Contracting Officer Podcast 2.0 (samples)

Listen and Learn… What is a Final Proposal Revision? (FPR) Kevin and Paul continue their dissection of the Government Source Selection process and discuss the process by which the Government allows revisions to Industry proposals after discussions. (also known as “exchanges with offerors after receipt of proposals” or more simply, negotiations)In ancient times the FPR was known as a “Best and Fina...

Listen and Learn… What is Certified Cost and Pricing Data? Cost and pricing data is exactly what it sounds like. The key word here is “certified”.Kevin and Paul describe the circumstances where the Government requires contractors to “certify” that their cost and pricing data is current, accurate, and complete. Learn how to certify your cost and pricing data, when certified cost and pricing data is...

This episode is brought to you by PROPRICER, the #1 proposal pricing and cost analysis software used by federal agencies and small to large government contractors. Visit www. PROPRICER.com/podcast to learn more or request a demonstration. You’ll be glad you did! Listen and Learn… How is the source selection decision made? How does the Government pick the winner? Kevin and Paul discuss the final st...

Listen and Learn… How can the Government buy commercial items efficiently? Good question! One streamlined acquisition process has now become an official part of the FAR. (after years as a “test program”) FAR 13.5 describes Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) which allow Contracting Officers to skip or greatly simplify the process for buying commercial items when certain criteria are met. Kevin...

Cast:052Title:What Kevin and Paul Wish They Knew…Zone:ZonelessListen and Learn… One Year of the Contracting Officer Podcast! In this special episode Kevin and Paul look back at the beginning of the CO Podcast and answer the most common question received from listeners: Why did you guys create the Contracting Officer Podcast? After many episodes of asking guests “What do you wish you had known when...

In this special rebroadcast of one of the most popular early episodes, Kevin and Paul explain what Contracting Officers do. They define the role of the CO and provide detail on how they are appointed. They also describe the different types of contracting officersand why there are so many different names for a contracting officer. For more information and deeper insight, join the Skyway Connection...

Kevin and Paul explain Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) and help listeners understand why they are used and why it is important for both Government and Industry to understand them. In addition, learn how the execution and administration of your contract is impacted by the contract’s CLIN structure. For more information and deeper insight, join the Skyway Connection Community and get access to on...

What does it mean if your contract has “options”? Kevin and Paul explain the reasons why options are used in Government contracts and how they impact proposals and source selections. Learn how the execution and administration of your contract is impacted by the use of options.

What does a COTR do? What can a COR direct a contractor to do? What is outside the scope of their authority? Learn the answers to these questions and more as Kevin and Paul discuss the role of Contracting Officer Technical Representatives (also known as Contracting Officer Representatives). Gain new knowledge or refresh your understanding of why the Government appoints COTRs and CORs and why it is...

Ever heard of a logical follow-on? Kevin and Paul explain why logic is just one of the many factors that can influence the decision to award a non-competitive contract to an incumbent contractor. In addition, learn some of the pros and cons of follow-on contracts that both Government and Industry should understand during the acquisition process and execution of the contract. For more information a...

You’ve heard of sealed bids? How about Two-Step? No, not a type of dance…Two-Step Sealed bidding is a type of acquisition process that al-lows the Government to evaluate technical bids and request pricing from only those bidders who make the cut technically. (it’s a little more complicated than that, but not much) Kevin and Paul describe the bidding process and provide insight into why both the Go...

Selecting the most appropriate contract type is an important step in a successful acquisition. This decision is made at the very beginning of the process but can haunt both the Government and Industry throughout the life of the contract if the contract type doesn’t match the needs of the program. Kevin and Paul discuss why the selection of contract type shouldn’t be taken lightly and give you insi...

Almost every Federal Government contract follows the same general format. Ever wonder why? (or wonder why anyone would have a podcast about it?) Kevin and Paul explain the FAR’s framework for contract format and how it leads to efficiency in the Government contracting process. We’re usually against FAR requirements that remove opportunities for judgment and creativity. Not this time! Learn how hav...

The Government Fiscal Year (GFY is the common acronym) runs 1 October through 30 September. The last month of the GFY has the potential for great drama because Government funds have an expiration date. (check out Ep. 019 “Colors of Money” for more on that) Kevin and Paul talk through what happens in Government acquisi-tion offices at the end of the fiscal year and offer some simple rec-ommendation...

What does “Color of Money” mean? In this special encore presentation of an important topic you’ll learn about different types of appropriations and how they impact acquisitions and the Government’s behavior. Kevin and Paul give examples of why the color of money matters and what goes on behind the scenes in a Government acquisition as a result of the appropriation type. Learn why the Government ca...

Incentive contracts are designed to help the Government acquire goods and services at a lower cost or with improved delivery or technical performance. These contracts provide the opportunity for creativity in crafting incentives and also great peril if the incentives aren’t perfectly aligned with the Government’s intent. In this episode Kevin and Paul explain the basic types of incentives and prov...

Listen and Learn… Indefinite Contract? How can a contract be indefinite? Indefinite contracts can be used when the Government knows ex-actly what it wants to buy, but not how much they’ll need or when they’ll need it. Discover three types of Indefinite Delivery contracts and learn why they can limit administrative costs for both Industry and Government if used wisely. Kevin and Paul discuss common...

This episode is brought to you by PROPRICER, the Gold Standard for Cost Proposal and Government Evaluation Software. Learn how they can help you here. Letter contracts are a special type of contract that allow the Gov-ernment to authorize a contractor to start work immediately when there isn’t time to negotiate every detail of the contract in time to meet the requirement. Kevin and Paul discuss th...

There are endless calls to “fix Government acquisition” and “reduce bureaucracy” and “change or reduce Federal Procurement Policies”.Ready to scale that mountain? We aren’t either. In this episode Kevin and Paul discuss the impact that small improvements can have on large bureaucracies. Learn how choosing “now” over “perfect” and giving grace to those who “learn by doing” can improve your acquisit...

Did you know that the Government can negotiate with Industry right in the middle of a competition? It’s true! In the Government world negotiations during the source selection process are called “discussions”.Kevin and Paul explain the process the Government uses for discussions. Unlike the commercial market, some topics are not al-lowed to be negotiated directly and there are limits to the informa...

Listen and Learn… This episode is brought to you by PROPRICER, the Gold Standard for Cost Proposal and Government Evaluation Software. In this Special Episode, Kevin interviews Garth Arevalo, CEO of Lukos, LLC. Like Kevin, Garth is also a former Contracting Officer who spent time at Special Operations Command. Listen in on their conversation and learn about Garth’s journey from contracting officer...

Listen and Learn… This is Part 2 of Kevin’s interview with Garth Arevalo, CEO of Lukos, LLC. In Part 1 they discussed the perspectives they gained after moving from the Government Contracting Officer role to the industry side. This episode provides valuable insight into the small business teaming process as well as the importance of being proactive in developing a new business pipeline. Garth also...

In this special episode, Kevin and Paul discuss proposals with Vicky Strycharske, Senior Proposal Manager at Skyway Acquisition Solutions. This is another “what I wish I knew” episode that covers nuances of the RFP and proposal writing process that weren’t apparent until we wrote many, many RFPs and submitted many, many proposals! This episode provides helpful tips for both Government and Industry...

In Part 2 of this special episode, Kevin and Paul continue their conversation about proposals with Vicky Strycharske, Senior Proposal Manager at Skyway Acquisition Solutions. This is another “what I wish I knew”episode that covers nuances of the RFP and proposal writing process that weren’t apparent until we wrote many, many RFPs and submitted many, many proposals! This episode provides helpful ti...

Are Sole Source Awards Easier? In this episode Kevin and Paul debate this listener question. A Contracting Officer (and listener!) took issue with a comment from a previous episode regarding sole source contracts and provided not only a great idea but encouragement for us to expand on this topic. As a result we give you some context for the decisions that need to be made before a sole source award...