Emptor Cautus Blog

Critical commentary on federal acquisition.

• Finding a Home for “Acquisition Reform and the Golf Ball—A Baker’s Dozen”

  At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2008 John Krieger and John Pritchard, two professors at the Defense Systems Management College, Defense Acquisition University, were kicking around the topic of Acquisition Reform. They reflected on what Jim Nagle wrote in the Epilogue to A History

  Emptor Cautus · Jun 2, 2021

• Acquisition Reform ― It’s Soylent Green!

  In the 1973 futuristic mystery thriller Soylent Green there’s an exchange between Detective Thorn (Charlton Heston) and Hatcher (Brock Peters): Det. Thorn: Ocean's dying, plankton's dying . . . it's people. Soylent Green is made out of people. They're making our food out of peopl

  Emptor Cautus · May 21, 2017

• April Fools’ Day in Federal Acquisition

  Had you ever speculated on why April Fools’ Day seems to be such an important day for federal acquisition? After all, consider some of the regulatory and policy issuances on that day: - The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) became effective on April Fools’ Day (1984). - The Fe

  Emptor Cautus · Apr 28, 2016

• Misunderstanding the Missing Words

  This post is not really so much about misunderstanding the missing words, but the misunderstanding that is created by the missing words when read or hear "All contractors must be treated the same" or "All offerors must be treated equally", or such similar sentences. It is the par

  Emptor Cautus · Jan 23, 2015

• FAR Eliminates Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA)

  Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-73, effective May 29, 2013, eliminated the Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA). Now that I have your attention, the FAC did not eliminate the TINA. What the FAC did was to rename The TINA “Truthful Cost or Pricing Data”. This was just one of a

  Emptor Cautus · Jul 10, 2014

• Experience is the teacher of all things.

  Experience is the teacher of all things. ― Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Civili (Commentaries on the Civil War), (c. 52 B.C.). In a previous Blog, I said: Note that the evaluation approach put forth as a solution in West Coast is somewhat different than what I suggest, whic

  Emptor Cautus · May 15, 2014

• Is “Neutral” Neutral?

  BLUF: No. Or, just maybe, it depends. \[For those of you who are unfamiliar with BLUF, it stands for “Bottom Line Up Front”. If you’re required to give presentations to high ranking officials on a repetitive basis, you learn their foibles. Some will listen patiently to your entir

  Emptor Cautus · Apr 15, 2014

• Comparison of Major Contract Types

  Remember the old TV commercials for toys that began, “Be the first on your block . . . ,” and then inserted the name of some new toy, doll, gun or game? Well, you can forget about that in this case. For those of you who have not already done so, I’m recommending that you consider

  Emptor Cautus · Mar 31, 2014

• Laxity in Lexicography

  In acquisition we have a tendency to use a number of “nonexistent" words and terms. Well, that might be overstating the issue somewhat, so let’s try again. In acquisition we have a tendency to use a number of terms that are not defined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR),

  Emptor Cautus · Mar 24, 2014