Skyway Wire
The Thinking Part of the (Job)
I enjoy government contracting. The point of a government contract is to meet the mission of the agency through leveraging the resources from the private sector. Contracts do not exist to exist....
GovCon and Tariffs
Tariffs are a tax on goods that enter the country. They are not new. In 1913, the Underwood Tariff Act essentially moved us from using tariffs to raise taxes and instead use federal income tax. This...
March 2025 Update
Government contracting is going through a refresh cycle. That means we all see a lot of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. History buffs may recognize this as “VUCA” (pronounced...
Get Curious before you get Furious (Don’t Curse the Darkness Part IV)
This is the next installment of this post: Navigating the Fog of GovCon Ok, confession time. I got sucked into the flow of the river of news yesterday and ending up following one yet another...
Longest Running GovCon Podcast Reaches 500th Episode
Contracting Officer Podcast Continues to Bring Context to both sides of Government Contracting Clearwater, FL – February 18, 2025 – On March 7, 2025, the Contracting Officer Podcast will...
The Reverse Lens (Don’t Curse the Darkness Part III)
This is the next installment of this post: Navigating the Fog of GovCon GovCon, and government in general, are moving faster lately. It can be hard to clearly communicate our intent when we are...
Type 1 vs Type 2 Actions (Don’t Curse the Darkness Part II)
There are many moving parts here in the Fog of GovCon. Contracts are being canceled. Contracts are being descoped. Contract options are being exercised. Contracts are being terminated for...
Don’t Curse the Darkness, Light a Candle (Part I)
We are in turbulent times in GovCon. There are changes coming…some may happen, some may not, but there is a general sense on uncertainty that permeates GovCon right now. The rules, guidance and...
February 2025 Update
2025 continues to be an interesting year as expected. Less than two weeks into the new administration and there is no shortage of GovCon topics for us to dig into. I am in the process of outlining a...
The Meringue Test
Meringue looks fluffy, beautiful and solid, but it is actually very delicate. It crumbles easily. The Meringue Test is the degree to whether something that looks solid and stable is actually fragile...
January 2025 Update
Welcome to 2025. This is going to be one amazing year. In unrelated news, this is the year of 1) my 25th wedding anniversary and 2) my last kid graduates from high school…meaning we’ll be “empty...
Understanding EPEAT Standards in FAR 23.704: A Guide to Sustainable Procurement
In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, sustainability is becoming a core component of contracting strategies, especially in government and institutional settings. For those involved in...
December 2024 Update
Great news: as promised in the last Skyway Wire, our new and improved website is live! If you’re as excited to see it as I am to share it – check out the tour. The highlights include 1) all podcast...
Loper Bright and Government Contracting
One of this year's most significant Supreme Court decisions was the ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which reversed the long-standing Chevron Doctrine. The Chevron doctrine required...
November 2024 Update
FY 2025 is well underway (with a now typical Continuing Resolution until December). What’s your over-under on Congress getting the budget passed before March? No worries, we can’t control the CRs....
Choosing a Topic under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program: An Ice Cream Analogy
Eleven (11) Federal Agencies participate in the SBIR/STTR[1] Program and release “funding opportunities on a regular periodic basis throughout the year.”[2] While SBIR.gov provides guidance on the...