Outlines public procurement throughout the contracting cycle including initial planning, evaluating proposals, contractor selection, contract administration, contract closeout, and auditing. Provides the public procurement officer with much-needed guidance on contracting documents, management tools, and processes for addressing negative influences on government contracting Incorporates the results of a new nationwide study into best public procurement practice, as well as recent examples of real-world procurement fraud cases, offering recommendations for procurement practices to deter fraud. Offers the instructor and the reader useful public procurement tools such as requests for proposals, pro forma contracts, proposal evaluation forms, sole source justification and approval forms, as well as PowerPoint presentations on a website accompanying the book.

Winner of the "Textbook Excellence Award" from the Textbook and Academic Authors Association. Provides state-of-the-art tools for best practice in the procurement of services at state and local levels, from initial stages through to completion. Includes lively case studies and research conducted with state and local agencies across the United States, providing management advice and tips on compliance to reduce costs, select the best-qualified contractors, manage contractors' performance, and prevent corruption and waste. Contains 18 all-new best-practice documents as well as updated methodologies and templates including but not limited to: a full-length and short-form Request for Proposal (RFP), a full-length and short-form Pro Forma Contract (PFC), letter contracts, a sample estimate at completion, a contract amendment template, and a form for evaluation of proposals. Several additional resources for practitioners are available online, including PowerPoint slides.

Government contracting is plagued by nefarious, amateurish, and criminal behavior. By awarding government contracts to corporations as compensation for lavish gifts and personal favors, the United States government fails to serve the public interest effectively and honestly. William Sims Curry identifies and categorizes multiple deficiencies in how government contractors are selected, and proposes how reforms can be instituted. This book is based on extensive research. Curry sifted through two years worth of contractor claims maintained by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) regarding improper behavior of federal government agencies during the contract award process. He identified additional government contracting failures through review of media stories, inspector general reports, court cases, and press releases by government investigatory agencies. Much of this abuse originates from the mandated but ineffective practice of color coding rating proposals and a subjective ratings system. Curry proposes replacing the current practice with a scoring system that weighs contractor selection criteria according to the government's needs. This, along with the other procurement reforms Curry recommends, offers promise for an alternative to the fraud, waste, and incompetence currently rampant in government contracting.

Government contracting is plagued by nefarious, amateurish, and criminal behavior. By awarding government contracts to corporations as compensation for lavish gifts and personal favors, the United States government fails to serve the public interest effectively and honestly. William Sims Curry identifies and categorizes multiple deficiencies in how government contractors are selected, and proposes how reforms can be instituted.

This book is based on extensive research. Curry sifted through two years worth of contractor claims maintained by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) regarding improper behavior of federal government agencies during the contract award process. He identified additional government contracting failures through review of media stories, inspector general reports, court cases, and press releases by government investigatory agencies.

Much of this abuse originates from the mandated but ineffective practice of color coding rating proposals and a subjective ratings system. Curry proposes replacing the current practice with a scoring system that weighs contractor selection criteria according to the government's needs. This, along with the other procurement reforms Curry recommends, offers promise for an alternative to the fraud, waste, and incompetence currently rampant in government contracting.