Skyway Wire
What is a Novation Agreement and Why Should You Care?
The execution of a novation agreement is the process of recognizing the successor in interest to a government contract when assets are transferred as a result of their sale, a merger/consolidation,...
Mergers & Acquisitions
In my early days in defense contracting, there were many large businesses in the government defense marketplace – Lockheed, Northrop, Martin Marietta, Grumman, Loral, Westinghouse, Hughes, General...
Another Government Shutdown, AGAIN?
Editor's Note: When this was written, the decision to shut down the government had not yet been made; however, the government did, in fact, shut down. Many of my friends, who are still government...
The Downside of Price Competition
Over the course of my 35+ years working for government contractors, I witnessed many changes on the industry side as the government’s emphasis on price shifted. Not that price was ever unimportant,...
The World of Foreign Military Sales
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), in 2017 the United States had oversight to over $43B in Foreign Military Sales (FMS). The number of countries that benefit from these...
You Can’t Order Items Not Listed on the Vendor’s FSS Schedule
In Bluewater Management Group, LLC, B-414785, Bluewater protested the Navy’s award of lodging and transportation services to DMC Management Services, LLC, stating that the award was improper because...
All, Some, or None
Another handy tool for a Contracting Officer is the use of “all, some, or none” when making contract awards or placing orders. Instead of being locked into a single contract award, delivery order,...
WOSB Company Found Ineligible Because Husband Managed Business
Recently, a self-certified woman-owned small business (WOSB) was determined to be ineligible for a WOSB set-aside contract because the woman owner’s husband held the company’s highest officer...
Differing Site Conditions
Differing site conditions, commonly referred to as unforeseen site conditions, is a term used in construction contracts to describe a previously unknown condition that, once discovered, will affect...
What does the government owe you?
In recent months I have heard and read different stories about companies’ expectations in doing business with the government. Now our esteemed leader here at Skyway calls me the “grumpy”...
The Debrief
So you lost the contract that the company put lots of time and money into and you want to know why. You want an answer and you want it now!! As a contracting officer I have had those phone calls;...
Brand Name or Equal
One handy little tactic that benefits both Contracting Officers and bidders is the concept of “Brand Name or Equal.” FAR 11.104 – Use of Brand Name or Equal Purchase Descriptions describes this...
What You Need (and What You Do NOT Need) to Get Started as a Government Contractor – Part 2
In Part 1 of this blog, I talked about a couple of things you need to do before you can be awarded a contract. You need to do both of those things before you do the last thing that is absolutely...
What You Need (and What You Do NOT Need) to Get Started as a Government Contractor – Part 1
When companies decide to go after government contracts, they all experience a similar phenomenon: a bunch companies (often trying very hard to look like a government agency on their websites) start...
Successful Teaming
You have a teammate and all is great! Right? Sometimes, not so much. Let’s look at some of the basics and how to avoid the issues in the first place. Federal Government Contracting is subject to...
Professional Compensation Plans – Part 2
When a solicitation contains FAR 52.222-46, Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees, offerors are required to submit a written plan for compensating their proposed staff that are not...