“SMALLTOFEDS” – By Ken Larson “When considering submitting a proposal to a given government solicitation, conduct a bid/no bid exercise. By going through that process you will begin formulating your win strategy or you will discover that you should not bid this job for lack of such a strategy.“ ________________________________________________________________________________ “Government contract proposal preparation is time consuming and can be costly. Meeting the agency Reque
“WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY “ By Ross Wilkers “ Assuming government leaders know what those practices are and how they work is not a good idea, according to the General Services Administration’s chief acquisition officer. “ _______________________________________________________________________________ “Multiple cycles are running at once in the Trump administration’s push for structural changes in how the federal government buys $1 trillion in goods and services each year. One c
“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “ Assuming a proposal to a government agency has an acceptable technical solution and past performance and management factors that convince the customer it is a viable candidate, then pricing may be the winning element in the source selection equation. “ _______________________________________________________________________________ “The mechanics of government contract pricing have been discussed previously at this site. The discussion relates how
“DEFENSE ONE” By Phil Zabriskie “ The killing a country does through its soldiers is part of its fabric and identity. The less it is examined, the less a country will know about itself, its impulses, and the impact of what it has trained and dispatched its sons and daughters to do. “ ________________________________________________________________________________ “If a war fails to achieve its stated objectives—as Vietnam did—it can make the reasons for killing even harder t
“MILITARY TIMES” By Patricia Kime “Four Veterans Affairs health systems in Michigan will activate the department’s new electronic health records system, ending a three-year pause to a program that has been plagued by delays and cost overruns.” _________________________________________________________________________________ “The VA Detroit Healthcare System, VA Saginaw Healthcare System, VA Ann Arbor and Battle Creek Healthcare Systems will flip the switch from the VA’s le
By Jennifer Jones “Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) are a flexible tool when conditions are right. They are low visibility and not “sexy” like weapons systems. But they account for most of the purchases we [the government] make, and a substantial amount of the money we spend.” ________________________________________________________________________________ “New contracting professionals often start out using these procedures. So, I feel it is warranted to spend some
“ WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY” By Katie Helwig “An observable pattern is taking shape. Agencies are not just adjusting how they evaluate proposals—they are redefining how value is determined in a constrained environment.” _________________________________________________________________________________ “An increasing number of procurements are trending toward two distinct evaluation approaches: Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) and Highest Technically Rated Offeror (HTRO).
By Ken Larson Smalltofeds “The ultimate reward. When a small business puts their own unique twists on basic suggestions and develops a thriving enterprise.” _____________________________________________________________________________ “I had two mentors at key points in my 36 year career in Aerospace. They were a combination of technical, management and communications talent, rarely found in high tech industry. Neither placed salary, position or ego ahead of developing the
“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “It is necessary to establish a written policy and procedure disclosing time keeping practices to government auditors and fact-finding teams. “ Total Time Accounting” makes all hours a part of the record and keeps records free from waste fraud and abuse or defective pricing allegations .” _______________________________________________________________________________ “In small business government service contracting, it is necessary to establish a
Pictorially illustrated, direct links to topics on the Military Industrial Complex, Small Business Federal Government Contracting and Veterans Affairs. (Click images to access and follow on Pinterest) https://rosecoveredglasses.wordpress.com/2026/04/13/ready-reference-library-military-small-business-and-veterans-affairs-2/
“THE WARHORSE” By M. Tabar “My stepfather, brother, and I served in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are still there, frozen in the suck—a boomer, a Gen Xer, and a millennial—ducking mortars, mourning dead colleagues, and waiting for care packages curated by Mom. For seven years, I was an aid worker outside the wire and embedded with the U.S. military inside the wire. In the mid-2000s, I overlapped with one or both of my family members in each war zone. We rarely speak of it.”...
“WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY” By Alan P. Balutis And Dennis Lucey “There seems to be a few common “truths,” some “givens,” and a whole lot of conventional wisdom spoken as to how to get into the door of government . Basic rules to gain your first foothold with the customer.” _______________________________________________________________________________ “Know what the agency does and what it’s looking for. Bring specific ideas, not a panoply of promises.Show specific examples of
U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION “ A great business plan can impress potential investors and pave the way for your business’s success. Use these four key questions to guide you as you create yours. “ ______________________________________________________________________________ “Every successful business starts with a solid business plan. A business plan is a foundational document that lays out who you are as a company and where you are headed. It not only helps you set a
“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “ There are no industry average indirect rates in federal government contracting because there are wide swings due to many factors. Company indirect rates are managed based on the competition, the market and the funding availability of the customer.” ______________________________________________________________________________ “Previous discussions at ‘ Smalltofeds ‘ have addressed FAR and CAS Compliant business systems for small enterprises under
NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE By Ryan Heidorn “ The first 100 days of CMMC were never meant to be dramatic. The signal lies not in what happened immediately, but what is now unavoidable. In its first year, expect imperfect translation, conservative interpretation and inconsistent execution. These are not signs of failure; they are signs that CMMC has moved from policy theory into operational reality.” _______________________________________________________________________________
“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken larson “The CDRL is a register of the deliverable data items. Each data item has a discrete numeric identifier, a data item description (DID) number and a delivery schedule to the customer. Although it is unusual to negotiate separate pricing for contract data, your negotiated contract and resulting budget baseline must contain the resources to prepare and submit contractually required data items.” ________________________________________________________
Finding active and historical solicitations ideal for your company, what agency has offered them and who was awarded subsequent contracts is vital market research for a small business government contractor. That information determines market targets, companies that may be open to industry teaming, where to request FOIA data to illuminate contract and award structures and other vital useful information. “ FEDSPEND.COM ” “Free Government Contract Databases USASpending.gov —
View And Search The Wall of Faces By Ken Larson Vietnam was not a declared war. It was a setup by the Military Industrial Complex – an incursion developed by the “Best and the Brightest” in the Pentagon. It cost money, treasure and lives while making billions for corporations. Like Vietnam, recent events involving war “Interventions” in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine demonstrate the incredibly out of control nature of the Military Industrial Complex, the underlyi
