This second edition of Contracting for Services in State and Local Government Agencies 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. Including lively case studies and research conducted with state and local agencies across the United States, this book provides management advice and tips on compliance to reduce costs, select the best-qualified contractors, manage contractors’ performance, and prevent corruption and waste. Utilizing the results of new research in all fifty states, author William Sims Curry offers updated best-practice documents, methodologies, and templates including: a Request for Proposal (RFP), a scorecard for proposals to select the best-qualified contractor, a toolkit for meeting socioeconomic contracting goals without compromising price, quality, or on-time delivery, and a Model Services Contract (MSC). Special consideration is given to obtaining services and products in states of emergency. Several additional resources for practitioners are available online, including sample contracts and a straightforward, inexpensive tool for tracking contractors’ progress and cost management. The roadmap and templates contained in this book and available online to readers will prove essential to state and local government agency contracting professionals and other officials and employees called upon to participate in the drafting of solicitations, writing sole source justifications, writing scopes of work, serving on advance contract planning and source selection teams, recommending award of contracts, or assisting in the management of those contracts.

"Contracting for Services in State and Local Government Agencies: Best Practices for Public Procurement, Third Edition provides state-of-the-art tools for best practice in the procurement of services at state and local levels, throughout the procurement cycle. Including lively case studies and research conducted with state and local agencies across the United States, this award-winning book provides management advice and tips on compliance to reduce costs, select the best-qualified contractors, manage contractors' performance, and prevent corruption and waste. Utilizing the results of new research across states, cities, counties, and institutes of higher learning, this third edition offers 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. Special consideration is given to obtaining services and products during states of emergency. Several additional resources for instructors and professionals are available online, including templates and PowerPoint slides. The roadmap and templates contained in this book and available online to readers will prove essential to state and local government agency contracting professionals and other officials and employees called upon to participate in the drafting of solicitations, writing sole source justifications, writing scopes of work, serving on advance contract planning and source selection teams, recommending award of contracts, or assisting in the management of those contracts"--

The second edition of Government Contracting: Promises and Perils picks up where the first edition’s mission left off: exposing fraud, incompetence, waste, and abuse (FIWA) and analyzing corruption, mismanagement, and ineptitude that defile government contracting. The first edition thoroughly outlined procurement throughout the contracting cycle including initial planning, contractor selection, contract administration, contract closeout, and auditing. This significantly revised new edition provides additional much-needed guidance on contracting documents, management tools, and processes for addressing negative influences on government contracting, including an improved approach to evaluating proposals. Specific guidance for avoiding FIWA is provided for government officials and employees, government agencies, and government contractors, and practical solutions to problems faced by individuals and organizations involved in government contracting are intended for both practitioner and pedagogical applications. The "Government Procurement Corruption Wall of Shame" that was introduced in the first edition to illustrate contracting perils such as conflicts of interest, duplicity, favoritism, incompetence, kickbacks, and protests is continued in the second edition, and cases illustrating the existence of FIWA in government contracting have been thoroughly updated. Contracting documents and contract management tools are provided on a website designed to accompany the book. Written at the graduate level and specifically intended for state, local, federal, and international government procurement activities, this textbook is required reading for public procurement, contract management, business, and public administrations courses.

A personal services contract is one that makes contractor personnel appear to be government employees. These contracts must be authorized by federal law. According to FPDS-NG, the government reported obligating about $1.5 billion on personal services contracts in fiscal years 2011 through 2015. GAO was asked to examine the federal government's use of personal services contracts. This report discusses (1) the extent to which selected federal agencies award personal services contracts, and (2) how those agencies use them. GAO identified the four agencies spending the most on personal services contracts-the Air Force, Army, Navy, and USAID-as reported in FPDS-NG. These agencies account for about 60 percent of total spending on these contracts. GAO also reviewed the service contract inventories these agencies prepared for fiscal year 2014, the latest year available at the time of this review. GAO reviewed the files for a nongeneralizable sample of 60 personal (15 at each agency) and 40 nonpersonal services contracts (10 at each agency) and interviewed agency officials. GAO did not review the administration of the contracts.

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 one of the most important issues facing federal, state, and local governments. As governments contend with lower tax revenues and a growing belief that smaller government is better government, contracting has become a fundamental means of providing goods and services to citizens. This volume, which is geared toward practitioners as well as students, addresses the broad range of issues that comprise government contracting – from the political, economic philosophy, and value of contracting – to the future of government contracting. Throughout the volume academic theory provides a foundation to address practical subjects, including the contract process, monitoring and evaluating contracts, ethics, and both federal and state local government contracting. Contributors to this volume are both academicians and practitioners, who together offer their scholarly expertise and practical experience, encouraging readers to ask the very question "What is the role of government in American society?" Through this approach, students will acquire the knowledge needed to understand the various aspects of government contracting, and practitioners will enhance their public procurement skills. Government Contracting is ideally suited to MPA students, practitioners in the public sector, and elected officials looking to enhance their understanding of privatization and contracting in order to provide public services more effectively.