Emerging Government Contracting Policy and Practice Issues

One of the presentations at this year's West Government Contracts Year in Review Conference - Covering 2009 was a presentation by Steven L.Schooner (George Washington University Law School) and David Berteau (Center for Strategic and International Studies) on Emerging Policy and PRactice Issues. A reprint of the conference brief can be downloaded and read here.

This paper, presented at the West Government Contracts Year in Review Conference (covering 2009), attempts to identify the key trends and issues for 2010 in U.S. federal procurement. In large part, the paper focuses upon the challenges inherited by the Obama administration and its efforts during its first year in office. Among other things, the paper suggests that the administration charted a course of what it perceived as bold action – most dramatically, touting "savings" and accountability, while permitting special interests to distract focus from value for money and customer satisfaction. Accordingly, at least to date, the Obama administration's procurement policies lack a cohesive theme, suggest a reactive rather than proactive approach, strongly indicate a special interest bias, and, at best, have sent mixed messages at a critical juncture. (March 2010).