Advice from a Government Contracting Officer—with Kevin Jans - EP121

The RFP Success Show

What do you wish you knew about government contracting? What if you had access to a seasoned contracting officer, so you could understand the process from their point of view?

Kevin Jans is President of Skyway Acquisition, a team of former COs on a mission to bridge government and industry, helping clients target better and win more contracts. He also serves as host of the Contracting Officer Podcast.

With 16 years of experience as a contracting officer for the Department of Defense, Kevin bought and managed more than $3 billion in products and services.

On this episode of the RFP Success Show, Kevin joins me to discuss the three deciders in every purchase and describe how much control contracting officers have in the decision-making process.

Kevin walks us through the four acquisition time zones, explaining why you need to know about an RFP long before it drops and how to learn more about the budget for a given purchase.

Listen in to understand the #1 thing Kevin feared when selecting a new vendor and learn what a contracting officer looks for—beyond simply meeting the requirements of an RFP.

Key Takeaways

Kevin’s background as a contracting officer for the Department of Defense

How Skyway Acquisition serves as a bridge between government and industry

The 3 deciders in every purchase—economic decider, customer and procurer

How much control contracting officers have in the decision-making process

What differentiates a technical sale from a business sale

Kevin’s 4 acquisition time zones

1. Requirement
2. Market research
3. RFP
4. Selection

Why you need to know about an RFP long before it drops

The best way to learn more about the budget for a particular purchase

3 things you can do to go beyond just meeting the requirements of an RFP

The #1 thing contracting officers fear when selecting a new vendor

The limits of a contracting officer’s responsibility to engage with industry

Connect with Kevin

Skyway Acquisition

Kevin on LinkedIn

Contracting Officer Podcast

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Lisa’s Website

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Lisa on LinkedIn

The RFP Success Company on YouTube

The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn

Subscribe on iTunes

Email [e-mail]

Resources

Agile Government Contracting by John Stenbeck and Kevin Jans

Save Your Time: A Former Contracting Officer Explains Why the Government Market May (or May Not) Be Right for You by Kevin Jans

The 3 Deciders on Contracting Officer Podcast EP118

FOIA

The Technical vs. the Business Sale on Contracting Officer Podcast EP222

What Is a Mid-Size Business? on Contracting Officer Podcast EP099

The Acquisition Time Zones on Contracting Officer Podcast EP003

Where Do RFPs Come From? on Contracting Officer Podcast EP381

Is Your Price Reasonable & Realistic? on Contracting Officer Podcast EP338

What Is a Red Team Review? on Contracting Officer Podcast EP396

Staffing Is Not Just Staffing on Contracting Officer Podcast EP097

The Execution Time Zones on Contracting Officer Podcast EP372

FAR 15.2

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