This is not a DAU or contracting course lecture about going to jail if you don’t follow all the rules. There is no FAR “jail” for contracting officers, much less program managers, who don’t follow the rules. Contracting officers, … Continued
What is the most important OTA? Most likely it is an OTA that hasn’t been invented yet. For some organizations the most important OTA may be a replication or slight modification of something that has already been pioneered. For … Continued
The problem It’s no secret that DoD has an aviation readiness problem. In September 2018, GAO reported that front line Air Force and Navy tactical aircraft were well below their operational availability goals and their operating and support costs were … Continued
written by Richard L. Dunn The Apollo moon landing on 20 July 1969 holds a special place in my heart. My father worked on the Apollo program as a contractor employee. He worked for Apollo contractor ILC Industries best known … Continued
In discussing a topic like milestone payments, the aphorism, “OT’s are FAR out” should be kept in mind. It is easy to drift into FAR conceptual boxes. One of these is that contracts are structured either as cost-reimbursement or … Continued
In selecting the right approach or right instrument to pursue innovation and find the pathway to a fielded capability, prize competitions under 10 U.S.C. 2374a are an under-utilized resource. Section 2374a is found in Chapter 139 of Title 10 … Continued
Undersecretary of Defense (A&S) Ellen Lord recently came out with a statement focusing on “trusted investments” in innovative companies that have the potential to contribute to critical missions of interest to the Federal Government. Innovative … Continued
2018 was a particularly rich year for intellectual property in government contracts (and elsewhere). Continuing with our annual theme of focusing on an event or issue, we will address the hot topics of Other Transactions… Other Transactions (“OTs”) or … Continued
The Strategic Institute firmly believes that the Other Transactions (OT) Team is the most important part in a successful OT agreement. The agreement’s success/failure can be directly related to how strongly the team embraces the “spirit” of OTs and … Continued
Other Transactions agreements (OTs) are faster than traditional acquisition. But this is not the “why”. Other Transactions are about experimenting with smart business, teaming and collaborative approaches. Speed is a value-added by-product of doing mission-oriented work. The reality is … Continued