FPS Podcasts

In this Episode, I talk with David Nieburg of Aprio about how market strategy in the gov con industry is changing.  With the desire for more innovation, quicker deliveries, less compliance and easier barriers to entry, the environment has shifted.  

In this episode, I talk with long time FPS instructor and a Partner at the law firm Nixon Peabody, Cara Wulf about Non Traditional Defense Contractors.  As Ms. Wulf reminds me, the idea of NDCs have been around for a long time.  But, it was highlighted in the NDAA 26.   This is just one of the instances where the Trump Administration as well as the brass at DOW want more access to innovation and speed up the acquisition process.    

In this episode,  Jeff White and Stephen Hall layout the challenges and a solution to flowing down clauses within the federal contracting space.  If you manage subcontractors or maybe even a subcontractor yourself,  you may understand what federal contracting clauses flow down and what version of the clause you have in the contract in order to comply and perform under that contract.   This can be messy when you dealing with different contracts, different vendors and different requirements.   JA White and Associates has an answer.   

In late July, Luis Avila Managing Director of  BDO's Technology and Transformation Division spoke with me at our 2026 GovCon Week held annually on Hilton Head Island.   The topic was transformation.  How do organizations, handle transformation?  Whether it is a enterprise-wide software or a complete overhaul of work functions.  Implementing change is hard. It takes the understanding of who leads, who executes and what is the final objective.   We talk about the differences between project vs program management; we touch on stating on a good foundation and we talk how even though the transformation is successful on the inside, did it pro...

In this episode, I have a great discussion with Aaron Jackson of the law firm Ward & Berry.  He shows a lot of excitement of the two topics we cover,  Economic Sanctions and Tariffs, which leads us into the recent SCOTUS decision on the Trump Administration's use of IEEPA as a tool to impose tariffs without congressional approval.  

By FAR - the  most significant changes to streamlining Federal Procurement since FASA and FARA of the 1990s.   Paul Bailey of Capital Edge Consulting explains these changes and potential impact to the industry.  

Signed into law in December 2025, the NDAA 2026 give sweeping changes that, to some analysts say, puts 90% of DIB entities in a position not to comply with as much regulatory burden.   Changes include exclusions for TINA, a much higher threshold for CAS compliance and a change in accounting compliance for many.   

Though the new rules may exclude many organizations, still the largest of large c...

Cara Wulf a partner at McCarter & English joins me to discuss two FAR Parts impacting future government contract awards.  FAR 12 is all about commercial products and services while FAR 15 covers contract negotiations.  With the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul, the goal is to make it easier, transparent and efficient to do business with US Federal Agencies.  Understanding the changes in 12 and 15 and what to look for in future contract language will help in understanding the proposal process and contract awards.    

In this episode, Eric Crusius, a partner in the government contracting group  of Hunton, Andrews Kurth, LLP, discusses the latest changes and updates related to this historic FAR overhaul.  Though not yet full implemented, the traditional process of:

Has been changed. Each agency has their own deviations and guidebooks are being created.  

Winning Performing and Complying.  Three intertwined areas when your business enters into a contract with the federal government.  This is the government contract lifecycle in a nut shell.  It is the 3 legs of a stool and without one leg, the stool is broken.   

In this episode we invite you to the FPS Win, Perform and Comply Roundtable in Arlington Virginia on March 18th.  In this half day afternoon program you will hear from Nia Mahallati of Shipley, Jeff White of JA White and Associates as well as Sarah Sprockett from FPS, discussing Winning Performing and Complying in 2026.  This is...

In this Episode, Sarah and I discuss the evolving gov con industry and how those changes impact the way we learn.   We also talk about how the industry leader in training is evolving with the industry and the needs of our customers. 

On September 10th, 2025 the "CMMC Final Rule" was published in CFR48. After about seven years of starts and stops, determining Level classifications, the number  of controls and compliance needed, CMMC certification is now set to be in certain DOD contracts starting November 10th.   Cost of compliance has varied greatly, but when dealing with FCI and CUI data, this certification will protect that data through the supply stream.  

Listen as Eric Crusius, Partner from Hunton Andrews Kurth and Perry Keating, President of Protiviti Government Services discuss the rule and ramifications.

In this FPS Podcast, I sit down with Richard Meene, a Partner at CohnReznick. They are a dynamic consulting firm with a growing presence in the Government Contracts consulting space.  They also co-author an annual guide on trends in the industry called the GAUGE Report, which is available now. 

Richard and I discuss the impact of FY25 on contractors and what we  may see in FY 26. It is both cautionary and optimistic at the same time.   We don't have the answers to everything, but we do know the changes made in the latter half of FY25...

In this FPS  episode, I sit down with CEO Terrance McGraw  of Cape Endeavors, Brandon Sessions of Gray Analytics and Andy Paul of Teramis.  These three work together to identify CUI, keep data safe and conduct assessments for companies to ensure CMMC compliance.     

FPS is going to be in Brussels on October 28th-30th to discuss US Federal Contracting.  More information can be found at : https://www.fedpubseminars.com/Compliance/Understanding-US-Federal-Government-Contracting-and-Subcontracting-Principles/

Since January 2025, over 12,000 grants have been terminated across all agencies.  The financial impact  of canceled grants to recipients is around $36 Billion.   

Though the impact is severe, grant recipients may have some ability to recover costs and reduce the impact to their organization.  Join HKA and the law firm Haynes Boone as they discuss remedies to mitigate costs of a grant termination. 

In this episode, I talk with Paul Bailey of Capital Edge Consulting about Terminations for Convenience.   Within the past 60 days, it is estimated over 3000 federal government contracts have been terminated impacting contractors of all sizes.   However, contractors can recoup costs related to the termination and there is a specific process to follow.  

In this episode, I sit down with Peter Romness of ISI.  He explains how managed service providers work with government contractors to maintain compliance of their data and help safely guard data.   I titled this People, Process and Policy as Peter mentions how ISI partners with customers to manage data.  

In this episode, Seth Steinman and I talk about CMMC, CUI and email encryption.  Preveil is a leading provider to the contracting industry in helping keeping data safe through encryption.  They are a leading solution for CMMC, NIST 800-171 and even ITAR data by helping companies keep data secure.  

In this episode, I am joined by Matthew Saliman from the law firm Ward & Berry.  Matthew has been following all the developments impacting government contracting including the ever important Executive Orders signed by President Trump.  One signed on Feb 26th, 2025 is one that will make an impact to the contracting industry.   It allows for DOGE to initiate and recommend cost savings across all agencies.  

FPS is proud to be partnering with CohnReznick and Unanet to bring the 2025 GAUGE report.  This annual report benchmarks key indicators of the federal contracting sector.  This year, we are helping spread the word the survey is open.  To participate, use this link:

https://www.research-ksr.com/wix/p419385548373.aspx?rt=1&vr=1&vc=1&st=21

In October 2024, the final CMMC rule was published in the CFR and will be in effect 60 days from the published date.  After many comments received, this final rule is making all contractors ask a lot of questions.  We already knew the three levels of CMMC, NIST Standards, FISMA and FedRAMP compliance, but the question is how will CMMC roll out and what is the cost of compliance?   Listen to what the rule says and what can be challenges to you and your business as a prime, as a sub or as just as a supplier within the supply chain of...

In this FPS Podcast Episode, my guests are Britt Biles of Womble Bond Dickinson and Tom Reynolds of HKA and we discuss the CARES Act and how four years after it was enacted, the Federal Government continues to investigate fraud and misappropriations of funds related to it.  

CARES Act was meant as an emergency fund for businesses and other entities to allow the continuity of daily business operations to continue during the peak COVID-19 pandemic.  However,  it also became a money-grab for fraudulent activity.  The Federal Government has been actively investigating organizations for fraud and misappropriations even if t...

Welcome to FPS Podcast #61.   In this episode, I talk with Rex Marks about leadership skills.   

Over the past few years, Rex and I have discussed putting together a learning program on leadership for the industry.  There is not a single opportunity that combines the uniqueness of the contracting industry with leadership development.  In early 2023 we set out to change that.  After months of brainstorming, ideation and interviews, we felt we had a winning formula.  

FPS Leadership Institute for Government Contractors

In early 2024 we launched our five of six session on leadership through...

In this FPS Episode, I have chat with Julie and Chris from our friends at Unanet during the FPS Tampa Weeklong.  Unanet is both a partner and a sponsor of FPS and they provide ERP solutions for federal contractors of all sizes.  Being around for three decades, they have developed quite a good reputation in the business and continue to keep pace with the ever-changing federal contracting market space.  

FPS recently completed a week-long series of courses in Tampa Florida in Mid-March.  I had the opportunity to speak with Tom Reynolds of the firm HKA to discuss the topic of False Claims in Federal Contracting.  This episode we discuss FCA and recent DOJ activity on False Claims including the $400+ Million settlement by a long time federal contractor.   Tom gives the audience some pointers on how to best to protect against FCA allegations. 

For more information on training and federal contracting best practices, go to www.fedpubseminars.com 

FPS in conjunction with Unanet and CohnReznick proudly bring you information on the 2024 GAUGE Report.  This industry leading benchmark report has become a 'must read' and 'must participate' event.   In this podcast, I am joined by Christine from CohnReznick and Kim from Unanet to discuss the importance of this ever-important survey and discuss their favorite topics from past GAUGE reports. 

If you are a federal government contractor, we would like you to participate.  The link is below:  https://www.researchbyksr.com/wix/2/p901187329802.aspx?vr=1&st=24 

But hurry, the survey closes on April 15, 2024!  Results...

In this episode, I sit down with Katelyn Rigle, Small Business Outreach Coordinator, Defense Contract Audit Agency to learn more about DCAA's roles and responsibilities in the federal contracting life cycle.  She discusses all the different areas DCAA is involved in on behalf of the US Taxpayers to ensure contractors and the federal government are providing and receiving fair and reasonable prices for the goods and services purchased by the various defense agencies in order to support the mission of the defense department.     

In this Podcast, we talk with Susan Manning from Credly to explain the benefits of digital badging.  Recently, FPS adopted digital badging using Credly to enhance the customer's experience and provide a way to highlight the accomplishments of hard work and continuing education in the world of Federal Contracting.  FPS is proud to offer digital badging and it is free to anyone taking our courses.  Find out more about digital badging and why FPS brought it to the industry!

In this podcast, Jeff White and Randy Shelby discuss the advantages of automating repetitive processes in the procurement of goods and services in the federal contracting marketspace. 

In this episode, I have an opportunity to interview Jeff White and Randy Shelby of JA White & Associates while at the FPS Las Vegas week long conference in September 2023.  We discuss a number of things including Randy's background at DCMA and the importance of documentation 

In this episode Larry Allen of Allen Federal discusses the recent COFC decision on GSA's Polaris contract.  This impacts a multitude of small businesses who spent countless time preparing and submitting proposals to be a part of this multi-faceted contract only to see multiple bid protest arise over the NDAA Section 871 clause and a COFC decision to make GSA re-think the contract.  Larry explains what happened and what small businesses should do now.   

Larry also discusses the outlook for Small Business as we approach the Q4 of FY23 and the Biden Administration's push to increase small business part...

In this Podcast, we talk with Christine Williamson of CohnReznick and Kim Koster of Unanet about the 2023 GAUGE Report.  This report has been benchmarking the federal contracting industry and every year a new update to the report is released.  This year Christine and Kim want your participation. In this podcast they briefly talk about previous years' findings and how to participate for 2023. 

To participate, go to:  www.unanet.com/gaugesurvey

In Episode #51, we talk with Sean Jones of Revolution Payments about how contractors could benefit from level 3 credit card processing.  The option has been around for years but not every contractor realizes it.   Though some contracts require level 3, others do not, yet contractors can still take advantage of the savings.  Sean explains the history of level 3 and its  savings. 

In FPS Podcast #50, we discuss with Jeff White of JA White and Associates the challenges and solutions subcontractors have with price analysis.

On March 31st of  the FPS' Orlando Government Contracts Week conference, I recorded Podcast #49 with Jeff White of JA White and Associates. 

Since 2020 there have a been some significant changes to how CPSRs are conducted by the DCMA.  These changes have been mostly positive, but as a vendor to the US Federal Government, you need to ensure your documentation and files are both accessible and organized in a manner that will allow for a smooth purchasing system review.  Jeff will discuss how things have changed (for the better) and how to be more efficient with your documentation. 
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In Episode #48, we talk with Jeffrey White of JA White and Associates about Supply Chain Management and Compliance.  This might be one of a few discussions around supply chain as it is  very complicated and very broad.  We not only have threats to the supply chain, we have shortages in supply chains which neither is desirable for government suppliers and their customers.   This  episode is brought to you by CPSR ProDocs and JA White & Associates.   

In episode 47, I talk with Eugene Pickarz, a retired contracting officer and instructor for FPS about his new course on Statements of Work.  Listen as he explains the development of the SOW, the parties involved and the importance for both the contractor and the federal procurement professional.   

In Episode #46, I talk with John Hindman of RSM as we discuss EPA's - known as Economic Price Adjustments (EPAs).   

Recently, this has surfaced has a hot topic in the federal government contracting community as inflationary pressure has increased prices for energy and supplies creating situations where costs of finished goods have skyrocketed.  

The government is keenly aware of the challenges to contractors in controlling prices while still delivering under the contract terms. Some contracts have had a EPA clause in the contract while others have not.  

John discusses the key elem...