The Third Most Important Submittal for Your Contracting Officer: The Baseline Schedule

From a contracting officer's perspective, the baseline schedule is one of the three major early submittals after award, alongside bonds and insurance. Former contracting officer Christopher Williams explains what the schedule tells the KO, why the technical team's review matters, and how a current schedule helps the Government understand the contractor's plan and progress.

This episode covers FAR 36.515 and FAR 52.236-15, when the schedule clause applies, what the clause says about submission and progress updates, and how schedule slippage can become a contract performance concern. The practical message: read the contract, provide a usable schedule, update progress as required, and communicate early when the plan changes.

Educational content only. Follow the requirements of the specific contract.