Off the Shelf

This week on Off the Shelf, Soraya Correa, president and chief executive officer of the National Industries for the Blind (NIB), shares the AbilityOne story, discussing its origin, history, and mission to the present day. Correa then turns to NIB, sharing its mission of providing opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired.   She outlines NIB’s organizational structure, employee profile and the products and services it provides to the government, and highlights the contributions NIB makes to local economies across America, including its focus on delivering domestic products. Finally, Correa gives her take on the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) and the role of the acquisition workforce in leveraging the new, streamlined framework. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jason Workmaster, member at Miller Chevalier, joins Off the Shelf for a “shut down” 101. Workmaster shares best practices for contract management for contractors impacted by a shutdown, and explains how preparation, documentation, and communication are critical to managing potential changes in contract performance, including stop work orders. In the context of a shutdown, it is vital for contractors to understand the key contract terms and conditions governing performance and payment and status of government funding for contract performance.Is your contract fully funded or incrementally funded?  What type or color of money supports your contract?  Proactive outreach to contracting officers, employees, and subcontractors is critical to successful management during a shutdown. And of course, be sure to document key communications, management measures taken, and costs incurred in response to a shutdown induced stop work order.   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brian Friel, co-founder of BD Squared, joins Off the Shelf, for a wide-ranging discussion of the state of interagency contracting in the new federal market. Friel provides an update on the GWAC landscape, including updates on NASA SEWP, CIO-SP4, Alliant 3, and Polaris and he talks about the consolidation of procurement operations at the General Services Administration (GSA) including the update FAR Part 8 rewrite establishing a hierarchy of contract vehicles.Friel also addresses GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program, giving his thoughts on the new ordering procedures, the role of Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) and the prospects for accelerated growth in use of the program. Finally, Brian explains how companies can position themselves to compete in a rapidly changing federal market.   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week’s guest on Off the Shelf is Ben Hall, chief executive officer of Golden State Medical Supply (GSMS). Hall shares the GSMS story, from its founding by an Air Force veteran in the 1980s to its role today delivering cost-effective, high-quality generic pharmaceuticals to the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. He discusses the role data management and analytics plays in delivering value to the customer across government and how GSMS is now supporting the brand name federal market. Finally Hall talks about the opportunities and challenges in driving domestic and near-shore manufacturing of pharmaceuticals.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week’s guest on Off the Shelf, is Ken Dodds, executive vice president, and general counsel for the Coalition for Common Sense in Government Procurement.During the show, Dodds shares his insights on implementing the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) and how the reform will likely reshape key aspects of the procurement process. Dodds also highlights some the key parts of the FAR that will have the biggest potential impact on contracting officers and contractors, and he gives his thoughts on the current round of acquisition reform legislation being considered by Congress. Dodds also addresses GSA’s expansion of Transactional Data Reporting (TDR) and the implications for the program, including the demise of the Price Reduction Clause.Finally he talks about small business issues and the procurement system. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.