Skyway Wire
It’s either hell yes or hell no!
The great news about the government market? There are a million opportunities. The bad news about the government market? There are a million opportunities. One of the biggest challenges for any...
Commerciality in Government Contracting
When FAR part 12 first came out in the mid-90s, contracting professionals went a little crazy with the concept. “Let’s buy everything as a commercial item or service” became the mantra. It was quick...
Are you the prize?
When marketing and selling our goods and services, we all know we should be targeting. If you’ve been a Community member for a while, you’ve likely heard me talk about the value of targeting a lot....
Small Business Eliminates Two-Thirds of Its Potential Competitors by Appealing the NAICS Code
Challenge NAICS codes! A NAICS challenge is NOT decided by the CO. It is decided by the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals. NAICS code appeals can be a very powerful tool for small government...
How Small Business (SB) Reserves Effect Small Businesses
To assist small businesses, agencies implemented procedures that allow separate requirements of the contract to be set-aside for small businesses. The SBA has issued a rule, effective December 31,...
NAME CHANGE AGREEMENTS
A previous article addressed the issue of novation agreements, which involved a business’s sale or restructuring that caused a change to the business information published in the signed contract....
The reason for Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA)
LPTA is a very unpopular acquisition strategy these days. The mere mention of this particular four-letter word seems to raise people’s blood pressure. I have posted several articles on LinkedIn...
Small Business Assistance POCs
For small businesses, it can be overwhelming to try and figure out how to do business with government. But there’s never been a better time to so do. Contracting agencies will continue to receive...
Managing Subcontractors
Managing subcontractors during a proposal response is a crucial element of a successful proposal submission. A proposal or capture manager without a handle on the entire proposal team (including...
Novation Agreements
Sometimes businesses that have active contracts with the government decide to restructure, or even get bought out or sold to other companies. In these instances, the contracts must be modified to...
Protest Sustained Due to Agency’s Failure to Plan!
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a Decision on October 13, 2015, regarding Protest B-410778.3, XTec, Inc., October 1, 2015 (http://www.gao.gov/products/B-410778.3) GAO sustained the...
Which Socio-economic Program is “Better” to Be In?
Recently a client asked about socio-economic programs - which program is ‘better’ to be in? (SDVOSB, WOSB, 8(a), minority, HUBZone, etc.) Actually, you don't have to choose! For example, a woman who...
Make Your Proposal Better: (Part 4 of a Series) Make your proposal more than just “compliant.”
Writing a more compelling and persuasive proposal than your competitors can significantly improve your chances of winning. In this series, we will provide some tips professional proposal writers use...
Responsiveness
One of the simpler, but more prevalent, misunderstandings about government contracting lies in the concept of responsiveness. The only reference to this term in the Federal Acquisition Regulation...
How to Manage Unduly Restrictive Terms or Specifications
Offerors providing services/products to the Government on a competitive basis face many issues when proposing on competitive solicitations. One issue may be an unduly restrictive term or description...
The Importance of Asking Questions
In school and often in business, we focus on answering questions. However, we should never underestimate the value of asking questions; particularly really great questions. This is especially true...