Contracting Officer Podcast 2.0 (samples)

Latest Episodes:

253 - Storm Surge Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Kevin and Paul torture yet another metaphor, this time using storm surge to discuss the wave upon wave of contracting activities that tend to stack up at the end of the government fiscal year.

Learn why the surge can happen and strategies for both industry and government professionals to deal with it.

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If you enjoy our podcast, we invite you to check out the Skyway Community at skywaymember.com. The Skyway Community is the essential resource for anyone at any stage of starting, growing and running a business with government contracts. We speak GovCon.

Whether you’re brand new to GovCon, just got your first contract, or you are already a successful government contractor becoming a Skyway Community member will guide you to the next level.

With our extensive course library, monthly training, exclusive member discounts, access to tools and supportive and active peers to help you along the way, the Skyway Community is the perfect place for anyone looking to thrive as a government contractor.

Give us a call at 877-884-5280 or check us out at skywaymember.com.

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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.

252 - The Three Rs of Knowledge-Based Services Acquisition with Dan Finkenstadt Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Paul welcomes USAF Major Dan Finkenstadt to the podcast to discuss knowledge-based services. (KBS) Dan has had a long career in the acquisition world and is currently at UNC Chapel Hill working on his PhD. His research is focused on measuring perceptions of quality and value in knowledge-based services in an effort to improve how the government buys and monitors those services.

Learn about the challenges involved in acquiring KBS and how focusing on the three Rs (Recruiting, Retention, and Replacement) is a promising way to improve acquisition and execution outcomes.

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Whether you’re brand new to GovCon, just got your first contract, or you are already a successful government contractor becoming a Skyway Community member will guide you to the next level.

Give us a call at 877-884-5280 or check us out at skywaymember.com.

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251- How Do I Find The Decision Maker? Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

The question was "How do I get to the decision maker?". Before we can answer that one we have to ask (and answer) a few other questions.

Kevin and Paul discuss the questions that have to be covered before "getting to the decision maker": what decisions have to be made? when are they made? who can influence the decision?

Learn how to shape decisions in your favor and why open communication about decision making can ease the acquisition process.

Stay tuned: we're going to be changing the name of the podcast in the near future to better link the podcast topics to the members only content in the Skyway community. The style, tone, and content will be the same. We'll just have a fancy new name.

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Whether you’re brand new to GovCon, just got your first contract, or you are already a successful government contractor becoming a Skyway Community member will guide you to the next level.

Check it out at skywaymember.com.

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248 - Fall Out Money Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Kevin and Paul respond to a Skyway Community member's question about fall out money. What is "end of year money" or "fall out money"? Why does it happen? How do I get it? Listen and learn the answers to these questions and more.

Also a quick head's up: we're going to be changing the name of the podcast in the near future to better reflect our topics and audience. Stay tuned!

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If you’ve enjoyed today’s episode the Contracting Officer Podcast, we invite you to check out the Skyway Community at skywaymember.com. The Skyway Community is the essential resource for anyone at any stage of starting, growing and running your government contracting business. So whether you are just getting your first subcontract, or you are a successful government contractor, being a Skyway Community member will help you get to the next level.

With our extensive course library, weekly and monthly training, exclusive member only discounts, access and tools, and a supportive and active Community to help you along the way with feedback, encouragement and advice, the Skyway Community is the perfect place for anyone looking to grow as a successful government contractor. So check it out at skywaymember.com.

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250 - FAR Part 12 - Time & Materials Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Back in the "good old days" of acquisition reform, 20 plus years ago, FAR Part 12 was born with the intent of making it easier to buy commercial products. Kevin and Paul discuss a helpful addition to FAR Part 12 that now allows the use of the Time and Materials contract type.

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249 - What is Price to Win? with Michael McNulty Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Price to win? Why would anyone price to lose?

Paul discusses the purpose of and methodology behind Price-to-Win (PTW) with Michael McNulty of McNulty & Associates. mcnultyinc.com Learn how PTW is accomplished, what information it provides to decision-makers, and how it can benefit any competitive bid.

McNulty & Associates is veteran-owned small business founded in 2003. They provide custom PTW analysis and related competitive research services to leading government and defense firms, including 9 of the top 10 on Washington Technology’s Top 100 ranking and 15 of the top 20!

Also a quick head's up: we're going to be changing the name of the podcast in the near future to better reflect our topics and audience. Stay tuned!

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241 - Happy Ears Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Kevin and Paul discuss the phenomenon of "happy ears". (otherwise known to the world as confirmation bias)

Learn how our tendency to believe information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore or rationalize information that conflicts with our thoughts impacts our lives and government acquisition, of course.

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This episode is brought to you by bidprotestinsurance.com. Protect your company from the financial risks created by a bid protest with bid protest insurance.

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238 - Negotiation Clearance Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Prior to negotiations it is common for both Government and industry contracts folks to get "clearance" to negotiate a deal within a range of possible outcomes.

Kevin and Paul discuss the FAR's requirement for documentation of prenegotiation objectives and how they are prepared. Learn why this process can improve negotiation results and how it can all go wrong.

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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 Skyway’s team of former COs, including the ability to get the perspective of the entire team in the “Ask A Contracting Officer” Forum, get specialized training from on-demand webinars and articles, targeting support through the RFP Score™ assessment tool, as well as custom consulting from Skyway’s team of former COs who help solve your unique puzzles. To learn more, visit askskyway.com or call 877-884-5280.

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237 - Accounting by CLIN Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Kevin and Paul return to CLINs to dig deeper into the Contracting Officer's responsibilities regarding CLIN structure. Learn how "CLIN proliferation" impacts the acquisition and execution process and when new CLINs should be created.

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This episode is brought to you by bidprotestinsurance.com. Protect your company from the financial risks created by a bid protest with bid protest insurance.

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236 - What is a Wrap Rate? Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)

Kevin and Paul provide a simplified overview of wrap rates including what cost components make up a labor billing rate and a walk-through of a sample calculation. Learn why some cost components are able to be managed and how others are not negotiable.

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