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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Letter contracts are a special type of contract that allow the Government to authorize a contractor to start work immediately when there isn’t time to negotiate every detail of the contract in time to meet...
Listen and Learn… Indefinite Contract? How can a contract be indefinite? Indefinite contracts can be used when the Government knows exactly what it wants to buy, but not how much they’ll need or when they’ll...
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...
Listen and Learn… 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...
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...
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...
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...
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 allows the Government to evaluate technical bids and request pricing from...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...