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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300 – It’s All About the Context (and Communication)
Episode 300! Today Kevin and Paul take a look back at what they’ve learned the podcast is really about. From the first episodes to the days of COVID, the Contracting Officer Podcast has focused on...
299 – The Proposal Kickoff Meeting (Step 3 of 4) with Vicki Strycharske
Kevin welcomes back Vicki Strycharske to discuss best practices for proposal writing – this time focusing on the Proposal Kickoff meeting. Vicki is a regular guest, former contracting officer,...
298 – Incumbentitis – ENCORE
Many recompetes are lost because the incumbent contractor becomes overconfident and fails to recognize changes that have occurred during the period of performance of their current contract. Learn...
297 – What is a Letter Contract?
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...
296 – What is a Contracting Officer?
Kevin and Paul describe the role and responsibilities of the Contracting Officer from a FAR perspective and a practical perspective. Learn how Contracting Officers are appointed and why there can be...
295 – Buried Treasure
When you’re looking for buried treasure, it’s helpful to have a map. GovCon presents you with a map to contract award – if you choose to use it. Kevin and Paul discuss how the government’s...
294 – What is a “Competent” Contractor?
Contracting Officers must determine that a company is responsible before awarding a contract. How does a small company that has never done business with the Government convince the Contracting...
293 – The Past Performance Advantage (Part 4)
In Part 1 of our past performance series (Episode 267) we covered the factors the government uses in evaluating past performance and what they mean in context. Part 2 gets deeper into how past...
292 – ENCORE – No Change Please
Why can’t the Government just stick with their current services contractors or system developers? Why do they always want to change? Kevin and Paul discuss the differences between the...
291 – What is the Defense Production Act? What is a rated order?
The Defense Production Act (DPA) is in the news due to COVID-19. You might also hear about rated contracts or rated orders. Listen and learn as Kevin and Paul explain how the DPA and DPAS compel...
290 – Is This Classified?
The term “classified contract” is often misconstrued. Both Government and Industry need to understand the exact nature of any classified information prior to contract award and throughout contract...
289 – GovCon Targeting (with Cameron and Amy from The Arbinger Institute)
We’ve discussed the importance of targeting many times on the podcast. For a fresh take on what successful targeting looks like in practice, we invited Cameron Cozzens and Amy Sadeghzadeh from The...
288 – The Protest Window
There is no such thing as a late protest. As you might expect, the rules around when a protest is allowed can be quite confusing. Kevin and Paul discuss the factors that impact whether a protest is...
287 – The Past Performance Advantage (Part 3)
In Part 1 of our past performance series (Episode 267) we covered the factors the government uses in evaluating past performance and what they mean in context. Part 2 gets deeper into how past...
286 – ENCORE – Are Sole Source Contracts Easier?
Are Sole Source Awards Easier? In this encore presentation of a very early episode, Kevin and Paul debate a question from a Contracting Officer who took issue with a comment from a previous episode...
285 – CARES Documentation
Document, document, document. Kevin and Paul discuss the CARES Act. Well, not the law itself, more the ambiguities within just one section. Learn why you must document, document, document everything...