Best Negotiating Practices®

Negotiation Training for Government Professionals

With enhanced negotiation skills, you can achieve greater collaboration and buy-in to solutions that meet your stakeholders’ needs.

Government professionals in managerial and individual performer roles have to influence decision makers across agencies, in their own bureaucracy, throughout industry, and in Congress. Managing government negotiations to optimize results in this complex environment takes a nuanced and strategic approach.

Acquisition personnel face the additional challenge of dealing fairly with competing bidders and are subject to a myriad of constraints from sunshine laws, sunset provisions, fixed response deadlines, restrictive engagement protocols, procurement regulations (FAR, DFAR, TINA, many others), and shifting political and budget priorities.

From foundation to advanced skills and strategies, Watershed’s participants explore negotiation scenarios of increasing intensity and complexity, with expert coaching and peer feedback, building their skillset to influence decisions and meet mission requirements and goals in the government arena.

Learn through Engaging Exercises

Role Plays
Agency-Specific Brainstorming
Agency-Specific Case Studies
Planning Live Negotiations
Movie Clips
Self-Assessments
Recaptured Learning
Goal Setting

Negotiation workshops and conference sessions for government professionals are tailored to a wide variety of job functions across agency missions, such as policy and systems analysts, engineers, attorneys, administrators, program managers, COs, CORs/COTRs, mediators, auditors, scientists, regulators and many others.

   
   
   

Sample Learning Outcomes

Negotiating to influence
Understanding Positions vs Interests
Negotiating with confidence
What you need to know before coming to the Negotiating Table
Anticipating your counterpart’s behavior
Getting your team ready
Knowing when to compete, collaborate, or compromise
Presenting opening offers
Probing effectively
Avoiding common mistakes that damage credibility and trust
Trading value as you negotiate
Getting past indecision
Addressing stakeholder’s interests
Responding to offers
Leveraging power
Neutralizing your counterpart’s tactics
Overcoming objections
Capturing value as you close negotiations
Enhancing value and strengthening positions for future negotiations
and more!

Serving the Federal Sector for More than a Decade

Watershed has served for over a decade as the negotiation curriculum for NASA’s renowned Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership (APPEL).

We’re proud to support NASA and other critical missions across the federal sector, to name a few:

PEOs negotiating lifecycle acquisitions for the US Army
Policy analysts and program examiners at OMB
Realty specialists, appraisers and PMs at GSA RPUD
Soldiers in PSYOP negotiating with tribal leaders in Afghanistan and Iraq
Military Intelligence Command soldiers negotiating with US State Department foreign service officers
Enforcement Attorneys and Investigators at Justice, FEC and NLRB
Administrators at Energy
Debt collectors at Treasury
Scientists at CDC, NIST and NSF
Emerging leaders at FDA CDRH — and more!

Why Government Agencies Choose Watershed’s Negotiation Programs

High impact workshops motivate new behaviors
Maximized audience engagement
Tailored to your agency, mission and group’s job function
Practical application next day on the job
Same high quality delivered to industry counterparts
Discounted pricing under our GSA Schedule
Woman owned small business provider

Empower your Government Professionals with Impactful Negotiation Skills

Inspiring Keynotes & Conference Sessions
Intense Workshops for all Levels
Coaching for Individuals and Team
Explore Options

Watershed is with You for the Long Haul

Follow-up Support & Coaching
eTools for Planning Negotiations
Tools for Managers

GSA Schedule MAS — Multiple Award Schedule

Contract Numbers:
GS-10F-0093P, Mod PS-812 effective February 16, 2020
Contract Period:
November 25, 2003 through November 24, 2023
Contractor: Watershed Associates, Inc.
3430 Connecticut Ave NW; Suite 11080
Washington, DC 20008
Contact for Contract Administration:
Ph: 202-244-9220
e-mail: [email protected]
Business Size: SBA small business, woman owned
Maximum Order: $1 Million  |  Minimum Order: $100
Geographic Coverage: 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and all government international sites.
Table of Award Special Item Numbers (SINs)
541611 Management Consultation Services
611430 Training Services: Instructor Led Training, Web Based Training and Education Courses, Course development and Test Admin, Learning Management, Internships
Ancillary Supplies and Services
OLM - Order Level Materials
DUNS Number: 02-3671998
Government buyers can request Watershed's GSA catalog, at [email protected].

Let’s discuss how we can help your team strengthen their negotiation skills.

Please provide us with some details and we will be in touch soon!

How to Get in Touch with Watershed Associates