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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386 – What is commercial in the government’s eyes?
The FAR has long defined commercial items, though the very term “commercial item” has created confusion for both government and industry acquisition and sales teams. Kevin and Paul discuss the “new...
385 – What is a Tech Eval?
Only a contracting officer can sign a contract on behalf of the government, but as the acquisitions expert, how are they to understand the details of a complex hardware or services buy? Kevin and...
384 – What is the Economy Act?
It may be surprising to learn that the federal government sometimes duplicates effort and misses out on economies of scale when buying. (that’s a joke…) Kevin and Paul explain the Economy Act, which...
383 – The Process to Relationship Ratio (80-20 Rule Revisited)
Kevin and Paul return to the balance between process and relationships in the GovCon world. Every government acquisition follows a published process and also requires some type of relationship...
382 – A different view of the Acquisition Time Zones (with Brian Burns)
Kevin discusses the Acquisition Time Zones with Brian Burns, podcaster (https://www.b2brevenue.com/about) and government sales guru. Listen and learn how knowledge of the acquisition time zones can...
381 – Where do RFPs Come From?
When an RFP is released, there has been some activity, maybe a LOT of activity, by both government and industry that resulted in what you see. Kevin and Paul take a peek behind the scenes at the...
380 – What is an OTA?
Kevin and Paul discuss OTAs – Other Transaction Authority, a non FAR/DFARS based, legally binding instrument – a much requested topic with a confusing name. Listen and learn what an OTA is and what...
379 – Flexible Workspace Contracts
Kevin and Paul discuss the government’s move into the world of flexible workspace, tapping market trends and exploiting the changes that have occurred in how and where people work.
378 – What is Contract Scope?
Kevin and Paul describe the Contracting Officer’s scope determination and how it impacts the government’s ability to add work to a contract. (or forces a new acquisition and/or contract) Listen and...
377 – How are MAC IDIQs used?
Starting off the new year with acronym soup. MAC (multi-agency contracts or multi-award contracts) IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contracts) are a commonly used government acquisition...
376 – What Time Is It? (REFRESHER)
In this holiday refresher of a previously released episode, Kevin and Paul review, refresh, and update the Acquisition Time Zones. The Acquisition Time Zones are the way we (this podcast) describe...
375 – Where Are You? (Refresher)
Kevin and Paul discuss the FAR’s preference for telecommuting. (or working remotely in more modern lingo) Learn why the Government must be clear when documenting requirements for performance at a...
374 – Unsolicited Proposals
The government wants innovative ideas from industry. The catch is that a government acquisition must start with a requirement. Chicken and egg? How does industry submit innovative ideas that don’t...
373 – Cost and Rates (with Wayne LeLand)
Kevin discusses indirect rates with Wayne LeLand, a former DCAA auditor, current CPA and CFO from Nperspective, a provider of fractional CFO services. Listen and learn as Kevin and Wayne discuss how...
372 – The Execution Time Zones – Overview
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...
371 – Who are you? (Refresher)
Kevin and Paul discuss the common question “when should I contact the Contracting Officer during the acquisition process?”. Learn the most effective times for different parties from both government...