Training

I've worked with several small businesses over the years that did exactly what they thought they were supposed to do when a new contract arrived. Someone reviewed the award, checked the funding, looked at the scope and dates, and made sure the important information made its way to the appropriate people. Sections H and I were reviewed too. But here's the problem: nobody ever raised a question about them. Not because there was never anything to question. In many cases, those s

Once you understand what your contract requires you to do, the next question seems pretty straightforward: When do you have to do it? For contracts using the Uniform Contract Format, Section F is Deliveries or Performance. This is where the contract specifies requirements for the time, place, and method of delivery or performance. At first glance, it can look like one of the easier sections of the contract. Find the period of performance, put the dates in your tracker, and mo

If Section B tells you what the Government is buying and how it's priced, Section C starts answering the next obvious question: What exactly did we agree to do? For contracts using the Uniform Contract Format, Section C is titled Description/Specifications/Statement of Work. Depending on how the contract was assembled, the detailed requirements may appear directly in Section C, or Section C may point you to a separate Statement of Work (SOW), Performance Work Statement (PWS),

In the first Contracting 101 article, we walked through how to read a government contract and what you should be looking for in each section. Now we're going to start digging into those sections individually, beginning with one that can tell you a tremendous amount about how an award is structured: Section B. Section B is generally where you'll find the supplies or services being purchased and the associated prices or costs, but that's about where the consistency ends. I've s

You just received a government contract. Congratulations! Now what? If you're new to government contracting, opening that first award can be overwhelming. There may be a cover form, pages of contract line items, a statement of work, special requirements, FAR or agency-specific clauses, and a collection of attachments that may or may not have arrived in the same file. The good news is that traditional federal contracts generally have a recognizable structure. Once you understa

If you're new to Government contracting, you're going to hear people talk about NAICS codes. A lot. What's your NAICS? What's your primary NAICS? What's the NAICS on the solicitation? Are you small under that NAICS? Before we get into any of that, let's address perhaps the most important question: How in the world do you pronounce NAICS? NAICS stands for North American Industry Classification System, and it's generally pronounced “nakes” — it rhymes with cakes. I love cakes,

A contract compliance case study This composite case study is based on common issues encountered in government contract administration. Company details and circumstances are illustrative. A small government contractor recently won several new awards in a relatively short period of time. Business was good. The programs were performing well. Invoices were going out. Deliverables were being submitted. There were no major customer complaints. Leadership wasn't particularly worrie

For small government contractors, winning a contract is a milestone — but it's what happens after the award that determines whether your business thrives or struggles. One of the most overlooked factors in long-term contract success is training. Not just onboarding, but ongoing, practical training that keeps your team aligned with federal requirements, internal processes, and performance expectations. Here are five signs your team may be overdue for government contract traini

Winning a government contract is exciting. But for many small businesses, the real challenge starts after award. A company can have talented employees, competitive pricing, and a strong technical solution — yet still struggle because their team was never trained on how government contracts actually work. For small government contractors, poor proposal and contract training often creates expensive problems that do not show up until performance begins. By then, the damage may a