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Price Adjustments under SCA


Neurotic

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21 hours ago, here_2_help said:

So, given that people (generally) are reluctant to admit ignorance on a topic, what is next for them?

apologize for being intemperate. 

If you are looking for answers, begin by admitting that you are ignorant, and teach yourself to write coherent questions.

All learning and knowledge begins with questions. Questions that you ask yourself. Questions that you ask of others.

If you are trying to learn, the most powerful tool in your "toolkit" is the ability to write a good question. And when you write one, don't bury it under a speculative preface.

Again, I apologize. I'm frustrated at the state of our business. It's getting ever worse, and at great cost. Nothing seems to work to fix it, and for some of us old-timers, time is running out.

Maybe it's time for me to check out of here again and check into chat room rehab. I'm getting too old and cranky for this.

 

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22 minutes ago, Vern Edwards said:

Maybe it's time for me to check out of here again and check into chat room rehab. I'm getting too old for this.

No, it's not. That's not the answer. Your input is far too valuable.

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@here_2_helpThat's kind, but it's demonstrably untrue, and I really am old and intemperate. I'm embarrassed.

Sitting here answering a few questions won't fix what's wrong with contracting today. I've tried to contribute by writing, but it has done little good. One of my last surviving mentors feels the same way.

I honestly don't know what to do. The greatest book ever written about government contracting will go into its last edition this year. The three finest and most productive writers of government contracting reference works will produce no more. One has passed. One is ancient. And one is seriously ill. The last periodical publication devoted to practical matters will likely cease publication within a year or two, because it's very difficult to find knowledgeable, capable writers. I have tried to encourage some younger people to write, but to no avail. It's verging on impossible to find quality textbook materials suitable for novice and working level practitioners.  The books still in print are prohibitively costly for individuals. I have been giving some away as gifts at my own expense in the one class I still teach occasionally.

Agencies generally provide poor in-house training. The same is true of the official training institutions, and managerial devotion to their proper maintenance is weak if judged by more than words. There are some centers of excellence, but they are islands.

We have a contracted-out government, so contracting and competence in its execution is extremely important to our nation's well-being. But our leaders are too short-sighted to invest in the kind of education and training we need to field a workforce that can interact effectively with an ever-increasingly complex environment. The FAR is over 2,000 pages. The DFARS is another 1,000. And they are just the tip of the iceberg. We are into the second year of a new presidency and still don't have an OFPP administrator (as far as I know). But even if we did the position has been so undermined as to be practically powerless.

I have long known that things were bad, but, still, I was shocked when I read that NCMA contract management standard that Don posted and realized that it is now the basis for DOD and civilian agency contracting certification. I have been in something of a state of shock ever since. My own peers in terms of age and experience feel much the same.

Thanks for the slap, H2H. I deserved and needed it. It was a sign.

Again, apologies to all.

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45 minutes ago, Vern Edwards said:

Sitting here answering a few questions won't fix what's wrong with contracting today.

You're not Atlas Telemon. You're not required to fix what's wrong with contracting today. Nobody can.

The best most of us can do is to help our colleagues with their individual challenges.

Your writings influence judges. That makes you a Titan, but you still can't fix what's wrong with contracting today. That's an unreasonable aspiration.

I'm not going to respond anymore. You wanna talk further, we both have each other's email addresses and phone numbers.

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Everyone:

I've locked this topic, not because of any post in this topic, but because of the reality of the last several posts.

I will be 73 years of age in a few months.  Other regulars are older than I am.   Because I am writing this, it means that the update of the Home Page is being delayed because I am the one who does it.  I will be up late again.

Don't worry about me.  I don't do much around here.  But others do and they all have been contributing to this community for many years.  

I want to thank all the contributors for the efforts they make here  This site, with all of its current flaws, was created in 1998 with one purpose--to help other members of the contracting community by gaining knowledge.  You have done that!

If you believe in something, you cannot quit because we're not done yet.

Thank you.

 

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