Contracting Officer Podcast 2.0 (samples)

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Kevin discusses real world application of the Acquisition Time Zones with Myran Hunter.  Myran is a capture manager at Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.

The Acquisition Time Zones are a foundational concept of the Contracting Officer Podcast.  Each zone aligns to a phase of the government acquisition process. Listen and learn how Myran applies the Acquisition Time Zones to win new business through improved communications within his team.  (as well as many other benefits)

The Acquisition Time Zones are, in chronological order:

The Requirements Zone (Episode 012)

The Market Research Zone (Episode 013)

The Request for Proposal (or “RFP”) Zone (Episode 014)

The Source Selection Zone (Episode 015)

If you'd like to contact Myran directly, send a note to [email protected].

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This episode is brought to you by Skyway Acquisition.  To get help with the Government market, become a Skyway Community member. The Skyway Community ensures you are better positioned to take advantage of opportunities and better equipped to manage the challenges of government contracts.  Members have access to one-on-one insights, time-saving tools, and training resources from Skyway’s team of former COs, including the ability to get the perspective of the entire team in the “Ask A Contracting Officer” Forum, get specialized training from on-demand webinars and articles, targeting support through the RFP Score™ assessment tool, as well as custom consulting from Skyway’s team of former COs who help solve your unique puzzles. To learn more, visit askskyway.com or call 877-884-5280. 

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Kevin Jans and Paul Schauer created the Contracting Officer Podcast to help Government and Industry acquisition professionals understand more about how the other side thinks.  Admittedly, the podcast’s name sounds very limiting.  It is not just for contracting officers or even just for those in the contracting profession.  Anyone with an interest in the Federal acquisition world can benefit from the insight and down-to-earth explanations of complicated topics provided by the hosts. 

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Kevin and Paul discuss the phenomenon of "happy ears".  (otherwise known to the world as confirmation bias)  

Learn how our tendency to believe information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore or rationalize information that conflicts with our thoughts impacts our lives and government acquisition, of course.   

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This episode is brought to you by bidprotestinsurance.com.  Protect your company from the financial risks created by a bid protest with bid protest insurance. 

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Kevin Jans and Paul Schauer created the Contracting Officer Podcast to help Government and Industry acquisition professionals understand more about how the other side thinks.  Admittedly, the podcast’s name sounds very limiting.  It is not just for contracting officers or even just for those in the contracting profession.  Anyone with an interest in the Federal acquisition world can benefit from the insight and down-to-earth explanations of complicated topics provided by the hosts.   

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Kevin and Paul discuss the FAR's preference for telecommuting.  (or working remotely in more modern lingo)

Learn why the Government must be clear when documenting requirements for performance at a specific site and how industry can use remote (or onsite) workers to build a competitive advantage.    

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This episode is brought to you by Skyway Acquisition.  To get help with the Government market, become a Skyway Community member. The Skyway Community ensures you are better positioned to take advantage of opportunities and better equipped to manage the challenges of government contracts.  Members have access to one-on-one insights, time-saving tools, and training resources from Skyway’s team of former COs, including the ability to get the perspective of the entire team in the “Ask A Contracting Officer” Forum, get specialized training from on-demand webinars and articles, targeting support through the RFP Score™ assessment tool, as well as custom consulting from Skyway’s team of former COs who help solve your unique puzzles. To learn more, visit askskyway.com or call 877-884-5280. 

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Kevin Jans and Paul Schauer created the Contracting Officer Podcast to help Government and Industry acquisition professionals understand more about how the other side thinks.  Admittedly, the podcast’s name sounds very limiting.  It is not just for contracting officers or even just for those in the contracting profession.  Anyone with an interest in the Federal acquisition world can benefit from the insight and down-to-earth explanations of complicated topics provided by the hosts.

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Prior to negotiations it is common for both Government and industry contracts folks to get "clearance"  to negotiate a deal within a range of possible outcomes.

Kevin and Paul discuss the FAR's requirement for documentation of prenegotiation objectives and how they are prepared.  Learn why this process can improve negotiation results and how it can all go wrong.   

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This episode is brought to you by Skyway Acquisition.  To get help with the Government market, become a Skyway Community member. The Skyway Community ensures you are better positioned to take advantage of opportunities and better equipped to manage the challenges of government contracts.  Members have access to one-on-one insights, time-saving tools, and training resources from Skyway’s team of former COs, including the ability to get the perspective of the entire team in the “Ask A Contracting Officer” Forum, get specialized training from on-demand webinars and articles, targeting support through the RFP Score™ assessment tool, as well as custom consulting from Skyway’s team of former COs who help solve your unique puzzles. To learn more, visit askskyway.com or call 877-884-5280. 

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Kevin Jans and Paul Schauer created the Contracting Officer Podcast to help Government and Industry acquisition professionals understand more about how the other side thinks.  Admittedly, the podcast’s name sounds very limiting.  It is not just for contracting officers or even just for those in the contracting profession.  Anyone with an interest in the Federal acquisition world can benefit from the insight and down-to-earth explanations of complicated topics provided by the hosts

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Kevin and Paul return to CLINs to dig deeper into the Contracting Officer's responsibilities regarding CLIN structure.  Learn how "CLIN proliferation" impacts the acquisition and execution process and when new CLINs should be created.   

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This episode is brought to you by bidprotestinsurance.com.  Protect your company from the financial risks created by a bid protest with bid protest insurance. 

___________

Kevin Jans and Paul Schauer created the Contracting Officer Podcast to help Government and Industry acquisition professionals understand more about how the other side thinks.  Admittedly, the podcast’s name sounds very limiting.  It is not just for contracting officers or even just for those in the contracting profession.  Anyone with an interest in the Federal acquisition world can benefit from the insight and down-to-earth explanations of complicated topics provided by the hosts.   

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Kevin and Paul provide a simplified overview of wrap rates including what cost components make up a labor billing rate and a walk-through of a sample calculation.  Learn why some cost components are able to be managed and how others are not negotiable.  

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This episode is brought to you by Skyway Acquisition.  To get help with the Government market, become a Skyway Community member. The Skyway Community ensures you are better positioned to take advantage of opportunities and better equipped to manage the challenges of government contracts.  Members have access to one-on-one insights, time-saving tools, and training resources from Skyway’s team of former COs, including the ability to get the perspective of the entire team in the “Ask A Contracting Officer” Forum, get specialized training from on-demand webinars and articles, targeting support through the RFP Score™ assessment tool, as well as custom consulting from Skyway’s team of former COs who help solve your unique puzzles. To learn more, visit askskyway.com or call 877-884-5280. 

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Kevin Jans and Paul Schauer created the Contracting Officer Podcast to help Government and Industry acquisition professionals understand more about how the other side thinks.  Admittedly, the podcast’s name sounds very limiting.  It is not just for contracting officers or even just for those in the contracting profession.  Anyone with an interest in the Federal acquisition world can benefit from the insight and down-to-earth explanations of complicated topics provided by the hosts.  

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Government requests for proposals (RFPs) contain many explicit requirements.  They also include many "buried" requirements that, if not followed, result in non-compliance with the RFP instructions and potentially end a proposal's chance for award.   

Kevin and Paul discuss proposal compliance and why losing on a "technicality" is still losing.  Learn why 100% compliance is mandatory and why the Government may or may not kick a proposal out of the running for award based on minor compliance issues.

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This episode is brought to you by Skyway Acquisition.  To get help with the Government market, become a Skyway Community member. The Skyway Community ensures you are better positioned to take advantage of opportunities and better equipped to manage the challenges of government contracts.  Members have access to one-on-one insights, time-saving tools, and training resources from Skyway’s team of former COs, including the ability to get the perspective of the entire team in the “Ask A Contracting Officer” Forum, get specialized training from on-demand webinars and articles, targeting support through the RFP Score™ assessment tool, as well as custom consulting from Skyway’s team of former COs who help solve your unique puzzles. To learn more, visit askskyway.com or call 877-884-5280. 

___________

Kevin Jans and Paul Schauer created the Contracting Officer Podcast to help Government and Industry acquisition professionals understand more about how the other side thinks.  Admittedly, the podcast’s name sounds very limiting.  It is not just for contracting officers or even just for those in the contracting profession.  Anyone with an interest in the Federal acquisition world can benefit from the insight and down-to-earth explanations of complicated topics provided by the hosts

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Kevin and Paul discuss the common question "when should I contact the Contracting Officer during the acquisition process?".  Learn the most effective times for different parties from both government and industry to get to know each other and why untargeted communications can be counterproductive.  

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This episode is brought to you by Skyway Acquisition.  To get help with the Government market, become a Skyway Community member. The Skyway Community ensures you are better positioned to take advantage of opportunities and better equipped to manage the challenges of government contracts.  Members have access to one-on-one insights, time-saving tools, and training resources from Skyway’s team of former COs, including the ability to get the perspective of the entire team in the “Ask A Contracting Officer” Forum, get specialized training from on-demand webinars and articles, targeting support through the RFP Score™ assessment tool, as well as custom consulting from Skyway’s team of former COs who help solve your unique puzzles. To learn more, visit askskyway.com or call 877-884-5280. 

___________

Kevin Jans and Paul Schauer created the Contracting Officer Podcast to help Government and Industry acquisition professionals understand more about how the other side thinks.  Admittedly, the podcast’s name sounds very limiting.  It is not just for contracting officers or even just for those in the contracting profession.  Anyone with an interest in the Federal acquisition world can benefit from the insight and down-to-earth explanations of complicated topics provided by the hosts.

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Possibly the most common question posed to the podcast:  Why do RFPs take so long?

Kevin and Paul build on earlier episodes on this topic and provide simple communication tips to improve acquisition outcomes for both Government and Industry.

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This episode is brought to you by Skyway Acquisition.  To get help with the Government market, become a Skyway Community member. The Skyway Community ensures you are better positioned to take advantage of opportunities and better equipped to manage the challenges of government contracts.  Members have access to one-on-one insights, time-saving tools, and training resources from Skyway’s team of former COs, including the ability to get the perspective of the entire team in the “Ask A Contracting Officer” Forum, get specialized training from on-demand webinars and articles, targeting support through the RFP Score™ assessment tool, as well as custom consulting from Skyway’s team of former COs who help solve your unique puzzles. To learn more, visit askskyway.com. 

___________

Kevin Jans and Paul Schauer created the Contracting Officer Podcast to help Government and Industry acquisition professionals understand more about how the other side thinks.  Admittedly, the podcast’s name sounds very limiting.  It is not just for contracting officers or even just for those in the contracting profession.  Anyone with an interest in the Federal acquisition world can benefit from the insight and down-to-earth explanations of complicated topics provided by the hosts. 

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!) 

Kevin talks proposal automation with Skyway team member (and proposal professional) Wendy Frieman.  

Learn why automation tools have become an essential part of the proposal development (and RFP development) process and which functions they can make easier for both Government and Industry.  

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This episode is brought to you by bidprotestinsurance.com.  Protect your company from the financial risks created by a bid protest with bid protest insurance. 

__________

Kevin Jans and Paul Schauer created the Contracting Officer Podcast to help Government and Industry acquisition professionals understand more about how the other side thinks.  Admittedly, the podcast’s name sounds very limiting.  It is not just for contracting officers or even just for those in the contracting profession.  Anyone with an interest in the Federal acquisition world can benefit from the insight and down-to-earth explanations of complicated topics provided by the hosts.