Reverse auctions, a relatively new contracting method used by the government to procure a variety of good and services where the price is the main factor, has caused much debate and provoked heavy criticism among contracting professionals in the last few years. Some believe that reverse auctions are an excellent method to streamline the procurement …
Continue reading “Can Reverse Auctions Move Your Contracting Process Forward?”
As project leads and managers, we have all experienced a staffing vacancy on a project due to staff changes or project expansion. To fill our void, we post job descriptions on career pages and numerous “Job Boards” in an effort to reach a wide swath of people and generate a large pool of resumes to …
Continue reading “Why Key Word Searches May Not Identify the Best Job Candidate”
Have you ever stopped to consider the importance of the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) and how top management in both Government and Industry can use the evaluations to make strategic business decisions? The FAR requires CPARS evaluations but government auditors have reported that they’re not always done on time or with enough detail. …
As customers we expect high quality. It’s an expectation we should all keep in mind when the tables are turned and we’re providing a product or service. High quality equals higher customer satisfaction and a greater chance of continued partnership. In Part I of my blog on Effective Quality Control to Support Your Customer, I …
Continue reading “The Effect of Quality Control on Customer Satisfaction – Part II”
When you decide to purchase a certain product or pay for a needed service, it is your expectation that you will receive something of value and of good quality. When quality is not up to par, think about how it makes you feel. I have been places where my first visit was my last due …
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Every year the federal government awards contracts worth $100 billion to small businesses, according to the Small Business Administration (SBA). That makes for a lot of opportunity, but there’s stiff competition to win those contracts. Relationships, connections and trust are crucial to doing business with the government, advises the SBA on one of its blogs. …
Continue reading “Market Research for Small Business in a Time of Limited Interaction”
In a business environment where the government is expected to do more with less, the strategic sourcing process has become a resourceful approach in helping agencies reduce spending and clearly define requirements while also improving mission delivery. Strategic sourcing can be defined as a standard and formal process that incorporates rigorous analytics, tools and techniques …
We took a pause from our normal hectic workday schedules to gather here at our headquarters for a potluck Thanksgiving lunch. It was nice to slow down, enjoy a meal together and talk about peoples’ families, holiday plans and traditions. It is the people, after all, who make our company and any company succeed. We …
The latest in our Health and Wellness series of yoga classes for employees started last week and I began thinking how some of the fundamentals we’ve been learning in yoga can be applied to managing during an unexpected or challenging situation, such as the government shutdown. The implications of the shutdown have been far-reaching – …
Continue reading “Breathe! How a Holistic Approach Helped Us Survive the Government Shutdown”
In an environment of uncertain budgets and evolving technology, a modular or Agile approach to acquiring new systems can provide greater cost control and flexibility. In Part I of my primer on Agile, I wrote about the What and Why of the modular approach to buying information technology (IT). Now in Part II, I’ll look …
Continue reading “How to Make Agile Work for You in IT Acquisition”
