Today's episode of The Daily Windup pulls back the curtain on the reality behind “best value” government contracts—and why it often doesn’t play out as the FAR says it should. You will hear real examples where long-standing contractors with exceptional CPARs and zero complaints still lost multimillion-dollar contracts to cheaper competitors. We dig into the influence of contracting officers, budget constraints, and proposal scoring subjectivity, revealing how “best value” decisions can tilt toward Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) in practice.

Our conversation also explores the gap between winning and executing contracts, why incumbents can suffer from “incumbinitis,” and how agencies sometimes sole source follow-on work to large firms, shutting out small businesses entirely. We cover pricing strategies, the trade-off between being fully compliant versus minimally compliant, and the importance of maintaining a lean back office to stay competitive. Whether you’re chasing your first award or protecting an existing contract, this episode delivers critical insights into the real factors that decide who wins—and who loses—in federal procurement.