What combination of skills and competence is demanded of a contract manager? Simply looking at a resume of work experience will only take you so far.
A successful contract manager will develop contract management skills in more than one area, such as administration, contract law, accounting, management, and planning. Specifically, the skills in the following areas are most valuable: technical, conceptual and human relations.
Once your company has won a federal government contract, the real work begins. If you're contracting with an agency for the first time, research its history of dealing with federal government contractors and see if you can find contractors willing to talk about their experiences.
The personnel you'll work with in your government contracts are much more closely regulated than are their counterparts in the private sector. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is fairly strict on the level of authority each contracting officer has. Here's a quick run-down of the different agency personnel commonly associated with a government contract.
By Irv Alpert
Executive Vice President, Onvia, Inc.
A Blanket Purchase Agreement is a pre-arranged agreement with an agency that's signed before any business is conducted. Awards can be made based upon a negotiated set of terms. In order to take part in a blanket purchase agreement, you must first be a part of the BPA program.
By Irv Alpert
Executive Vice President, Onvia, Inc.
Many government contracts are fixed-price — i.e., the price quoted in the proposal is final and includes all expenses. In some cases, however, it's difficult if not impossible to predict exactly how much certain items or services are going to cost over the life of the contract. In these situations, the government agency will usually agree to a cost-reimbursement contract, in which the agency assumes some level of risk for the final costs.
Federal government contract work involves a lot of details and requirements, one of which is making sure you're compliant with applicable federal regulations. Each government agency is required to appoint a liaison between that agency and businesses. If you're finding government contracts that fit your business, or if you've already bid on a contract or even won a contract, you'll need to know the right person to reach.
Winning a government contract is like making any other type of sale – as customers, government agencies want to ensure that the products and services they're purchasing are of high quality. To this end, government contracts often require specific quality-assurance procedures, which will vary based on the contract and agency.
Most government contracts will include a quality control inspection and acceptance clause. Basically, a government agency has the right to inspect the goods and/or services being delivered to them prior to the contract completion. An inspection clause protects the agency by allowing it time to spot and correct defects or flaws before completion; it also protects the contractor, as inspection standards are laid out in the contract and cannot be altered to a higher standard after the fact.
As a small business doing work for the government, one thing you can count on is getting paid soon after you complete your portion of the contract. Thanks to the Prompt Payment Act, the government is required to pay small-business contractors within 30 days after a government invoice is received. But there's a catch. In order to receive your payment within the 30-day period, you need to make sure that your government invoice is deemed "proper."
If you don't agree with the decision of a contracting officer or government agency regarding a contract bid or awarded contract, regulations provide you with ways to make your voice heard – most commonly, with a bid or award protest.
To file a protest, you must be an "interested party." This means that you must have direct economic interest in and would potentially be affected by the contract award or by the failure to award a contract. If your protest were sustained, you could be in line for an award.
