Contracting Officer Podcast 2.0 (samples)

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin welcomes special guest Stacey Coolican (a former Government Contracting Officer with over 20 years experience) to discuss the reasons why Government acquisition teams may use a formal Request for Information (RFI), what they expect to learn from RFI responses, and things that Industr...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Writing a Request for Proposals (RFP) without understanding industry’s capabilities and the state of the market is like writing a novel for a stranger. The same goes for writing and submitting a proposal to a customer you don’t understand. (What does that even mean? Listen and Learn!)In th...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin and Paul discuss the concept of Arm’s Length Transactions and how it applies to the Government market. Learn why an arrangement between two parties that is acceptable in the commercial world may be considered a problem in the Government market. _________Kevin Jans and Paul Schauer cr...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin and Paul explain one of the reasons why the Government has a difficult time buying new technologies. __________This episode is brought to you by Skyway Acquisition. To get help with the Government market, become a Skyway Community member. The Skyway Community ensures you are better p...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin welcomes Skyway team members (and former Contracting Officers) Shelley Hall and Steve Lucianetti for a roundtable discussion about what types of issues are worth fighting for and which issues are generally a waste of time. Learn how the same issue can have merit, or not, based on whe...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin welcomes Skyway team members Shelley Hall (a former Contracting Officer) and Christi Gilbert (an Industry contracts manager) for a roundtable discussion about CPARS. Learn why CPARS have increased in importance over the last few years and what you should do if you receive an unfavora...

In this episode, Kevin and Paul explain what can and cannot be shared during the negotiation process while in the Source Selection Zone.

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)In the second of a five part series, Kevin welcomes special guest Vicki Strycharske to discuss the first of four steps that Industry should take when an RFP is released by the Government - Reading the RFP. Episode 165 (Proposals - the First Four Steps) provided the overview. We’ll cover th...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin and Paul return to a favorite podcast topic: Debriefings. So much untapped opportunity for communication lies in debriefings. Learn why many debriefings put one side on offense or defense and how a third option (neither offensive or defensive) can help. __________This episode is brou...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin discusses equitable adjustments with special guest Gene Lavastida. __________This episode is brought to you by Skyway Acquisition. To get help with the Government market, become a Skyway Community member. The Skyway Community ensures you are better positioned to take advantage of opp...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Sometimes a contractor is unable to deliver the required goods or services according to the terms of their contract. If the reasons for delivery issues are truly out of the contractor’s control, and not due to their fault or negligence, the Government may consider this an “excusable delay”...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Why do modifications to Government contracts take so long to process? (one of the great mysteries of life, to be sure!) Kevin interviews former Contracting Officers Steve Lucianetti and Tim Griggs, and sheds some light on the inner workings Government contract administration. Learn some of...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin and Paul explore the important distinctions between Personal Services contracts and the more common Non-Personal Services Contract. Learn why FAR 37.104 strictly limits the use of Personal Services contracts and why many service contracts create the appearance of personal services.——...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)“The debriefing is an opportunity to prevent protests, not cause them.”Kevin and Paul return to the topic of debriefings. Learn why debriefs are often a missed opportunity for both Government and Industry to improve future acquisition outcomes.——————This episode is brought to you by Skyway...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)We’re happy to welcome back one of our favorite retired Contracting Officers, Shelley Hall. Shelley and Paul discuss the web of confusing requirements surrounding the Buy American Act (BAA), Trade Agreement Act (TAA), and Berry Amendment. Learn how these laws restrict Government purchases...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)This is an update to one of our earliest podcasts, Episode 16 “The Importance of Targeting”. We decided to refresh the content and take advantage of the improvements we’ve made in our audio over the past couple of years. Targeting is a critical element of winning bids in the federal market...

f you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin discusses the role of the Proposal Manager with special guest Vicky Strycharske. Vicky is a former Army Contracting Officer with over 20 years on the industry side developing proposals for both small and large businesses. A proposal manager implements the proposal process, assigns tas...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin and Paul discuss the value of communicating schedule changes as early as possible. Changes that aren’t clearly communicated can cause the delays to compound as they ripple through your schedule. Early communication helps to align expectations and minimize impacts. ——————This episode...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin and Paul review the basic elements required to create a legal contract. This is the first of a series that will examine each element in detail. DISCLAIMER: We are NOT lawyers. This stuff is complicated. If you’re in a dispute about the legality of a contract, please consult an attorn...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin holds a roundtable (or round-Skype) discussion with Christi Gilbert (an industry contracts/proposal manager) and Steve Lucianetti (a former Government Contracting Officer) to learn their opinions on why protests happen and the conditions under which industry should submit a protest....

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)In this ENCORE presentation, Kevin and Paul introduce the Execution Time Zones - a helpful way to envision where and how certain topics fit into the Government contracting world. (execution as in “contract performance”, not as in…you know, the other connotation) The Execution Zones are the...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin and Paul dive into one of the most exciting topics ever dared on the podcast: the contents of a contract file! Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy… This topic is another in the line of “why does Government acquisition take so long?”. We review FAR 4.803 and explain the importance of maint...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin and Paul discuss communications between the Government and Industry, focusing on the period before the RFP is released and proposals are submitted. You might be surprised what FAR 15.201 REALLY says about the type of information that can, and should, be shared. __________Kevin Jans a...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin welcomes special guest Vicki Strycharske to discuss the first 4 steps that Industry should take when an RFP is released by the Government. __________This episode is brought to you by Skyway Acquisition. To get help with the Government market, become a Skyway Community member. The Sky...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin and Paul discuss the variables that impact Industry’s ability to provide resources (meaning people) to meet the Government’s requirements. These issues impact both service contracts and development contracts - anywhere that contractors must hire employees. Learn how both the Governme...