Contracting Officer Podcast 2.0 (samples)

Latest Episodes:

245 - The 6 Month Rule Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

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

We're all busy. That doesn't mean we're all productive.

Kevin and Paul discuss a strategy many leaders use to focus on high priority tasks and carve through the busyness: The 6 Month Rule. The strategy comes by many names and certainly wasn't invented here. Listen and learn how to apply it to manage your workload and assess risk of action/inaction.

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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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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

247 - Don’t Be a Stereotype Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

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

Three contracting officers walk into a bar...

Have you heard that one? What do you think of when someone says "let's talk to the contracting officer" or "it's in the purchasing manager's hands"? Happy thoughts? Confidence? Dread?

Kevin and Paul discuss the stereotypes associated with the contracting, subcontracting, and purchasing/supply chain profession. Learn how to recognize the signs that you're becoming a stereotype or dealing with a stereotype and how to overcome (and even conquer) the perception.

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246 - What is CPARS? with Shelley Hall (Encore) Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

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

The Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) has been designated as the Federal Government-wide solution for collection of contractor performance information.

In this rebroadcast of an early foundational episode, Paul discusses CPARS with special guest Shelley Hall. (retired contracting officer and current Skyway Acquisition team member) Learn how information is collected through CPARS and shared through other tools.

Past performance is evaluated in every Government source selection. Positive ratings are key to continued awards. Learn how to challenge inaccurate ratings and why it is important for both Government and Industry to ensure that CPARS contains factual and fair assessments of contractor performance.

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244 - The Lockout Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

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

Learn how recognize and use your company's competitive advantages to lock your competitors out of a competition. Learn how government acquisition teams can use the lockout concept to devise a transparent, efficient, and mission-effective acquisition strategy.

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243 - Incumbent-itis 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 describe the symptoms of a preventable disease that often infects the incumbent contractor during a recompete: the dreaded incumbent-itis.

Many recompetes are lost because the incumbent contractor becomes overconfident and fails to recognize changes that have occurred during the period of performance of their current contract. Learn how to recognize the symptoms and how both government and industry can prevent incumbent-itis from becoming a fatal infection.

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242 - Time Zone Capture (with Myran Hunter) Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

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

Kevin discusses real world application of the Acquisition Time Zones with Myran Hunter. Myran is a capture manager at Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.

The Acquisition Time Zones are a foundational concept of the Contracting Officer Podcast. Each zone aligns to a phase of the government acquisition process. Listen and learn how Myran applies the Acquisition Time Zones to win new business through improved communications within his team. (as well as many other benefits)

The Acquisition Time Zones are, in chronological order:

The Requirements Zone (Episode 012)

The Market Research Zone (Episode 013)

The Request for Proposal (or “RFP”) Zone (Episode 014)

The Source Selection Zone (Episode 015)

If you'd like to contact Myran directly, send a note to myran.hunter@hii-tsd.com.

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239 - Where Are You? 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 FAR's preference for telecommuting. (or working remotely in more modern lingo)

Learn why the Government must be clear when documenting requirements for performance at a specific site and how industry can use remote (or onsite) workers to build a competitive advantage.

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229 - Path to Fair Opportunity Part 4 Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

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

In the final episode of our mini-series on the “Fair Opportunity” process, Kevin and Paul discuss how the government can award a "sole source" task order within the bounds of the fair opportunity toolbox.

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226 - Path to Fair Opportunity Part 3 Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

If you work in the Government acquisition world, this podcast is for you. (not just for Contracting Officers!)
This is Part 3 of our mini-series on the “Fair Opportunity” process. Winning the IDIQ contract was the first step. This is the step that counts. Kevin and Paul explain how orders are COMPETED between IDIQ contract holders. Bottom line, all orders must give a “fair opportunity” for IDIQ contract holders to compete. But what is "fair" can be different here than in traditional FAR Part 15 competitions.
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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.
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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.

223 - Shutdown Recovery Sep 15, 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 how the impacts of yet another government shutdown flow far beyond the thousands of people out of work. Learn why the long term impacts can be greater than the short term pain and explore a few of the tools that government acquisition offices may use to keep things from coming off the rails during and after the shutdown.

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