Contracting Officer Podcast 2.0 (samples)

Latest Episodes:

140 Sources Sought Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)What is a Sources Sought Synopsis? What about a Sources Sought Notice? Same thing? What is one of these things used for? Who uses this tool? When?Kevin and Paul discuss one of the market research techniques used by the Government to identify sources (meaning, vendors) who can satisfy Government requirements for a particular need. __________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.

130 Contract Closeout Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Today we welcome back special guest Shelley Hall to discuss contract closeout.Paul and Shelley provide an overview of what happens between when a contract ends and when it is officially closed out. Learn why it is important for both sides to diligently keep records during contract performance to ease the closeout 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.

141 Small Business Goals 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 Small Business Goals. Learn where the goals come from, what happens when the goals aren’t met, and how both Government and Industry can use small business goals to target and make Government acquisition easier, 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.

137 What is an ECP? Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Sometimes a contract needs to be modified after award. Some changes are administrative. Other changes may impact cost, schedule, or the requirements. In the Government acquisition world, this kind of change is usually called an Engineering Change Proposal.(ECP)Learn why ECPs aren’t usually easy or fast and how the relationship between the Government and Industry players can impact the negotiation of an ECP. _________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.

124 Past Performance is a Bridge Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Past performance is the bridge to the next contract, whether it is winning new work or just keeping the work you have.Learn when past performance matters to both Government and Industry (hint: the entire time) and why it is important for both sides to understand the definitions of “recent” and “relevant” as they relate to your acquisition or proposal. __________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.

122 Program Manager Perspective with Dave Bartlow 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. With this in mind, we’re adding a bit of the program manager’s perspective to the podcast. Listen in on Paul’s conversation with special guest Dave Bartlow, a former Navy officer who now works as a project manager on the Industry side. Dave shares his experience managing subcontractors and project schedules. It’s no surprise that the discussion returns to one of our common themes: communication. (between Government and Industry as well as within a program) 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.———— If you need help with the Government market, become a Skyway Connection Community licensee and get access to one-on-one insights, time-saving tools, and contract-centric training resources that will make sure you’re ready to take advantage of opportunities each time they knock.The Skyway Connection© Community was created specifically to help companies expand their knowledge and capabilities, and to increase their competitive position in federal government acquisitions. - Learn more at: https://skywaymember.comMembership benefits include: Access to Skyway Insight© Webinars Unlimited access to The RFP Score™ Access to Ask a Contracting Officer Forum™ Priority Access to Skyway Team for Skyway Insight, capture, proposal support __________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.

120 Contract Modifications Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)It is likely that your contract will require some kind of modification over its period of performance. (unless it is for a simple commodity purchase) Modifications may have a large impact (to the specification, schedule, statement of work, etc.) or may make minor administrative changes with no impact to the work. Kevin and Paul discuss FAR Part 43 and provide an overview of the process and rules for modifying Government contracts. Learn the different types of modifications, who can authorize changes to the contract, and why Government and Industry negotiation “power” changes after contract award. __________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.

119 Transitioning from Sub to Prime (with special guests from Greytek) Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)Kevin discusses the challenges that small businesses face as they strive to win their first prime contract with Jim Duffey and Ted Atsinger from Greytek. Grektek is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) that specializes in organizational risk, security education & training, and intelligence services.Learn some of the differences between commercial and Government customers from a small business perspective. The conversation with Greytek also reveals pitfalls that first time primes may deal with in targeting new work that fits their skills and weight class and in preparing proposals for Government competitions. __________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.

117 The Recompete Zone Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)The Recompete Zone is here! Are you ready to compete just to keep doing the work you’re already doing? A unique feature of the Government Acquisition world is the requirement to fairly compete new contracts, even if the requirement is unchanged from a current effort and the Government is entirely satisfied with the current contractor’s performance.Kevin and Paul introduced the Execution Zones in Episode 84. The Execution Zones are a helpful way to envision where and how certain topics fit into the Government contracting world. The Execution Zones are the post-award companions to the Acquisition Time Zones and are referenced in many episodes. In chronological order, they are:1) The Honeymoon Zone2) The Performance Zone3) The Recompete Zone4) The Wrap-up ZoneThe Performance Zone and the Recompete Zone don’t have a clear line between them. In most cases they occur simultaneously for at least some period. Learn why both Government and Industry can be dual-hatted during the Recompete Zone and how this zone parallels the Acquisition Time Zones. __________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.

116 Subcontract Management w/Christi Gilbert Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!) Welcome back special guest Christi Gilbert!Kevin and Christi discuss subcontract management, specifically relating to service contracts. Learn why Industry’s subcontract managers are similar to Government Contracting Officers. You’ll also gain an understanding of how incremental funding and the Limitation of Funds clause (FAR 52.232-22) impact subcontract administration and why this drives costs for Industry. (which ultimately costs the Government, and you as a taxpayer)———— If you need help with the Government market, become a Skyway Connection Community licensee and get access to one-on-one insights, time-saving tools, and contract-centric training resources that will make sure you’re ready to take advantage of opportunities each time they knock.The Skyway Connection© Community was created specifically to help companies expand their knowledge and capabilities, and to increase their competitive position in federal government acquisitions. - Learn more at: https://skywaymember.comMembership benefits include: Access to Skyway Insight© Webinars Unlimited access to The RFP Score™ Access to Ask a Contracting Officer Forum™ Priority Access to Skyway Team for Skyway Insight, capture, proposal support __________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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