If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you.

This episode is brought to you by PROPRICERTM, the #1 proposal pricing and cost analysis software used by federal agencies and small to large government contractors. Visit www.PROPRICER.com/podcast to learn more or request a demonstration. You’ll be glad you did!

Why is acquisition planning so important? The GAO recently sustained a protest based on the agency’s failure to engage in reasonable advance planning. You can read the details here: https://skywayacquisition.com/skyway-co-insight/protest-sustained-due-to-agencys-failure-to-plan/

Kevin and Paul discuss why this could be huge for the Government acquisition world and why both Government acquisition offices and Industry should pay attention! It seems that the GAO has had enough excuses and is going to hold program and contracting offices accountable for ensuring adequate advance planning is done. Learn why this decision could be considered a good or bad development for you, whether you are the CO, the COR, the Government user, or Industry.

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you.

This episode is brought to you by Unanet. Use Unanet for all Projects, People & Financials, or integrate seamlessly with other accounting and ERP systems. Unanet provides a ‘single source of truth’ and removes the barriers to sharing realtime information caused by using separate business systems. Visit unanet.com\podcast to learn more.

What does Indefinite Delivery \ Indefinite Quantity mean for my contract? Did I really win any work? Or for the Government, how much can I buy and for how long?

Kevin and Paul explain what IDIQ means and discuss the benefits and pitfalls of this common contract type. Learn how to leverage IDIQ contracts to make acquisition easier for both Government and for Industry. You’ll also hear cautionary tales of how misunderstanding of IDIQ contracts can wreck your program or company.

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you.

This episode is brought to you by Unanet. Unanet provides a ‘single source of truth’ and removes the barriers to sharing realtime information caused by using separate business systems. Use Unanet for all Projects, People & Financials, or integrate seamlessly with other accounting and ERP systems. Visit unanet.com/podcast to learn more.

When do you need an “approved” accounting system? What does “approved” actually mean? Who approves it? What is the difference between adequate, acceptable, and approved accounting systems?

Kevin and Paul answer these questions and discuss the reasons why the Government requires contractors to build rigor into cost accounting systems in order to accumulate and allocate different cost elements. Learn how the requirements for accounting systems (and other business systems) scale as the size and complexity of contracts grows.

Visit unanet.com/podcast to learn more.

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you.

Proposal Managers have a unique view of the proposal process. Among other roles, proposal managers are key to ensuring that proposals are 100% compliant and submitted on time.

Kevin and Paul field questions from proposal managers who participated in a recent webinar hosted by the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP). Can a Contracting Officer apply proposal compliance rules differently across different proposals? Why should you know your Contracting Officer’s tendencies before you write your proposal? What do proposal page limitations tell us about the Government’s evaluation approach? Listen and learn….

This episode is brought to you by Skyway Acquisition Solutions. The Skyway Connection© Community was created specifically to help small companies expand their knowledge and capabilities, and to increase their competitive position in federal government acquisitions. - Learn more at: https://skywayacquisition.com/connect

Membership benefits include:

Access to Skyway Insight© Webinars

Unlimited access to The RFP Score™

Access to Ask a Contracting Officer Forum™

Priority Access to Skyway Team for Skyway Insight, capture, proposal support

This episode is brought to you by PROPRICER, the #1 proposal pricing and cost analysis software used by federal agencies and small to large government contractors. Visit www.PROPRICER.com/podcast to learn more or request a demonstration. You’ll be glad you did!

Listen and Learn… How is the source selection decision made? How does the Government pick the winner?

Kevin and Paul discuss the final stage of the source selection: who won? Learn what information the source selection authority considers and how much flexibility remains once all the evaluations are complete.

The source selection decision document (SSDD) summarizes the source selection authority’s rationale for the selection of the winner. Kevin and Paul explain why this most important document must be carefully written and why Industry should always ask to see it, win or lose.

Thanks again to our sponsor, PROPRICER (tm).

Listen and Learn… What is Certified Cost and Pricing Data? Cost and pricing data is exactly what it sounds like. The key word here is “certified”.

Kevin and Paul describe the circumstances where the Government requires contractors to “certify” that their cost and pricing data is current, accurate, and complete.

Learn how to certify your cost and pricing data, when certified cost and pricing data is required (and when it is not), and what happens if your certified data isn’t current or is inaccurate or incomplete. (the dreaded “defective cert”)

The Skyway Connection© Community was created specifically to help small companies expand their knowledge and capabilities, and to increase their competitive position in federal government acquisitions. - Learn more at: https://skywayacquisition.com/connect

Membership benefits include:

Access to Skyway Insight© Webinars

Unlimited access to The RFP Score™

Access to Ask a Contracting Officer Forum™

Priority Access to Skyway Team for Skyway Insight, capture, proposal support

Listen and Learn… What is a Final Proposal Revision? (FPR)

Kevin and Paul continue their dissection of the Government Source Selection process and discuss the process by which the Government allows revisions to Industry proposals after discussions. (also known as “exchanges with offerors after receipt of proposals” or more simply, negotiations)

In ancient times the FPR was known as a “Best and Final Offer” or BAFO. Learn why it is important to understand how the Government evaluates FPRs and the peril that exists for Industry when writing their FPR.

The Skyway Connection© Community was created specifically to help small companies expand their knowledge and capabilities, and to increase their competitive position in federal government acquisitions. - Learn more at: https://skywayacquisition.com/connect

Membership benefits include:

Access to Skyway Insight© Webinars

Unlimited access to The RFP Score™

Access to Ask a Contracting Officer Forum™

Priority Access to Skyway Team for Skyway Insight, capture, proposal support

Listen and Learn… Who are the players on the Government acquisition team? Who are their Industry counterparts?

Kevin and Paul discuss different roles on a Government acquisition team and an Industry proposal team. Many roles are similar, but others are unique. Learn what an acquisition consultant does and why a proposal manager is critical to the process.

The Skyway Connection© Community was created specifically to help small companies expand their knowledge and capabilities, and to increase their competitive position in federal government acquisitions. - Learn more at: https://skywayacquisition.com/connect

Membership benefits include:

Access to Skyway Insight© Webinars

Unlimited access to The RFP Score™

Access to Ask a Contracting Officer Forum™

Priority Access to Skyway Team for Skyway Insight, capture, proposal support

Listen and Learn… What is an RFI? What is a DRFP? What is an RFP?

In this special Encore episode, Kevin and Paul describe RFIs (Request for Information), DRFPs (Draft Request for Proposals) and RFPs (Request for Proposals) and explain why and when they are used.

The Skyway Connection© Community was created specifically to help small companies expand their knowledge and capabilities, and to increase their competitive position in Federal Government acquisitions. - Learn more at: https://skywayacquisition.com/connect

Membership benefits include:

Access to Skyway Insight© Webinars

Unlimited access to The RFP Score™

Access to Ask a Contracting Officer Forum™

Priority Access to Skyway Team for Skyway Insight, capture, proposal support

Listen and Learn… How does the Government Source Selection Process work? Ever wonder what happens after proposals are submitted? How does the Government go about selecting a winner?

Kevin and Paul discuss the FAR Part 15 source selection process from receipt of proposals through evaluation, competitive range determination, to proposal revisions and finally contract award. Learn why it “takes so long” for the Government to pick a winner and why Industry needs to understand process in order to better forecast revenue.

The Skyway Connection© Community was created specifically to help small companies expand their knowledge and capabilities, and to increase their competitive position in federal government acquisitions. - Learn more at: https://skywayacquisition.com/connect

Membership benefits include:

Access to Skyway Insight© Webinars

Unlimited access to The RFP Score™

Access to Ask a Contracting Officer Forum™

Priority Access to Skyway Team for Skyway Insight, capture, proposal support