Contracting Officer Podcast 2.0 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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518 – What’s an FFRDC?
In this episode, Kevin and Paul talk about a part of government contracting that many people don’t know much about: Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, or FFRDCs. These groups are not...
517 – GovCon Weight Class (Government)
In this episode, Kevin Jans and Paul Schauer take a break from the fast-moving changes to the FAR. Instead, they focus on a key idea in government contracting weight class. As rules become simpler...
516 – The “Overhaul” of FAR Part 10
In this episode, Kevin and Paul dive into the FAR Part 10 Overhaul, a key part of the larger FAR 2.0 update known as “The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul.” FAR Part 10, which guides market research in...
515 – The Power of FOIAs (w/ Vicky Strycharske)
In this episode, Vicky Strycharske joins Kevin to talk about “Fun with FOIA”. They explain the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and why it matters in government contracting. The FOIA, passed in...
514 – Buying Commercial Stuff – FASTER! (FAR Part 13.5 with Shelley Hall)
FAR Part 13 helps contracting officers make purchases faster and with less paperwork. It includes tools like micro-purchases (see episode 301), purchase orders (see episode 451), and Blanket...
513 – The “Overhaul” of FAR Part 1
The FAR Overhaul is underway. In episode 511, Kevin and Paul introduced the “Revolutionary FAR Overhaul” and outlined what it means will change in GovCon, along with will not change. In this...
512 – What is NAF Contracting? (Non-Appropriated Funds)
Appropriated funds are those government contracting dollars that are allocated through legislation by Congress, then signed by the President. When contracting officers award most contracts, they are...
511 – The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul Overview
There is no constant but change (Heraclitus). The FAR Overhaul is underway. This is happening in real time and it seems to be a moving target. This stands to be a really big deal – since the FAR is...
510 – What’s a Protest Intervention? (w/ Maria Panichelli)
A protest in federal contracting is “a written objection by an interested party regarding the solicitation, award, or cancellation of a government contract”. We have a bunch of episodes on Protests...
509 – What is a Commercial Solutions Opening?
A Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) is a flexible acquisition method that allows government agencies to acquire commercial technologies and services, faster. Unlike typical FAR-based processes,...
508 – The 3 GovCon Forces
Government contracting is often non-linear. Sure, there are rules, processes and procedures, but there is no “one size fits all” way for the government to buy something. And often once the...
507 – Sunsetting Regulations
Last week, the President issued Executive Order 14275 that focused on streamlining and updating the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). We first discussed the implication of updating the FAR about...
506 – How much of the sale is Process vs Relationship? Part 1 of 2
Some purchases we make are based on a process. Some purchases we make are based on a relationship. Most purchases we make are based both on a relationship with the seller and some process. That...
505 – What’s changing (or not) in GovCon?
“There is nothing permanent except change” – Heraclitus To say change is afoot right now in government contracting is kind of an understatement. The government contracting work, and workforce, are...
504 – The FAR is not the Play Book
The FAR is the basic ruleset the government uses to award contracts. The FAR is a Rule book. For all our frustration with it and our collecting amazement at how wordy and stuffy it can be, it’s the...
503 – The VETS First Contracting Program
In this episode, they dive into the Veterans First Contracting Program, or VETS First. This is a crucial initiative managed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to prioritize awarding...