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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242 – Time Zone Capture (with Myran Hunter)
Kevin discusses real world application of the Acquisition Time Zones with Myran Hunter. Myran is a capture manager at Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. The Acquisition Time Zones are a...
241 – Happy Ears
Kevin and Paul discuss the phenomenon of “happy ears”. (otherwise known to the world as confirmation bias) Learn how our tendency to believe information that confirms our existing beliefs and...
240 – The Acquisition Time Zones (Encore)
In this encore presentation of one of the earliest Contracting Officer Podcast episodes, Kevin and Paul provide an overview of the Acquisition Time Zones. The Acquisition Time Zones are a...
239 – Where Are You?
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...
238 – Negotiation Clearance
Prior to negotiations it is common for both Government and industry contracts folks to get “clearance” to negotiate a deal within a range of possible outcomes. Kevin and Paul discuss the FAR’s...
237 – Accounting by CLIN
Kevin and Paul return to CLINs to dig deeper into the Contracting Officer’s responsibilities regarding CLIN structure. Learn how “CLIN proliferation” impacts the acquisition and execution process...
236 – What is a Wrap Rate?
Kevin and Paul provide a simplified overview of wrap rates including what cost components make up a labor billing rate and a walk-through of a sample calculation. Learn why some cost components are...
235 – It’s a Technicality
Government requests for proposals (RFPs) contain many explicit requirements. They also include many “buried” requirements that, if not followed, result in non-compliance with the RFP instructions...
234 – Who Are You?
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...
233 – What Drives RFP Delays?
Possibly the most common question posed to the podcast: Why do RFPs take so long? Kevin and Paul build on earlier episodes on this topic and provide simple communication tips to improve acquisition...
232 – Proposal Automation with Wendy Frieman
Kevin talks proposal automation with Skyway team member (and proposal professional) Wendy Frieman. Learn why automation tools have become an essential part of the proposal development (and RFP...
231 – What Time is It?
Kevin and Paul review, refresh, and update the Acquisition Time Zones. The Acquisition Time Zones are the way we (this podcast) describe the chronological phases of the government acquisition...
230 – The Proposal Strike Zone
Kevin and Paul discuss the government’s proposal evaluation process using yet another baseball analogy. (smile…you know you love baseball analogies) Learn how open communication before the RFP is...
229 – Path to Fair Opportunity Part 4
In the final episode of our mini-series on the “Fair Opportunity” process, Kevin and Paul discuss how the government can award a “sole source” task order within the bounds of the fair opportunity...
228 – The Christian Doctrine
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...
227 – Opening Vs. Closing
Kevin and Paul dig deep into the acquisition process and explain how a bid is often won or lost far before proposals are ever written or evaluated. Learn why contractors must work to win the...