Field notes.
Practical notes on contracting, skills, hiring and workforce operations.
340 matching articles · Page 8 of 29
Bid StrategyTeaming Agreements and the Workshare Math That Keeps a Partnership Fair ↗
A 40/60 workshare split sounds clean until the SOW tasks don't match. Here's how to structure teaming agreements that hold up at award.
IT AssessmentWhy Deterministic Rubric Scoring Beats an AI/LLM Verdict for Hiring Decisions ↗
When a candidate's score needs to hold up in a hiring review, 'the model thought so' is not an answer. Here is why rubric scoring wins.
E-signatureBuilding an Audit-Ready E-Signature Trail for Contractor Agreements ↗
A missing signature audit trail can void a contractor agreement during a federal audit. Here is how to build one that holds up.
Bid StrategyPricing to Win Without Pricing to Lose Money: The Small-Business Balance ↗
A $2.1M IDIQ task order at 8% margin sounds like a win. Then subcontractor overruns hit and you are writing checks to the government.
IT AssessmentWhat a Terminal-Based IT Assessment Measures That a Multiple-Choice Quiz Cannot ↗
Multiple-choice quizzes test recall. Terminal-based assessments test execution. Here is exactly what changes when the candidate has to type real commands.
Onboarding1099 vs W-2 Onboarding Flows for GovCon Staffing: What Changes and Why It Matters ↗
Misclassifying a contractor as 1099 on a federal task order can trigger IRS scrutiny, FAR violations, and failed E-Verify runs. Here is how to build the right flow.
Bid StrategyCapture Before the RFP Drops: Shaping a Requirement You Can Win ↗
Most contracts are decided before the RFP posts. Here is how small business federal contractors do pre-RFP capture work that actually moves the needle.
Industry TrendsSkills-Based Hiring vs Resume Screening for IT Roles: What Actually Predicts Performance ↗
Resumes predict interview confidence. Verified skills predict job performance. Here is the evidence, and what it means for how you hire IT staff.
Bid StrategyA Bid/No-Bid Scoring Rubric for Small Federal Contractors ↗
Stop deciding by gut feel. A weighted rubric catches the pursuits that drain your B&P budget and flags the ones worth a full proposal push.
ComplianceThe compliance matrix step most small contractors skip (and how it loses bids) ↗
A compliance matrix mirrors how a federal evaluator actually reads your proposal. Skipping it is one of the most common reasons a capable small firm loses a winnable bid.
E-signatureESIGN and UETA Compliance for Electronic Offer Letters and Contractor Agreements ↗
Before your next e-signed offer letter holds up in an audit or dispute, make sure your process satisfies ESIGN and UETA. Here is what that actually requires.
ProposalsHow to respond to a SAM.gov solicitation: a small-business walkthrough ↗
The order an experienced small-business contractor works in to respond to a federal solicitation without a proposal team, with the steps that lose bids called out.
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