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civ_1102

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Posts posted by civ_1102

  1. Agree...the majority of "contacts" are blind sales e-mails that are not even personalized. If a vendor cannot bother to put more effort into it than merely pasting a bunch of KO email addresses in a bcc line, given the large number of vendors out there for most types of supplies and service, why waste time with ones that cannot manage to execute a marketing program with some thought?

  2. We dealt with this out here in Afghanistan when the AF-Pak border was closed for a long time a couple years back. Speaking from experience having dealt with this type of issue, I can tell you that Joel's comment is spot on. There is COFC/ASBCA case law dealing with this general issue. It is extremely dependent on the facts/circumstances. This forum is not the place to get a useful answer.

  3. One of my pet peeves is this very issue, people that do not understand the best value continuum concept. I work with one individual who has 20+ years experience in the USAF and even when I showed him the FAR 15 definition of best value, he still did not believe me that the concept included LPTA.

  4. The NCMA salary survey is a great start. In general, you will find a considerable amount of salary variation on the industry side. Don't forget to consider non-cash compensation when looking at your options (e.g. insurance, leave, retirement, office perks, bonus scheme, opportunity for growth, etc).

    When I was contemplating a move from gov to industry a few years ago (I was a mid-grade GS-13 at the time with 7 years of experience), I found that I would have given up both pay and the relative stability of the Government, so to me it was not worth it.

  5. Having worked for both DoD agencies and civilian agencies, one thing I can tell you that runs throughout is that 1102s like to complain about their current and/or previous employers. If all the complaints I have heard were true, then it would be pretty miserable working anywhere in the job series. All places have their pluses and minuses, so I really wouldn't worry too much about anecdotal complaints about any instant agency.

    In terms of the job announcement, often times language is canned and the announcement may not truly reflect the position.

    In terms of DAWIA/FAC-C, a DAWIA certification should be honored by a civilian agency. However, the reverse will not necessarily be the case, as DAWIA has more specific requirements than FAC-C.

    In general, it sounds like you have some self-confidence issues to work on. If you walk into an interview thinking that you will "probably find a way to screw up," then you have already sabotaged your chances as a good interviewer will be able to pick up on your lack self-perceived inability to do the job.

  6. Whether or not this would pass muster in court, I don't know, but my command has Contracting Officers add the language below to the award decision document. It basically states that we consider the -8 evaluated, without actually doing any evaluation:

    The solicitation and subsequent award for this acquisition contains the clause at FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services. This option to extend the contract term was evaluated as part of the initial evaluation, so that any resultant exercise of this option is within scope of the pending contract. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed six (6) months. I determine that I have evaluated FAR 52.217-8 and if conditions warrant the exercise of this option, the price(s) for the continued performance under this clause shall be at the same price(s) as the prior performance period. Based on my evaluation, I hereby determine that the price for this option, if exercised, is fair and reasonable and in the best interest of the Government.

  7. Don, the GSA Global Supply Program is the GSA wholesale supply source. They have a decent FAQ about it on http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/103940#12. You can search online at https://www.gsaglobalsupply.gsa.gov/advantage/main/home.do As far as I know, there is no single database for the three wholesale programs (GSA, DLA, VA). However, the three sources are mutually exclusive in that broad commodity areas have been divied up amongst the three.

    I cannot speak for DLA or VA, but I can tell you that for GSA, if the national stock number (NSN) is on the procurement list, you can still safely buy it from Global Supply because they will be sourcing it from AbilityOne.

  8. I am sorry that you are in that situation. In a prior position, my exclusive responsibility was being CO for two on-site support service contracts in a relatively small field office of a MAJOR civilian agency. The contractor component made up more than half of all the personnel in the office and there was a long tradition of the Government trying to interefere with the compensation, promotion, hiring, etc. of contractor staff. What was unfortunate in this case was that it was director-level personnel (including the HCA) that were actually the ones pressuring the contractor. That HCA was investigated by the OIG and, last I heard, in the midst of being terminated. The agency was also almost party to a joint-liability EEO lawsuit resulting from inappropriate treatment of one contractor employee from a couple of years before.

    I think in this situation just not even responding to the request might be one of the most prudent responses.

  9. Section 822 of the FY12 NDAA contained the following language regarding the micropurchase threshold:

    This section would allow the Secretary of Defense to apply a simplified

    acquisition threshold of $1.0 million and micro-purchase threshold of $25,000 for

    contracting activities supporting contingency operations in the Republic of Iraq or

    the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, regardless of the location of the contracting

    activity.

    FAR 13.201(g)(1)(i) establishes a MP threshold, for contingency operations, of $15,000 in the case of any contract to be awarded and performed, or purchase to be made, inside the United States and 13.201(g)(1)(ii) establishes a MP threshold of $30,000 in the case of any contract to be awarded and performed, or purchase to be made, outside the United States.

    I work in a DoD contracting office located in Afghanistan. The organization has interpreted the NDAA to mean that the MP threshold for any purchase related to contingency operations in Iraq or Afghanistan to now be $25,000, even when the contract is awarded OCONUS. However, to me the intent seems to be to authorize a higher threshold for contracting offices located CONUS that are issuing contracts in support of the operations in Iraq/Afghanistan.

    Does anyone have any insight into the background of this or which interpretation is correct?

  10. OMB Circular 89 Revised requires getting a CFDA number for all Federal Domestic Assistants Programs, which are defined by the circular as, " any function of a Federal agency that provides assistance or benefits for a State or States, territorial possession, county, city, other political subdivision, grouping, or instrumentality thereof; any domestic profit or nonprofit corporation, institution, or individual, other than an agency of the Federal Government. A Federal domestic assistance program may in practice be called a program, an activity, a service, a project, a process, or some other name, regardless of whether it is identified as a separate program by statute or regulation. It will be identified in terms of its legal authority, administering office, funding, purpose, benefits, and beneficiaries."

    If I have an assistance requirement, providing assistance overseas in theater, my interpretation would be that a CFDA # is not required because it is not a domestic assistance program. Is that interpretation correct?

    Thanks

  11. I should add, for what it's worth, a good number of the DoD civilian 1102s I have encountered up here do not seem to have contracting knowledge comensurate with the number of years experience they claim to have. And do not worry about not having taking the contingency contracting course, this place is honestly a complete cluster. The most important thing you need professionally to do well out here is the ability to be savy and the ability to be flexible. You will get pulled in more competing directions than you thought possible. This is not the place for someone without a strong contracting background.

  12. Are you open to going as a contractor? I just deployed to Afghanistan as an acquisition support contractor. If you don't mind leaving federal service, it can be the quickest path out here. I had also applied to civilian positions (I was a GS-13 prior to this current job) and found that although the hiring process was going more quickly than typical for civ jobs with the Army, it was still quite slow. I really have not encountered anyone DoD civilian employees out here lower than GS-12...most seem to be 13s.

  13. Typically, the only deliverable in a SBIR phase I is a report or series of reports. A report is not an item of supply. Per FAR 2.101, "?Supplies? means all property except land or interest in land. It includes (but is not limited to) public works, buildings, and facilities; ships, floating equipment, and vessels of every character, type, and description, together with parts and accessories; aircraft and aircraft parts, accessories, and equipment; machine tools; and the alteration or installation of any of the foregoing."

  14. Vern, you mentioned child abuse. I remember a few years ago when the child trafficking clause came out. I was a DoD civilian and the required training for the new clause was this ridiculous simulation game in which you went on official busienss overseas and you were presented with the opportunity to buy drugs and hookers....strangest contracting training I ever had (and the most silly....if you need a class to tell you that you are not supposed to be engaging child prostitutes while on official duty, there is a probably a bigger issue).

  15. Have you considered placing an order off of GSA Schedule 72 (FURNISHING AND FLOOR COVERINGS). SIN 722 05 is "WALL ART INCLUDING PAINTINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND POSTERS (SMALL BUSINESS SET ASIDE) Includes oil and acrylic paintings, oil replicas on canvas, photographic prints, and other art work (e.g., posters, prints, transparencies, and artwork from processes such as engravings, lithographs and serigraphs)." That would probably be a good place to start.

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