FPS Podcasts

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The Davis Bacon Act - (DBA) has been an act since the 1930s and covers prevailing wages for federal construction contracts.  The DBA as gone through a number of updates over the years including a large overhaul in the 1980's.  Now, the Biden Administration through a a few executive orders,  and the Department of Labor has proposed new rules that, if enacted may impact not only federal construction but private construction wages.  

Seyfarth Shaw attorneys Scott Hecker and Ted North discuss the proposed rules and its potential impact to workers, construction owners, subcontractors and prime contractors. 

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This is FPS Episode #36.  It is an update to Episode #35 where we talked with colleagues of Barnes & Thornburg on Russian Sanctions.  Things move fast and more sanctions were imposed on Russian imports from and exports to Russia.  This episode covers the latest and recaps the early March 2022 sanctions and changes.   

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In FPS Podcast #35 - We are joined by Barnes &  Thornburg's International Trade Group colleagues Nicholas Galbraith, Adetayo Osuntogun, and Luis Arandia to discuss the most recent Russian Sanctions on trade and financial transactions which went into effect on March 1, 2022.  This is one of a few planned podcasts FPS will present regarding Sanctions in the coming months.  

In this Podcast, the team covers information on:

• The SDN List - Specially Designated Nationals 
• Export Control Rule Changes - In categories 3-9  of the Commerce Control List
• US focus on military end use/users - all items for Russia are subject to the EAR
• Purely Foreign Made Products with direct US tech or software  
• Sanctions of certain persons and entities including NORDSTREAM2 and its CEO

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This is FPS Podcast #34 with the McKelvey Group.
Companies spend an incredible amount of time making their Technical, Past Performance, and Price Narrative volumes look professional before submission. But they rarely do the same with the Excel Pricing Model, and evaluators notice this. The McKelvey Group’s Marc Hamann and Vinny D’Amore explain why taking the extra effort in making your Excel Pricing Models matters, and suggestions on how to approach it.  Pricers of all levels will find value in this unique topic.

In this podcast episode listeners will:

* Learn best practices to achieve consistent formatting on the screen

* Know how to create the same look and feel as the other volumes

* Receive tips on how to print cleanly for the evaluators

* Understand the value of producing a more professional-looking product

For information about The McKelvey Group, please visit our website at https://www.themckelveygroup.com

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FPS Podcast #33, Avoiding Fraud in Federal Contract Claims, I talk with Seyfarth Shaw's Teddie Arnold and Stephanie Magnell.  As a contractor, you have the right to file for a claim for a number of reasons.  However, you may want to make sure you are on solid ground to file the claim against the government or you could be looking at a number of actions the federal government could take against your organization as explained in this podcast.   

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I episode #32 - I talk with Deb Nixon of Crosshair Advisors and we examine cost accounting practices for government contractors.  

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In FPS Episode #31, I talk with Deb Nixon regarding the concept of full absorption accounting with some practical understanding of the practice compared to what we may consider as general accounting practices.    

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In FPS ' Episode #29, Deborah Nixon of Crosshair Advisors discusses the differences between a Price-Based Contract (PBA) and a Cost-Based Contract (CBA) within US Federal Contracting.  Both offer advantages and disadvantages for prospective contractors. When you enter into a contract with the government, read the contract and determine your contractual requirements. 

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In this episode, we talk with Dan Ramish of the law firm Smith Pachter McWhorter on REAs and Claims.  Dan gives us a description of both an REA and a Claim and defines the two with examples and challenges through out federal contracting history.  

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in Episode #27, we talk with The McKelvey Group's Marc Hamman about pricing of proposals.  He gives us a number of things to think about when pricing a proposal and how primes and subs should prepare and present their pricing proposals.