[Info-vax] Current VMS Usage Survey

[Bill Gunshannon]

In article <l7skkk$v69$1 at dont-email.me>,
	Stephen Hoffman <seaohveh at hoffmanlabs.invalid> writes:
> On 2013-12-06 13:20:44 +0000, Bill Gunshannon said:
> 
>>  2: There is no such thing as a "long term contract" in the government.
>>     All contracts run from 1 October to 30 September.  They may have
>>     options to renew, but can be terminated with the swipe of a pen.
>>     Money can not be committed beyond the end of any given FY.  Failure
>>     to include any particular contract in the new budget effectively
>>     terminates it.
> 
> <http://www.wifcon.com/anal/analfiveyear.htm>
> <http://www.navair.navy.mil/nawctsd/Resources/Library/Acqguide/contract-method-multiyear-contracting.htm> 
> 
> 
> 

>From the second one:

    "Cancellation" means the cancellation (within a contractually
    specified time) of the total requirements of all remaining
    program years. Cancellation results when the contracting officer-

    Notifies the contractor of nonavailability of funds for contract
    performance for any subsequent program year; or
    Fails to notify the contractor that funds are available for
    performance of the succeeding program year requirement.

Which is what I said turned around to make it sound like something
different.  In government contracting almost all contracts are stated
as multiple-year contracts but each year has to be specifically
budgeted for.  As stated in the Navy document the contract ceases if
either lack of funding is explicitly stated or if the government just
ignores it and lets it lapse.

For those who love to laugh about $5000 hammers this is one of the
primary reasons for that.  A contractor has to make back all of the
initial expenses for a given contract in the first year rather than
spreading them over the proposed life of the contract because he has
no reasonable expectation that the contract will be renewed beyond
the first year.  It is also the reason why the incumbent is more
likely to win a contract renewal rather than someone coming in new.

I have been on both sides of the contracting game.  I wrote RFP's on
the government side when I was military.  I had to take Contract Officer
training when I was a Warrant Officer (my last 8 years in the Army
before my 2011 retirement) because any officer can be tagged to be a
contracting officer.  I worked on responses to RFP's and support of
contracts won as an employee of Martin Marietta and TRWIND.  I have
not spent my entire life in academia (like most of my peers!!)  

bill

-- 
Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
billg999 at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton   |
Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>