Skyway Blog
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...
Competition from a Contracting Officer’s perspective
Is competition alive and well in federal contracts? The government has promoted competition since 1781 when the Superintendent of Finance advertised in a local newspaper for proposals to buy food...
FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting
FAR 52-219-14 applies to contracts, orders, and parts of a multiple-award contract that are set aside or reserved for small businesses (SB) or 8(a) companies. The intent of the clause is to ensure...
Selecting the Best Past Performance References for Your Proposal
Proposal response criteria almost always requires contractors to demonstrate past performance. The weighting of past performance references can be the primary determining factor when evaluating your...
SBA May Amend 8(a) Regulations to Make it Harder for Applicants to enter the Program
The Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) is an independent office of the Small Business Administration (SBA) established in 1983 to provide an independent, quasi-judicial appeal of certain SBA...
Make Your Proposal Better (Part 3 of a Series): Ensure Your Proposal Is Compliant
Writing a compelling and persuasive proposal can significantly improve your chances of winning. In this series we will provide some tips professional proposal writers use to make sure their proposal...
GAO Sustains Protest based on Poor Market Research
Triad Isotopes, Inc., of Orlando, Florida, protested the decision (reference Triad Isotopes for full decision) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to issue request for quotations (RFQ) No....
Make Your Proposal Better: (Part 2 of a Series) – Use the Key Words and Terminology in the RFP
Writing a compelling and persuasive proposal can significantly improve your chances of winning. In this series we will provide some tips professional proposal writers use to make sure their proposal...