Advice from a Government Contracting Officer—with Kevin Jans - EP121 - a podcast by Lisa Rehurek
from 2023-01-04T08:00
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
- Requirement
- Market research
- RFP
- 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
Connect with Lisa
The RFP Success Company on YouTube
The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn
Email podcast@rfpsuccess.com
Resources
Agile Government Contracting by John Stenbeck and Kevin Jans
The 3 Deciders on Contracting Officer Podcast EP118
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
Book a Call with the RFP Success Company
The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek
Further episodes of The RFP Success Show
Further podcasts by Lisa Rehurek
Website of Lisa Rehurek