Skyway Wire
Choosing the Right Size of Opportunity to Pursue
You know, not every shiny object is right for your company. Lots of times you see opportunities for contracts with the government that appear to be something you can (and want to!) perform for the...
Small Business Mentor Protégé Programs
On July 25, 2016, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a final rule to amend its regulations and implement provisions of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 and the National Defense...
Contractor Responsibility (Blog 4 of 4): Proving You Have the Ability to Obtain the Resources to Effectively Manage and Execute the Contract After Award
We just covered each of the elements that a Contracting Officer (CO) must consider when making the Determination of Responsibility for the prospective contractor before every contract award. The CO...
Contractor Responsibility (Blog 3 of 4): Proving You Have the Experience to Effectively Manage and Execute the Contract After Award
The administrative nightmare of working with a small business to help them succeed, plus the ultimate time and expense of having to re-compete the contract just a short time later if they fail, is...
Contractor Responsibility (Blog 2 of 4): How do I prove I have the resources to effectively manage and execute the contract after award?
One thing that small businesses struggle with is the perception by contracting activities that all small businesses are “mom and pop shops.” That is, a couple of people who get together and say “I...
Contractor Responsibility (Blog 1 of 4): How and why does a Contracting Officer Make a Determination of Responsibility?
Something that Contracting Officers (COs) live in fear of is awarding a contract to a business who does not have the resources to actually perform the contract. The Federal Acquisition Regulation...
Contract Management
Contract Management is a broad term, because it involves so many diverse functions: performance reporting, quality assurance reporting, contract modifications, Engineering Change Proposals (or...
Accounting for the Future
Small businesses often have simple accounting systems that meet their immediate needs but do not accommodate future proposal needs. For example, if you only perform as a services subcontractor and...
GSA OASIS – Is It the Best Thing since Sliced Bread?
GSA’s One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) has become quite the “go to” solution for procurement of a wide variety of professional services for the federal government. GSA...
RFP Questions & Answers
Most Requests for Proposal (RFPs) offer the opportunity for potential bidders to ask questions about the RFP. There is no obligation on the part of the government to answer and often when they do it...
Sections L & M: What Do They Mean?
To tell you what “Sections L and M” mean, I need to give you a little background. It used to be that Contracting Officers (COs) were required to use the Uniform Contract Format (UCF) (48 CFR...
Subcontractor “Flow Down” FAR Requirements
When prime contractors award subcontracts to other firms to complete portions of the required work, a primary consideration (after price, schedule and quality factors) is the type and number of FAR...
US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Contracting Activities
The US Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is the primary agency for major construction programs for the Department of Defense (DOD). And, by extension, they are also the Federal Government’s...
Winning the Contract is only 49% of the Battle
Wining a contract with the government can be a big boost for any company’s bottom line. Much celebration will ensue and everyone will slap each other on the back and say all that hard work on the...
Sole Source Contracts for WOSBs – Don’t Start Doing the “Happy Dance” Just Yet!
The Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have adopted a final rule, which became effective September 30,...
Negotiations with the Government
Negotiations with the Federal Government can be very different than with customers in private industry. When negotiating with other private firms, cost of product or service is important but the...