Skyway Blog
Competition is not supposed to be Efficient
I have to be honest. When I was a contracting officer, there were plenty of times I really liked the contractors I had. The acquisition team and I often would have preferred to have long-term...
Exceeding Small Business Contracting Goals – Bad News
Based on reports released after the end of FY14, for the first time, the Pentagon has exceeded departmental goals for small-business contracting. Small businesses made up 23 percent of the...
Do Agencies Share Contract Pricing Info with Other Agencies?
Misconception #6 – “Agencies have an obligation not to share information about their contracts, such as prices, with other agencies, similar to the obligation they have not to disclose proprietary...
Why be a Contracting Officer? Reason 3
Since the early whispers of sequestration back in 2010, I’ve been warning companies that more competition would be the theme in the federal market for the next decade (or longer). The rules that...
Impact of COFC’s Ruling on Non-Manufacturer Rule (NMR)
In its simplest form, the Small Business Non-Manufacturer Rule (NMR) states that for an acquisition exceeding $25,000, using a manufacturing NAICS code, small businesses must either manufacturer the...
Why be a Contracting Officer – Reason 2
Why be a Contracting Officer - Reason 2 Being a contracting officer (CO) is a unique position. I’ve been asked over the years to describe what it’s like to be a CO. While my opinion may not align...
What is a Small Business “Reserve”?
One of the most enduring principles of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) is that the federal government use its resources to direct as many contract awards as practicable to small...
Why does anyone want to be a Contracting Officer?
Being a contracting officer (CO) is a unique position. I’ve been asked over the years to describe what it’s like to be a CO. While this post is not going to align with every other CO’s perspective,...
Court of Federal Claims Invalidates Key component of the SBA’s non-manufacturer rule
For the 33 years I’ve done Federal contracting, it’s been understood that the SBA’s non-manufacturer rule applies only to supply buys. It was never considered to cover services even if the service...
Small Business Found Non-Responsive Wins GAO Protest because CO Did Not Request a COC
Government Accountability Office (GAO) has ruled that the Contracting Officer (CO) should have done a Certificate of Competency (COC) with the Small Business Administration (SBA) before deciding not...
Has the Government Already Picked A Winner?
I hear contractors say “Why bother proposing when the government has already decided who’s going to get the contract?” There was a time when that was a valid question. Acquisition rules are getting...
How to Prepare for GSA Audits and Contractor Assistance Visits
GSA sends out an Industrial Operations Analyst (IOA) to offer help AND check up on you in what they call Contractor Assistance Visits (CAV). Basically, they are performing an audit. A typical review will take 2 – 5 hours depending on the complexity of the tracking system. Follow-up visits may be necessary if they find inconsistencies. The IOA will ask
Improving Processes for Awarding Cost-Reimbursement Contracts
On 7 Nov 14, a DOD Inspector General (DOD IG) Audit Report was published to address whether DOD was complying with interim Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) revisions on the use of...
Price is Always a Factor
For those who follow our blog, you may remember the post about the 80/20 Rule. (http://skywayacquisition.com/sales-relationships-8020-rule/) As a recap, the 80/20 Rule in government contracting...
Understanding Section M
Requests for Proposals for government contracts can be complicated. Between all the different sections, clauses, factors and sub-factors, and detailed-ish descriptions of the requirement, they can...
Misconception #5: Can the Government Share my Proprietary Data?
Misconception: If I meet one-on-one with agency personnel, they may share my proprietary data with my competition. The truth is that all agency personnel have a responsibility to protect...