This was originally posted at All Things Sterling. Our customer varies in procurement, but it is usually the program manager who represents the end users. Unfortunately, there’s another constituent who is easy to forget: the taxpayer. We’re in cubes, on the phone and writing analyses, but it’s easy to forget that we also serve theRead… Read more »
I got married a few months ago, and I noticed how getting married is like working on a procurement. They take a long time to plan. Unless you get married overnight in Reno, weddings can take months, sometimes years, to plan. The amount of time put into an acquisition before an RFP is released oftenRead… Read more »
I have not had cable or satellite for over two years now, and I’m pleased to say I’m happy. I’m young and live in an expensive area, but I still want entertainment. So what did I do? I opted for Netflix and Hulu. When Netflix’s content went down the drain, I switched the Hulu Plus,Read… Read more »
There are trends in the future that I think will end up savings taxpayers a lot of money, and the federal government should be spending its scarce resources on. Because the federal government is such a large driver of the economy, trends it pushes will largely impact American society. 1) Telework. More teleworking means fewerRead… Read more »
One of the more interesting things I came across recently was Mint.com’s blog post on “Getting the Most Out of Your Contractor”. While it’s not a perfect analogy to government contracting, there are certain parallels, and it’s worth looking at. I’m a particular fan of the part on getting lots of competition. It really makesRead… Read more »
I’ve been doing government contracting work for a few years now. One of the things I try to do is apply the mandates of work (getting the best value) to my personal life. Well, a few weeks ago, I had an opportunity. I took my car into an autoshop. The mechanic performed an oil changeRead… Read more »
If there’s one thing I love, it’s forgotten, obscure laws, regulations and policies. They’re even better when they’re in my line of work. So here’s one for you — FAR 37.109, i.e. just say no to Pinkerton Detectives. 37.109 — Services of Quasi-Military Armed Forces. Contracts with “Pinkerton Detective Agencies or similar organizations” are prohibitedRead… Read more »
Talking with people from across the industry, people have told me a number of questions they wished they had asked during their interview. Take these in the next time to go in for an interview at a contracts shop. – Do you have a contract file room? Can I see it? (Look to see ifRead… Read more »
College is a great time to learn, but it’s not the only time to learn in your life. You only stop learning when you’re dead. What I learned in college and how it’s enriched me in my professional experience While I learned the basics of education in high school — some science, some writing, someRead… Read more »
I’ve never used Eventbrite for a government industry day, but I can’t help, but imagine it’d be a good idea. It’s free, saving the government money. It automates the registration process and any changes made, saving you hours as opposed to using regular email. Being in contracts, documentation is a big deal. The final attendeeRead… Read more »