Contracting Officer Podcast 2.0 (samples)

Latest Episodes:

148 Proposal Color Teams Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!) We’ve covered the Government’s acquisition process in many different episodes. Today Kevin and Paul discuss Industry’s proposal writing process and focus on the control gates that are often called “Color Teams”. Learn why reviews are critical to meeting the proposal schedule and why it is important for small companies to understand the process. _____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 our team of former COs, including the ability to get the perspective of our whole team in Ask A Contracting Officer Forum, get specialized training from our on-demand webinars and articles, targeting support through our RFP Score™ assessment tool, as well as our consulting from our team of former COs who help solve your unique puzzles. Personal memberships start at $50 with no contract. To learn more, visit skywaymember.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.

149 The Changes Clause Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)This episode is brought to you by Deltek. https://www.deltek.com/en/products/business-development/govwinFew contracts are executed without changes. (longer term or complex contracts anyway…) Government contracts generally contain a clause or clauses that allow the Government to make changes to some aspect of the contract terms. Learn what can be changed and why Industry has a responsibility to notify the Government of formal or even perceived changes. __________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.

146 What is Scope Creep? Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!) One of the best shortcuts to learn and grow is to get perspective from people with different experiences than your own. We’re happy to welcome David Bartlow back to the podcast to give us the program manager’s perspective. Dave has 15 years of Government contracting experience with the Department of the Navy and multiple large and small government contractors. Throughout his career David has taken on the most challenging projects and has developed an expertise in applying programmatic discipline to unstructured initiatives or distressed programs. Paul and Dave discuss the ever present risk that both Government and Industry program managers face during project execution: scope creep. The contract requirements were written with best intentions, but it seems inevitable that more (or slightly different) work is desired than planned. Learn how to recognize scope creep and why it is hard for Industry to “just say no” to Government requests. We hope you enjoy the Program Manager’s perspective, joining the proposal manager’s and contract administrator’s perspectives on the podcast in the quest to help make Government contracts better, one contract at a time.__________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.

147 The Kickoff Meeting Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)This episode is brought to you by Deltek. https://www.deltek.com/en/products/business-development/govwinThe first event after contract award is usually the contract kickoff meeting. Learn how this important meeting sets the tone for the entire contract period of performance and why both Government and Industry teams should use the kickoff to gain context. __________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.

145 Why is Teaming Critical? Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)This episode is brought to you by Deltek. https://www.deltek.com/en/products/business-development/govwinKevin and Paul discuss the importance of teaming decisions and how these decisions can impact winning and executing Government contracts. Learn how the Government can drive and should care about Industry teaming decisions and why Industry needs to treat teaming as a critical part of the bid strategy and contract performance process. __________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.

144 Cost Vs. Price Analysis Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)How does the Government determine that a price is fair and reasonable? Analysis!Kevin and Paul discuss the differences between price analysis and cost analysis (FAR 15.404-1) and why it is important to understand the requirements of each. Learn how the Government can leverage the power of competition and how Industry can help the Government streamline the price/cost analysis process.__________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.

143 GovCon Axioms Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)This episode is brought to you by Deltek. https://www.deltek.com/en/products/business-development/govwinThe Government market is constantly evolving. But some things never change. Kevin and Paul discuss what won’t change. Learn why both Government and Industry should be prepared to deal with these axioms. __________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.

142 ENCORE - Proposal Schedules Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)This is an encore presentation of a very early episode. How much time does Industry need to prepare and submit a proposal? How much is not enough? How much is too much? What is Industry doing with that time? Failure to communicate can cause Industry to struggle to submit a compliant proposal on time, often leaving the Government with fewer high quality proposals to consider. Kevin and Paul tackle both sides of the proposal response time question and offer guidance on how to find a balance between the extremes of too little and too much time.__________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.

127 Lucky vs. Good Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)In a bit of a departure from the normal CO Podcast topics, we get a little “philosophical”. Well…not really. After a spirited “discussion” about how the ebb and flow of the economy in general impacts Government contractors we boiled it down to a basic principle: Lucky vs. Good.Kevin and Paul discuss the differences between lucky and good in the Government acquisition world and why both Government and Industry should recognize the impact of external forces on the competitive landscape. _________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.

126 The 80/20 Rule Revisited Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Episode 2 introduced our take on the 80/20 rule. The 80/20 Rule (of thumb) plays on Pareto’s Law by comparing the relative importance of relationships and processes in the Government market to their importance in commercial industry. We described how in many instances, winning Government business has more to do with process and following the rules than relationships between buyers and sellers.Kevin and Paul revisit the 80/20 rule to add context about how the importance of relationships is directly related to the size and complexity of the acquisition at hand. For the largest Government acquisitions, relationships are every bit as important as they are in the commercial world. __________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.

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