Practical writing on how federal contracting actually works, aimed at people trying to win the work rather than describe it. Posts cover the mechanics contractors get wrong most often: how set-aside eligibility is determined and what the certifications really buy you, how to read a solicitation for the requirements that decide award, how NAICS selection and SBA size standards constrain what you can bid, and how to use award history to identify an incumbent before a recompete posts. Where a post cites a number, it comes from SAM.gov, FPDS-NG or USAspending.gov and the query behind it is described rather than asserted, because procurement figures are easy to quote and easy to misread — an obligation is not an award, a transaction is not a contract, and a fiscal year is not a calendar year.
