V. David Zvenyach

Here's a story. Back in 2002, a couple years after the dotcom bust, the government had a problem: it was spending almost $19 billion on contracts for computer hardware, software, programming, and other related services. But, agencies were struggling to use small-business set asides for IT services. That&

One of the weird risks of running a small government contracting business is that your company can get too big. Suppose you run a company that does work under NAICS code 541512, which means you provide Computer Systems Design Services. Suppose also that you want to stay a small business

Like most large organizations and most people, the government buys things on credit. If someone in the government needs a stapler or whatever, that person can ask a "purchase-card holder" to go out and buy the stapler at the local store and charge it to the purchase card.

Competing for government contracts is an open-book test. In black and white for all to see, the government will tell you what it needs, when it needs it, what you need to do to win, and how you'll be evaluated. Or rather, it's an open-book test

Happy new year, everyone! Or, as we like to say around here, happy second quarter! There's a specific moment in every romantic comedy when the eventual couple first encounters each other. This moment, called a "meet cute", is important because the eventual couple can't

[Programming note: This is my last planned post for the year! It's been a joy to write these posts every week. More importantly, though, thank you so so much for reading them! (You too, mom!) I look forward to taking a few weeks off and then getting back

If you hang around government software procurement spaces long enough, you'll start to hear horror stories about "true-ups." Here's a rough sketch of how they go: 1. The government buys some software and the seller sets a unit price based on how much the

When I was in college, there were two gyro joints across the street from each other. I can't remember the name of one of them, because I never went there. Instead, I went to Parthenon Gyros every time. If memory serves, the gyros were pretty good at Parthenon

A fun thing is that basically every single person who has worked in government contracting over the past 15 years has had a variation of one brilliant idea at some point in their career: Yelp, but for government contractors! What makes the idea so compelling is that the database that

A recurring theme in federal contracting policy is the important role that small businesses are expected to play. Perhaps the biggest role for small businesses is their participation in "set asides." The federal government sets annual small-business goals and, consistent with achieving those goals, agencies will limit competition