs. Don also developed and maintained the DAU Provision and Clause Matrix. In March 2019, DAU gave Don the DAU President’s Award to recognize his accomplishments over his 13-years with the organization.

Prior to becoming an instructor, Don had an 11-year career as a contract specialist with the Department of the Navy. From 2003 to 2005, he worked at the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (SWRMC), where he was the Head of the Procurement and Proposal Evaluation Division and Deputy for Small Business.  While at SWRMC, he was nominated for the Elmer B. Staats Young Acquisition Professional Award. Prior to that, he was a journeyman contract specialist, and later team leader and procuring contracting/grants officer, at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SSC) San Diego. His other stops include a one-year stint as a contract and grant administrator at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) San Diego and a three-year contracting internship at the Fleet and Industrial Supply Center (FISC) San Diego. Don was originally hired into the Navy Acquisition Intern Program in 1995 as an Outstanding Scholar.

Don has experience in contracting for major systems, vessel repair, technical services, research and development, and commercial items. He also has experience in the award and administration of grants and cooperative agreements with educational institutions. He has published several articles in the Nash and Cibinic Report and actively participates in the online discussion forum at the Where in Federal Contracting? Web site (www.wifcon.com), where he also maintains a popular blog. He has spoken multiple times for the San Diego chapter of the National Contract Management Association and the Department of Defense Western Regional Council for Small Business. He has also been a panelist at the Nash & Cibinic Report Roundtable and at the American Bar Association Annual Conference. He recently launched The Acquivore Podcast, which is available on the Don Acquisition YouTube channel.

Don earned an M.B.A. from the University of San Diego in 2001 and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Vanderbilt University in 1994. He is DAWIA Level III certified in Contracting and is a Certified Federal Contract Manager.