Contracting Officer Podcast 2.0 (samples)

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Government Contracting Officers are required to make a determination that a contractor is “responsible” before awarding a contract. (FAR 9.104) This determination requires a review of the contractor’s financial resources, performance record, and business capabilities. (among other things…)...

Cast:079Title:What is a Pre-Award Survey? Zone:Zone 3 & 4 (RFP & Source Selection)This episode is brought to you by the Government Contract Pricing Summit, the groundbreaking pricing event bringing together government and industry! If you are planning to attend a conference this year, this is the event you should consider. The GCP Summit runs June 21st -23rd in San Diego. You’ll want to be...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)The Federal government uses the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) (http://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/) to classify businesses and collect statistical data related to the U.S. business economy. NAICS codes define companies of all types based on the activities in which...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)What does a COTR do? What can a COR direct a contractor to do? What is outside the scope of their authority? In this special encore episode you’ll learn the answers to these questions and more as Kevin and Paul discuss the role of Contracting Officer Technical Representatives (alternately...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)How does a Contracting Officer decide which clauses are included in a contract? Does Industry have a choice in which clauses are in a contract? What does incorporated by reference mean? Listen and learn…Kevin and Paul discuss the process of clause selection and the reasons why Government c...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)How does context influence perception in Government Acquisition? Kevin and Paul discuss context, the central concept behind the Contracting Officer Podcast, as it relates to the Government acquisition process and Government contracting in general. Without context, every conversation can le...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!) We’re here to help Government and Industry acquisition professionals understand more about how the other side thinks. Another installment of our continuing series of interviews with former Government Contracting Officers who share their personal “3 things I wish I had known when I worked...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!) In this encore presentation of one of the earliest Contracting Officer Podcast episodes, Kevin and Paul provide an overview of the Acquisition Time Zones.  The Acquisition Time Zones are a foundational concept of the podcast.  Each zone aligns to a phase of the government acquisition proc...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!) Kevin and Paul give an overview of 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”) The Execution Zones are the post-award companions to the Acquisition Time Zones and ar...

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If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. What is an ACRN? Yes, another confusing Government acquisition term. ACRN is an acronym for Accounting Classification Reference Number. Kevin and Paul explain how ACRNs are used and why both Government and Industry need to pay attention to ACRNs in order to keep the contracting (and billing) process moving along efficiently....

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. Proposal Managers have a unique view of the proposal process. Among other roles, proposal managers are key to ensuring that proposals are 100% compliant and submitted on time. Kevin and Paul field questions from proposal managers who participated in a recent webinar hosted by the Association of Proposal Management Profession...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. This episode is brought to you by Unanet. Unanet provides a ‘single source of truth’ and removes the barriers to sharing realtime information caused by using separate business systems. Use Unanet for all Projects, People & Financials, or integrate seamlessly with other accounting and ERP systems. Visit unanet.com/podcast...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. This episode is brought to you by Unanet. Use Unanet for all Projects, People & Financials, or integrate seamlessly with other accounting and ERP systems. Unanet provides a ‘single source of truth’ and removes the barriers to sharing realtime information caused by using separate business systems. Visit unanet.com\podcast...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. This episode is brought to you by PROPRICERTM, 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! Why is acquisition planning so important? The GAO recently su...

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. Why is targeting so important? How does it benefit both Government and Industry? In this “Follow-on” episode Kevin and Paul dig deeper into the concepts introduced in Episode 016, The Importance of Targeting”. Learn “How to Be the Prize” the Government is looking for by understanding your Target Market and Reachable Market....

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. The Federal Government proposal writing and source selection process is full of myth and mystery for the Industry players writing the proposals and the Government employees (and support contractors) who are responsible for evaluating proposals and selecting a winner. Kevin and Paul play Mythbusters and tackle five common pro...

Listen and Learn… Unlike in commercial industry, the Government is required to notify bidders that they’ve lost a bid. Kevin and Paul explain what information the Government can and cannot share in the notification as well as why a more informative notification letter can save both sides time and money by helping to avert protests. Learn why the notification can be so devastating to industry and w...

Listen and Learn… In this Special Holiday ENCORE episode - Kevin and Paul discuss the Contracting Officer Podcast’s 80/20 rule. This is one of the earliest and most popular CO Podcasts, presented again “in case you missed it” because the concept shows up in so many episodes. The 80/20 Rule (of thumb) plays on Pareto’s Law (look it up…) by comparing the relative importance of relationships and proc...

Listen and Learn… Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) has become a very important issue for Government contractors as the Government’s perception of and sensitivity to OCI has changed over the last few years. Agencies have updated their policies regarding contractors who provide both support services and products/development. Kevin and Paul explain OCI and how Government and Industry can avo...

Listen and Learn… What is an Unauthorized Commitment? (UA) What makes it Unauthorized? What is a Ratification? Only a Government Contracting Officer can obligate the Government to acquire goods and/or services, but…..sometimes it sure seems like other Government employees are giving direction to Industry and sometimes the goods or services are delivered without proper authorization. Kevin and Paul...

Listen and Learn… What is an Industry Day? What goals should the Government accomplish during the event? How should Industry prepare for an Industry Day? Kevin and Paul describe what an Industry Day can be (and should be) and some common reasons why some Industry Days are less than effective. Learn why the Government should prepare for Industry Days with the end in mind and why Industry should att...

Listen and Learn… How does the Government Source Selection Process work? Ever wonder what happens after proposals are submitted? How does the Government go about selecting a winner? Kevin and Paul discuss the FAR Part 15 source selection process from receipt of proposals through evaluation, competitive range determination, to proposal revisions and finally contract award. Learn why it “takes so lo...

Listen and Learn… What is an RFI? What is a DRFP? What is an RFP?In this special Encore episode, Kevin and Paul describe RFIs (Request for Information), DRFPs (Draft Request for Proposals) and RFPs (Request for Proposals) and explain why and when they are used. The Skyway Connection© Community was created specifically to help small companies expand their knowledge and capabilities, and to increase...

Listen and Learn… Who are the players on the Government acquisition team? Who are their Industry counterparts? Kevin and Paul discuss different roles on a Government acquisition team and an Industry proposal team. Many roles are similar, but others are unique. Learn what an acquisition consultant does and why a proposal manager is critical to the process. The Skyway Connection© Community was creat...