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This week Moshe Schwartz, president of Etherton and Associates, joins host Roger Waldron on this week’s Off the Shelf  to discuss The Slow Destruction of the Defense Industrial Base, a report Schwartz co-authored with Michelle Johnson from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).

The report was prepared for the NPS and was presented at the Nineteenth Annual Acquisition Research Symposium.

It outlines the significant shrinking of the defense industrial base and the negative ramifications for the Department of Defense’s ability to access to innovation and cutting edge technologies from the private sector. The defense industrial base has shrunk over the last decade in contrast to the overall growth in the U.S. economy over the same period.

Schwartz highlights the key policy, regulatory, workforce and business practices that have driven industry away from working with DoD and the government in general, and the  government’s approach to the allocation of intellectual rights as a disincentive for commercial firms doing business with DoD.

Notably, the report coins a new term, the National Security Innovation and Industrial Base (NSIB), emphasizing the critical importance the commercial market plays in driving innovation in defending our nation.

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Shelby Oakley, a director with the Contracting and National Security Acquisitions Team in the Government Accountability Office, joined host Roger Waldron on this week’s Off the Shelf for a wide ranging discussion highlighting GAO’s oversight role and its engagement with the executive branch.

Oakley shared how GAO engages with executive agencies when conducting reviews — emphasizing the importance of communication and building trust. She walked through the process, addressing her role as a director, how GAO puts together a review team, and how GAO conducts reviews.

One of Oakley’s main areas of focus is VA Acquisition Management. She discussed the key findings and recommendations across a services of GAO reports focusing on key programs in VA acquisition, including the VA’s Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program and the Med-Surg Prime Vendor (MSPV)program. Among the topics addressed include the overlap between FSS and MSPV, supply chain modernization, role of clinical input, and the DLA-VA partnership.

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This week on Off the Shelf, Jason Miller, executive editor of Federal News Network, provided insights and analysis on the spring’s key procurement developments and the implications for government-wide contracting.

Miller highlighted the recent decision by  the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) not to apply the Section 876 to the Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) program. Section 876 authorizes GSA to award MAS contracts without having to negotiate fair and reasonable pricing, thereby leaving pricing to agency specific competitions at the task order level. The decision not to extend the authority to the MAS program is a missed opportunity that will especially impact small businesses and non-traditional commercial firms seeking to enter the federal market.

Miller also tackled GSA’s management of Economic Price Adjustments (EPAs) in response to current inflationary pressures and the impact on contractors.

Finally, Miller shared his thoughts on a host of issues, including the OFPP Administrator vacancy, new e-tools at GSA, suspension and debarment trends, and the shrinking industrial base.

Alan Thomas, chief operating officer at IntelliBridge, joins Off the Shelf for an in-depth discussion of key trends and developments impacting IT GWACs, MACs, Schedules, and eCommerce.

Thomas shares his thoughts regarding the current state of play with regard to GSA’s eCommerce pilot and the potential for a follow-on procurement. In particular, he discusses the status of GSA’s three eCommerce “models” and their potential role in a follow-on eCommerce contract program.

Thomas also comments on the potential eCommerce fit with the Schedules program. With the challenges continuing with NIH’s CIO-SP4 procurement and GSA’s revisions to POLARIS, the discussion turns to the role of IT GWACs and whether, as currently structured, they are meeting customer and industry expectations. The discussion turns to whether the blurring of lines between IT GWACs, Services MAC and Schedules is increasing performance costs and risks across government.

Finally, Thomas highlights the potential for a reorganization of FAS and the Technology Transformation Service.

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This week’s Off the Shelf focuses the spotlight on the oldest and most successful IT GWAC, NASA SEWP.

Joanne Woytek, program manager for NASA SEWP, provides an update on NASA SEWP’s performance over the last fiscal year, highlighting key contract features enhancing value and flexibility for customer agencies.

She shares the latest on how NASA SEWP is performing in supporting small business while meeting customer agency mission needs.

Woytek also provides an update on the FY23 operational and strategic goals for NASA SEWP, including implementing new internal training for the acquisition workforce. She also provides an update on NASA SEWP’s approach to SCRM and how the program plays a unique role in bringing the government perspective to international standards bodies.

Finally, Woytek touches on the initial thinking/planning for NASA SEWP VI, the follow-on to the current contract, which ends in 2025.

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This week’s Off the Shelf focuses on IT category management supporting opportunities for small businesses.

Laura Stanton, the Governmentwide IT category manager and assistant commissioner for the IT Category in the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) joined the show for a wide ranging discussion of IT category management’s operating principals, goals, and impact across the federal space.

Stanton identified key challenges for small IT firms and explained how the IT category is responding to meet those challenges. In doing so, Laura shared key success stories in the IT category’s efforts to support small businesses and customer agencies.

Stanton also addressed the important nexus between her role as the Governmentwide IT category manager and her role as the assistant commissioner for the IT Category at FAS.

This week on Off the Shelf, the General Services Administration’s Federal Supply Schedule program is the focus.

Bill Gormley, president of the Gormley Group, joined host Roger Waldron and provided an update on the key issues, opportunities, and challenges GSA contractors, and customer agencies are wrestling with in 2022.

As Gormley explained, inflation is the number one challenge facing contractors and impacting customers. He outlined the business challenges and the negotiation hurdles facing FSS contractors.

Gormley talked about opportunities to streamline contract negotiation processes, including the Economic Price Adjustment (EPA) clause in FSS contracts to support the industrial base, increase competition, and support customer agencies.

He also highlighted the increasing burdens on government contractors and the corresponding impact on the federal government’s access to the commercial market. Efforts to streamline processes, including the development of new electronic acquisition systems have not yet delivered the return on investment in reducing administrative costs to contractors.

Finally, Gormley discussed opportunities for GSA and its industry partners to work together to streamline processes.

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This week on Off the Shelf, Ken Dodds, vice president and industry expert at Live Oak Bank, joined host Roger Waldron for a review of 2021’s key small business policy changes, program developments, and market trends.

As a former executive in the Small Business Administration’s Office of Policy, Planning and Liaison, Dodds brought policy expertise and unique insights to the show. He provided his analysis of the key policy changes made in 2021 that will shape the future of the federal small business market.

Dodds examined the federal government’s performance against the overall small business goals highlighting the government’s efforts in exceeding the governmentwide goal of 23% of procurement dollars going to small business. He also outlined the key regulatory and policy changes regarding limitations on subcontracting, changes in the size standards, and the recertification rules for multiple award IDIQ contracts.

Finally, Dodds analyzed the key GAO and COFC bid protest decisions impacting small business contracting governmentwide.

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This week on Off the Shelf, Larry Allen, president of Allen Federal Business Partners, discussed the state of the General Services Administration’s major governmentwide contracting programs.

Inflation is a current pricing and performance challenge for GSA and its Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contractors. Allen discussed the strategies and opportunities to address inflation through effective contract management by GSA with its industry partners.

He also provided his insights on current IT GWAC performance at GSA with additional thoughts on the future of the GWAC portfolio in meeting market conditions and agency mission needs.

Services MAC, the proposed follow-on to OASIS, is one of the pillars of GSA’s Services Marketplace, and Allen discusses the current acquisition strategy and what it means for customer agencies and contractors.

Finally, Allen shared his observations and analysis of GSA’s EIS contract and the transition process bringing agencies across the contractual divide onto EIS.

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This week on Off the Shelf, Miller & Chevalier’s Jason Workmaster joined host Roger Waldron to discuss the key trends from Government Accountability Office’s FY21 bid protest report.

Workmaster, a leading government contractors attorney, talked about the trend towards fewer protests and the key grounds of protest that gender the most success for a protester.

He also covers some key government contract and bid protest decisions, including a Civilian Board of Contracts case with major implications for the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program and its end user license agreements. In Avue Technologies Corporation versus HHS and GSA, the Board found no jurisdiction where Avue filed a claim for breach of its license. Avue is the licensor but not the MAS contractor with privity to the government and as such its claim was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.

Workmaster also shared his analysis of a Court of Federal Claims case regarding interested party status, organizational conflicts of interest and the government’s timing to raise an OCI.

Finally, Workmaster provided a look at a significant year for procurement regulations, including updates the BAA, sustainable procurement, and cyber.

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Off the Shelf’s audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne.

This week on Off the Shelf,  Moshe Schwartz, president of Etherton and Associates, dissected the fiscal year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Schwartz identified the key geopolitical, technological, and operational factors that shaped the NDAA. The key themes include China, cybersecurity, industrial base and acquisition streamlining.

He also highlighted an emerging consensus, as reflected in the NDAA, towards a “Buy Allied” approach versus a go it alone, “Buy America” approach.

Finally, Schwartz identified and analyzed key provisions in the NDAA that will shape defense policy and operations for years to come.

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Chris Bennethum, assistant commissioner of the Office of Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS) joined host Roger Waldron on this week’s Off the Shelf.

In a wide ranging discussion, Bennethum highlighted the AAS mission and shared its remarkable track record in delivering best value acquisition and mission support for customer agencies.

He also discussed the culture, people, and organizational dynamics that have driven its growth and the key trends in acquisition and how AAS is responding to customer needs.

Importantly, Bennethum shared how AAS effectively teams with customer agencies in developing acquisition strategies and delivering effective, efficient procurements, and he gave an update on ASTRO and the role it will play in meeting customer agency mission requirements.

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Off the Shelf’s audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne.

This week on Off the Shelf, Jason Miller, executive editor of the Federal News Network, provided a wrap up of the key procurement developments in 2021 and took a sneak peak at the developments that will shape procurement in 2022.

Topics included Buy America and supply chain resilience, Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, the cloud computing forecast, pricing negotiations at the General Services Administration, governmentwide contracting including POLARIS — the follow-on to Alliant 2 — Services MAC, and CIO-SP4, GSA’s e-commerce pilot and small business contracting.

Miller also shared his take on current trends in bid protests as identified in the Government Accountability Office’s Bid Protest Report for 2021.

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Off the Shelf’s audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne.

Steve Schooner, Nash & Cibinic professor of procurement law at The George Washington University Law School, joined host Roger Waldron on this week’s Off the Shelf for a wide ranging discussion on climate change, sustainable procurement strategies, and expectations for changes to  the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

Schooner outlined the call for action on sustainability, sharing the current challenges Vancouver, British Columbia, is facing as result of climate change.

He outlines key strategies for sustainable procurement including best value evaluation considerations and life cycle cost evaluations. And he discussed the importance of training the acquisition workforce and the need to accelerate training and implementation to meet the sustainability challenge.

Finally, Schooner highlighted the key areas of the FAR that will likely change to further implement sustainable procurement.

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Off the Shelf’s audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne.

This week on Off the Shelf,  Miller & Chevalier’s Jason Workmaster shared his insights and analysis on the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for government contractors.

Workmaster outlined key considerations contractors should focus on as they navigate the mandate.

He also discussed recent developments in Civil False Claims Act enforcement, including the recent launch of the Justice Department’s cyber fraud initiative and the ongoing efforts of the anti-collusion task force.

Turning to contracting matters, Workmaster shared his thoughts on the impact and implications of GSA’s Transactional Data Reporting expansion. He also discussed recent Buy American developments and the impact of the recent Court of Claims bid protest decision on the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Medical/Surgical Prime Vendor program.