Skyway Blog
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...
The Changing Landscape of Federal Supply Schedules
If you are a company trying to decide if you want to get on a GSA schedule or a Federal contracting professional who uses GSA schedules, you need to be aware there are many changes coming to the...
Make Your Proposal Better: (Part 1 of a Series) Write to Achieve the Highest Score
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...
Why It’s Important to Monitor and Respond to CPARS/PPIRS
It used to be that if you won a government contract and performed badly for one agency, no one else knew about it. There was little emphasis placed on past performance because there was no good way...
Cost Proposals – Three Critical Steps
Due to diminishing DOD budgets, the Government is focusing on cost control in contracts. Since time and materials contracts are becoming increasingly difficult to get approved, the Government has...
Agency Protests
Protests are a sensitive subject with government contracting officers, because they too often carry an air of failure. All young contract specialists are indoctrinated with the ideal of awarding...
Reviewing a Proposal against an RFP
As a CO reviewing a proposal, three main questions are always asked: 1. Does the proposal comply with the Instructions to Offerors (ITO)? 2. How does the proposal stack up against the Evaluation...
International Traffic in Arms Regulations
SUMMARY: The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITARs), controlled by the US State Department, are regulations and processes used to oversee the U.S. defense industry and contracting firms...
Where should I focus my limited proposal resources so that I have the best chance to win?
Where you should focus your proposal resources to optimize your chances of winning actually differs depending on a number of variables. For example, if the procurement is a sealed bid, then focusing...