FPS Podcasts

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In episode 47, I talk with Eugene Pickarz, a retired contracting officer and instructor for FPS about his new course on Statements of Work.  Listen as he explains the development of the SOW, the parties involved and the importance for both the contractor and the federal procurement professional.   

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In Episode #46, I talk with John Hindman of RSM as we discuss EPA's - known as Economic Price Adjustments (EPAs).   

Recently, this has surfaced has a hot topic in the federal government contracting community as inflationary pressure has increased prices for energy and supplies creating situations where costs of finished goods have skyrocketed.  

The government is keenly aware of the challenges to contractors in controlling prices while still delivering under the contract terms. Some contracts have had a EPA clause in the contract while others have not.  

John discusses the key elements of EPAs including the difference between EPA and an Equitable Price Adjustment.   

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In Episode #45, we speak with Nathan Castellano from Jenner & Block about a very important topic to contractors who enter into agreements with the Federal Government.   In May 2022 issue of "Briefing Papers" Published by Thomson Reuters, Nathan discusses in length Exemption 4 where in 2019 the Supreme Court decided a case in Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media on that topic.   

In FPS Podcast Episode #45, Nathan walks listeners through the importance of Exemption 4 and what contractors should do to protect against the release of commercial confidential information .  

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In Episode #44 - We talk with Mike LaCorte of HKA about records retention.   The FAR has specific requirements for contractors on how long contractors need to keep records related to the contract.  Similar to publicly traded companies who have guidelines to follow for the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Government sets guidelines for contract retention.   However, contracts may specify retention requirements based on the type of contract and length of the contract.   Mike offers some advice on the best approach to this matter. 

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In early May at our FPS La Jolla Weeklong, we had a chance to catch up with Eric Crusius of Holland & Knight to discuss CMMC 2.0.  With the new federal fiscal year just around the corner, the CMMC requirements are coming into focus.  If you are a DOD contractor - large or small, you at least have to be certified at Level 1.  But what does all that mean?   Eric explains what "Level 1" certification is as well as "Level 2" and beyond.  

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This is Episode #42 .  During our La Jolla Government Contracts Week, I sat down with Anthony Kim and Jackie Spalding of Capital Edge Consulting to talk about the importance of a compliant accounting system for government contractors.  

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In this Episode, I talk with Dan Rusert of JAMIS during the FPS La Jolla week May 2-6th.  JAMIS Is a long time sponsor of our programs and has a wealth of knowledge related to business systems. They are a leading provider of business systems software in the GovCon space!   

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In Episode #40, I discuss the current employment landscape in the federal contracting industry with consultant Eric Norvell.  Eric has been helping federal contractors find qualified mid and upper level professionals for over two decades.  The demand for candidates was hot before COVID and now there is even a greater need in our industry.  As we saw with the 'great resignation' a lot of employees took advantage to shop around their skills and to demand more flexibility for their work/life balance.  Whether you are a hiring manager or a mid-level professional looking for a better opportunity, listen to what Eric has to say about the current employment landscape.

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In Episode #39, I speak with Jason Miller, Executive Editor for Federal News Network.  He has been tracking the POLARIS Contract.  POLARIS is a small business GWAC contract which is being released in 'pools' over the coming months.  However, there already is some controversy and a bid protest with one of the 'pools' related to past performance requirements.  Jason explains the issue and gives insight into what is happening.  

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In construction, cost escalation is not an uncommon thing as the price of raw building materials fluctuate often.  More recently, prices have been increasingly volatile since the start of the pandemic due to swings in supply and demand as well as political posturing.    In this episode, James Newland of Seyfarth Shaw's construction practice discusses cost escalation and the remedies during and after negotiations have commenced.