Solicitation | The Contracting Education Academy

March 2, 2018 By AMK

George Carlin and the effects on solicitations, contracts

I read an article by Matthew Berry, ESPN senior writer on ESPN.com on Love, Hate and seven dirty words.

I did not know he worked in Hollywood, where his first job was working as George Carlin’s [the famous comedian] assistant. I remember hearing the, “Seven words you can never say on television,” skit. Most of those words I had heard on the playground, but couldn’t admit to my parents.

Berry stated in the article that Carlin told him: “Words are just words, he would argue, it’s the context of those words that’s the key. The motivation and intent behind what someone was saying was the key. The idea that one word was bad while another was safe was insane to him.”

So how does this apply to solicitations and contracts?

How the government states requirements, proposal preparation instructions, and evaluation criteria matter. What most solicitations and contracts lack is context.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsradio.com/commentary/2018/02/george-carlin-and-the-effects-on-solicitations-contracts/

February 16, 2018 By AMK

Are RFIs a waste of time and money?

All too often I hear stories of how federal agencies issue requests for information simply as fishing expeditions with no real intent on following up with a formal solicitation.

I believe RFIs are a critical tool in helping agencies conduct market research, identify interested companies and eventually narrow the pool of potential bidders, but if the RFI doesn’t turn into a contract opportunity, is government living up to its end of the bargain? The same might be said for BPAs, IDIQs and other contract vehicles that are “awarded” but not used to their full potential post-award.

I’d be the first one to tell you government should interact more with business to better understand innovative service offerings or emerging technologies. RFIs are one tool to do that, but when an RFI is released and companies scramble to respond, they expect a contract opportunity at the end of the process.

Keep reading this article at: https://fcw.com/articles/2018/01/25/comment-value-rfis.aspx

October 13, 2015 By AMK

$460 million Cybercom contract coming this month

Cyber Command contract to outsource all mission support involves, among other activities, a lot of digital munitions-making.

An 84-page draft task order released Sept. 30 runs the gamut of hacking and counterhacking work, plus traditional IT support activities.

The proposed solicitation was accompanied by a 114-page draft of the full 5-year contract. In May, CYBERCOM officials cancelled a similar $475 million project announced earlier that month. At the time, officials explained a reorganized request for bids with more details would be out in the fall.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2015/10/460-million-cybercom-contract-coming-month-cyber-joint-munitions-help-wanted/122526

July 31, 2015 By AMK

Say goodbye to 100 page RFPs – 18F found another way

The sprint is over and companies that competed for a slot on 18F’s Agile BPA are lauding what they hope will become a new standard for federal procurement.

In looking for companies to provide agile development services, the innovative arm of the General Services Administration opted for a ‘show, don’t tell’ approach to the solicitation process. Rather than ask companies for reams of paper promising agile capabilities, 18F set up a proving ground: a two-week test sprint where the only real measurement of success was a working product.

“I certainly hope that this is a new way to do [procurements] going forward,” said Joe Truppo, senior manager at Octo Consulting. “Instead of us delivering 40 pages saying what we could do, we actually got a chance to show them what we could do.”

Keep reading this article at: http://www.federaltimes.com/story/government/acquisition/2015/07/27/18f-show-dont-tell/30737575/

July 24, 2015 By AMK

GSA pushes for new and improved acquisition tools

Chris Hamm, the director of the General Services Administration’s Federal System Integration and Management Center, said government contracting costs too much and takes too much time.

“The process is incredibly costly to you and it’s incredibly costly to the government,” Hamm said at a recent contracting conference. “I think the entire system is broken.”

That is why GSA is pushing to use new tools, techniques and processes to make the solicitation and contracting processes easier, faster and cheaper — and contractors should be watching closely.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.federaltimes.com/story/government/acquisition/2015/07/17/gsa-pushes-new-improved-acquisition-tools/30079605/

I read an article by Matthew Berry, ESPN senior writer on ESPN.com on Love, Hate and seven dirty words.

All too often I hear stories of how federal agencies issue requests for information simply as fishing expeditions with no real intent on following up with a formal solicitation.

Cyber Command contract to outsource all mission support involves, among other activities, a lot of digital munitions-making.

The sprint is over and companies that competed for a slot on 18F’s Agile BPA are lauding what they hope will become a new standard for federal procurement.

Chris Hamm, the director of the General Services Administration’s Federal System Integration and Management Center, said government contracting costs too much and takes too much time.

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