Contracting Officer Podcast Episodes
As former Federal Contracting Officers who have also walked in industry’s shoes, Kevin and Paul share their expertise and perspectives in support of the podcast’s mission: Make government contracting better, one contract at a time.
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580 – The DLA Internet Bid Board System (DIBBS) (w/ Bill Scheier)
Government agencies do not buy everything the same way. Contracting officers use different tools and systems to get the products and services they need to support the mission. Some of these systems...
579 – What’s really in the contract? Incorporating by Reference (w/ Shelley Hall)
Government contracts are full of rules, but some of the most important ones are not printed in full. Instead, they are added through a process called incorporation by reference. In this episode,...
578 – Selecting Contract Type
Every contract starts with a simple but important choice: what contract type to use. That choice affects who takes on risk, how contractors are paid, and how work gets done. While contract type...
577 – What is a GovCon IPT? (w/ Bill Scheier)
Acquisition is a team sport. But too often, team members work alone. They pass plans and documents from one office to another. This can cause delays, confusion, and extra work. In this episode,...
576 – Faster Contract Awards (w/ Hector Navarro)
Technology moves fast. Mission needs can change just as quickly. Yet government acquisition often takes months or even years to deliver solutions. That gap creates risk. By the time a contract is...
575 – The Overhaul of FAR Part 16
As the FAR overhaul moves forward, FAR Part 16 stands out as one of the most important updates for government contracting professionals. Every contract starts with a contract type decision, making...
574 – The Overhaul of FAR 19.8 (The 8(a) Program) – w/Shelley Hall
The FAR overhaul series continues with a look at one of the most important small business programs in federal contracting: the SBA’s 8(a) Program. In this episode, Kevin and Shelley break down the...
573 – Who Are The GovCon Players now? (w/ Bill Scheier)
More than a decade ago, the Contracting Officer Podcast released Episode 060, “Who Are the Players?” to explain who does what in government contracting. The people involved are mostly the same...
572 – Rethinking Government-wide Contracts: The New Meaning of Best-in-Class
In 2021, Best-in-Class (BIC) Contracting was seen as a preferred way to buy products and services across the federal government. Today, it plays a much bigger role. New policies, changing contract...
571 – What is the Non-Manufacturer Rule? (w/ Shelley Hall)
In this episode, Kevin and Shelley explain the Nonmanufacturer Rule in plain language. This rule can affect who is eligible for a small business set-aside contract and who receives the benefit of...
570 – Continuation of Mission Essential Services (w/ Shelley Hall)
What happens when a crisis puts critical military operations at risk? Natural disasters, cyberattacks, pandemics, and other emergencies can disrupt the services the Department of War depends on...
569 – The Overhaul of FAR 11 – Describing Agency Needs
Every government contract starts with a need. Before an agency can buy a product or service, it must clearly explain what it needs and why. That is the purpose of FAR Part 11, Describing Agency...
568 – Overhaul of FAR Part 37 (with Shelley Hall)
In this episode, we keep our focus on the FAR Overhaul and take a clear, practical look at Part 37—Service Contracting. This section may not always get the spotlight, but the recent changes matter....
567 – Keeping the Best Deal. Forever. (The Most Favored Customer Framework)
The federal government is the largest buyer in the world, so it’s reasonable to expect it can leverage that scale for better pricing, or even the best pricing. The Most Favored Customer (MFC)...
566 – Small Business Goals Update (with Bill Scheier)
Step into the world of federal contracting in our latest episode, where we take a clear and practical look at the role of the Contracting Officer and the impact they have on creating opportunity. We...
565 – Warfighting Acquisition System Pressure Points inside the FAR: Part 2 (with Hector Navarro)
In this episode, Kevin welcomes Hector Navarro again to take a closer look at the Warfighter Acquisition System (WAS) and what it means for today’s Contracting Officer. We build on our last...