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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358 – Unequal Exchanges
Kevin and Paul describe a key feature of government source selections, FAR 15.306’s prohibition on favoring one offeror over another. Learn how this impacts the acquisition process and why many...
357 – Standard Operating Procedures w/Troy Small
Kevin discusses the power of standard operating procedures with special guest Troy Small, a retired Marine Corps Contracting Officer and current Skyway Acquisition team member.
356 – What is the Bona Fide Need Rule?
Kevin and Paul discuss the rules around obligating funds that guide the government’s acquisition strategies and contract management activities. Listen and learn why purpose, time, and amount are...
355 – What is a Cure Notice?
Cure notice? It’s not as good as it sounds. Kevin and Paul describe this element of the government’s contract termination process. Listen and learn why clear communication between the parties can...
354 – Know Your Option Clauses
Kevin and Paul dig deeper into the world of options and review the FAR’s solicitation provisions and contract option clauses. Listen and learn how they can impact proposal strategy, government...
353 – The Contracting Officer is the Umpire
Kevin and Paul compare the roles of contracting officers and umpires (or referees) in sports. The FAR requires contracting officers to ensure that contractors receive impartial, fair, and equitable...
352 – Is Contract Administration Underappreciated?
We spend a lot of time on the podcast talking about the acquisition process – solicitations, proposals, shaping, and everything else that leads to a contract award. This week we’re focusing on the...
351 – What is an Option?
Kevin and Paul define and describe how options work in government contracts. Learn commons uses for options as well as the FAR’s limitations on the use of options.
350 – Flossing Your Contracts (Refresher)
Contract administration is like flossing your teeth. Best to do it on a regular basis. If you skip it for a while you may not notice any pain right away, but you can bet that there will be pain...
349 – Post-Award Conferences and Contract Kickoffs
Paul discusses the critical event of the honeymoon zone, the post-award conference (also known as a contract kickoff meeting) with special guest Shelley Hall. (special guest, and also Skyway team...
348 – What is a Small Business Set-Aside?
Why would the government limit the pool of bidders to just small businesses? Listen and learn as Kevin and Paul discuss why a Contracting Officer may choose to set aside an award for only small...
347 – What is a Black Hat Review? w/Brian Lindholm
Kevin welcomes special guest Brian Lindholm, Managing Principal of FedSavvy Strategies to discuss black hat reviews. A black hat review is a common technique used to incorporate competitive...
346 – What is a Contract Vehicle?
Kevin and Paul discuss why government acquisition pros may choose to use to award new work through existing contract vehicles.
345 – But That Clause Isn’t in my Contract! (Refresher)
Imagine reading your contract closely to determine how to approach a potential issue, only to find out that you are held to the requirements of a clause that isn’t written into the contract. Kevin...
344 – Four Types of Past Performance w/Vicky Strycharske
Kevin welcomes special guest (and Skyway team member) Vicky Strycharske to discuss how the government views commercial past performance compared to government past performance. Learn how relevant...
343 – Four Ways the Government Buys
Kevin and Paul discuss how the size of the requirement (among many other factors) impacts the choice of vehicle that the government uses to buy. Learn the four primary ways the government buys and...