Federal Contracting Methods

In this paper I will discuss the various aspects of a Federal Contract Specialist position and what makes it different from many other government jobs. Some people think contracting is just shopping for a living, however, it requires great skill and attention to detail. Contract Specialists must be able to communicate effectively with their customers, vendors and other contracting personnel and they must be able to accurately interpret regulations and apply them appropriately. This position is a little bit customer service representative, a little bit personal shopper and a whole lot of legal assistant.

The Truth in Negotiations Act was passed on December 1, 1962 requiring government contractors to submit cost or pricing data if the procurement met specific requirements in order to establish that the offer is fair and reasonable. The history of The Truth in Negotiations Act will set the stage for its significance in the twenty-first century. Prior to World War II, the United States government conducted its bidding process for procurement in an open bid environment. What was required for a bid was a complete description of the requirement, two or more suppliers capable and willing to complete the requirement, a selection based on price competition and sufficient time to prepare a complete statement of the government’s needs and terms.

Part 15 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) “prescribes [the] policies and procedures governing competitive and noncompetitive negotiated acquisitions.” One component of negotiated acquisitions that occurs early in the acquisition process is the solicitation of proposals. FAR 15.201, titled, “Exchanges with Industry before Receipt of Proposals,” regulates the type and manner of communications, also sometimes referred to as exchanges, which can – and cannot – take place between the Government and potential suppliers prior to the receipt of a potential supplier’s proposal and the subsequent award of a contract.

• Expand or modify system to serve new purposes or improve work flow (Business Dictionary, 2012).

A contract has been awarded under competitive negotiated procedures and an unsuccessful offeror wanted to know why they were not the winner. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provides an approach to this issue by offering an organized correspondence with the unsuccessful offeror and the government. An unsuccessful offeror may submit a request to the contracting officer for clarification on why they did not win the award. This request is called a debriefing. The debriefing provides feedback from the government on the unsuccessful offeror’s proposal explaining the process in depth as to why they were not selected. Only certain information is shared and will vary depending on whether the debriefing is conducted prior to or after

The federal government contracts substantial software projects to independent contractors. The government was disappointed by the quality and nature of the software that is delivered in response contractor commitment. So the military specification 2167A is one standard that the agencies may use constrain that way that software is developed under a government contract.

The federal budget process has recommended dates and an outlined protocol. The dates are recommended, but are subjected to change with circumstances. The president presents the proposed budget on the first Monday, in February, to the congress. Mid February, the CBO presents the economy report and the outlook of the budget to the budget committees. These committees report the estimates and views on the budget to the senate committee six weeks after they receive it. On 1st April, the senate budget committee begins working on resolving the budget. Mid April, the committee finalizes on the resolution process. On 10th June, the committee of appropriation reports the final regular bill. On end June, the House completes the legal reconciliation and reconciliation legislation. Mid July, the president presents the agreed upon bill back to congress and the fiscal year begins on October 1st (Schick, A. (2008).

When an individual accepts any federal job offer that requisites a security clearance, there is a specific process that must be completed. The individual will be required to complete and submit a Questionnaire for National Security Positions, and although the printed version of this document is still in circulation, the vast majority of individuals will complete the questionnaire online by completing the web-based alternative to the printed document, known as the Electronic Questionnaire for Investigations Processing, or the e-QIP.

The accompanying archive must be completely marked and presented no later than the due date on offer.

Access Government Contracts LLC (ACG), is an independent consulting firm designed to assist small businesses to successfully compete in the federal Government market and land those lucrative Government contracts.

The government uses sealed bidding when requirements are clear, accurate, and complete. Invitation For Bids (IFB) is issued and includes description of the product or service, instructions for preparing the bid, conditions for purchase, packaging, delivery, shipping and payment, contract clauses to be included, and the deadline for submitting bids. Sealed bids are opened in public, read aloud, and recorded. A contract is then awarded to the agency with the low bid. Firm fixed price contracts are used in sealed bidding (Subpart 14.1 - Use of Sealed Bidding).

This paper breaks down and defines what SIV is, the different subfields involved, and which species they originate from. The zoonotic transmission of the SIV virus from these non-human primates is discussed as well. As a result of these transmissions, the human immunodeficiency virus is brought to life. In this paper, this virus and its journey throughout history will be explained. Also, HIV and the different subfields this virus can be classified in are discussed throughout the research. As well as the where this virus was contracted, about the time when, and how it was possible. Also, the modern day methods of contracting this virus are listed in detail throughout the paper. The process of contraction of HIV through zoonotic transmissions is elaborated. An estimate on just how many of these animal-to-human transmissions that happened leading to HIV/AIDS is given. Lastly, the causes of how this virus was spread globally are broken down and explained each step of the way. This paper uses scholarly journals as references from a few different sources, including: Proquest, Academic OneFile, and Google Scholar.

Federal agencies normally purchase in three different methods: sealed bids, negotiation, or simplified acquisitions. The easiest method is the simplified acquisitions method its provide the simplest path to federal contracts acquisition for small businesses: The procurement process is streamlined, and many federal contracts are reserved exclusively for smaller firms. A high degree of particulars in the context of a procurement mechanism for a federal agency, it is very necessary that they have a streamlined procurement process.

FAR is a fundamental set of principles and rules that are codified in a system. The regulations in the FAR system are conceptualized and implemented by agencies of the Federal Government in the United States. The rules govern the acquisition process, which involves the government transactions in purchasing goods and services. The acquisition process involves the formation of contracts, the need recognition and acquisition planning and also the administration of the contract. The system, however, does not interfere with the private sector dealings, and is hardly applicable in these sectors. The FAR has different parts that contain contract clauses and the manner of their administration.

Strict adherence to formal procedures characterizes sealed bidding which attempts to provide a “level playing field” or as a multitude of references point out equal footing to all bidders who compete for a contract. Competitive negotiation is a more flexible process that enables the agency to conduct discussions, evaluate offers, and award the contract using price and other factors. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), whose origins can be traced back to the ASPA of 1947 was codified at Title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations and became effective 1 April 1984. The FAR contains the uniform policies and procedures for acquisitions by all federal agencies to date. It addresses nearly every procurement related statute or executive policy; and subsequently encompasses every stage of the acquisition process. In a nutshell, FAR appears to have modernized and thus enveloped the aforementioned three acts.