Skyway Blog
Unauthorized Commitments
Unauthorized commitments are orders placed by persons lacking the proper authority to commit that amount of funds. Specifically, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) defines the term as “an...
REDUCING YOUR PROPOSAL WRITING COSTS
You just got an estimate of $10,000 for a consultant to manage and write a proposal for your company. It’s a staggering amount for a small business, and essentially unaffordable to most companies...
“I’m Not Happy” – the Sad Mantra of Federal Government Millennials
I am not picking on younger government workers. On the contrary, I have seen some fantastic young folks who came in and really surprised me with their work ethic and capacity and willingness to...
Managing Your Subcontractors during the Proposal Process
I just got done managing a proposal with 18 subcontractors (subs) on it. Luckily, I had a guy on the team whose only mission was to manage the subcontractors. (Thank goodness!) But that job often...
If you win a large dollar contract, you may lose your small business status (Well, DUH!)
DOD issued a final rule effective 26 May 15 amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to clarify that entering into a contract award may cause a small business to...
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO WRITE A “TYPICAL” PROPOSAL?
As a Proposal Manager, writer, consultant and trainer, I get this question fairly often. And, it’s really hard to answer! There are so many variables in company capabilities, proposal requirements,...
DOD COs are told to stay out of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) offset costs
DFARS Part 225 covers Foreign Acquisition. The rules regarding purchasing items and services for foreign ally nations have always been pretty simple. Even though the foreign country is financing all...
Issuance of a COC Does Not Guarantee an Award
In the case of Jay Shapiro & Associates, Inc. (JS&A), GAO file B-411174, decision dated June 5, 2015 (http://www.gao.gov/products/B-411174), JS&A, a small business, protested the...
Communicating Bad News to the Contracting Officer
One important area that businesses and project managers new to the government contracting arena may be a bit nervous about is the issue of communicating bad news to the contracting officer (CO)....
DOD has exceeded Small Business Goals for a second year in a row!
According to reports released in Jun 2015 by the Small Business Administration (SBA), the federal government awarded almost 25 percent of its prime contracting dollars to small businesses in fiscal...
Notifications to Unsuccessful Offerors
Contracting officers face a different set of challenges when conducting exchanges with industry after receipt of proposals. This article covers notifications to unsuccessful offerors and follows the...
Targeting the Market using FBO
Everybody knows that Fed Biz Ops (FBO) (www.fbo.gov) is the place to look for upcoming federal opportunities. But did you know that FBO can also be a good way to begin targeting your government...
EXCHANGES WITH INDUSTRY AFTER RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS
Contracting officers face complex challenges and restrictions when communicating with offerors after receipt of proposals. Ensuring procurement integrity is the most vulnerable during this phase,...
Exchanges with Industry – After Solicitation Release
The solicitation phase of a procurement increases the complexity and significance of communications between government and industry. Contracting officers (COs) must carefully control their...
Exchanges with Industry – Pre-solicitation Phase
One of the more intimidating aspects for a contractor new to the federal marketplace is the area of communicating with the Contracting Officer (CO). The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)...
GSA and Price Transparency
It has never been easy to see the “real” price for General Services Administration (GSA) products/services. In large part, GSA has always had transparency in their pricing. They have always had...