Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   William Sims Curry
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Inc
Imprint:   Routledge
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.10cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.492kg
ISBN:  

9781412853712

ISBN 10:   1412853710
Pages:   249
Publication Date:   30 May 2014
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

List of Figures List of Tables Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations 1 Defining and Narrowing the Problems of Fraud, Incompetence, Waste, and Abuse 2 Government of the Corporations, by the Unions, and for the Special Interests 3 Exemplary Actions by Government and Nongovernment Entities for Combating Fraud, Incompetence, Waste, and Abuse 4 Protests Sustained by the GAO for Proposal Evaluation Errors 5 Protests Sustained by the GAO for Other Deficiencies 6 Weaknesses and Strengths of Selected Proposal Rating Processes 7 Imperfections in the DOD's Efforts to Improve Its Process for Selecting Contractors 8 Single-Score Best-Value Selection Process Eliminates Ambiguity 9 Scandalous Socioeconomic Contracting Practices 10 The Absurdity of Waiving All Procurement Controls during Disasters 11 Compendium of Measures for Minimizing Fraud, Incompetence, Waste, and Abuse in the Federal Government Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Index

Reviews

William Sims Curry is a modern day Bob Woodward as he goes deeply into the abuses and incompetency of the federal procurement system. Well documented by authenticated references to actual cases, this book will make you think twice about the power of government and how it spends our tax money. --Lee Schuh, UCLA Extension

-A careful, technical analysis of the flaws in the contracting process, especially relating to the Department of Defense, and, more importantly, how that process could be fixed. In the midst of all the outrageous examples of FIWA (-fraud, incompetence, waste and abuse-) Curry shows it doesn't have to be this way. . . . May this book be widely read in high places.- --Dan Barnett, Paradise Post

-A careful, technical analysis of the flaws in the contracting process, especially relating to the Department of Defense, and, more importantly, how that process could be fixed. In the midst of all the outrageous examples of FIWA (-fraud, incompetence, waste and abuse-) Curry shows it doesn't have to be this way. . . . May this book be widely read in high places.- --Dan Barnett, Paradise Post -William Sims Curry is a modern day Bob Woodward as he goes deeply into the abuses and incompetency of the federal procurement system. Well documented by authenticated references to actual cases, this book will make you think twice about the power of government and how it spends our tax money.- --Lee Schuh, UCLA Extension A careful, technical analysis of the flaws in the contracting process, especially relating to the Department of Defense, and, more importantly, how that process could be fixed. In the midst of all the outrageous examples of FIWA ( fraud, incompetence, waste and abuse ) Curry shows it doesn't have to be this way. . . . May this book be widely read in high places. --Dan Barnett, Paradise Post William Sims Curry is a modern day Bob Woodward as he goes deeply into the abuses and incompetency of the federal procurement system. Well documented by authenticated references to actual cases, this book will make you think twice about the power of government and how it spends our tax money. --Lee Schuh, UCLA Extension A careful, technical analysis of the flaws in the contracting process, especially relating to the Department of Defense, and, more importantly, how that process could be fixed. In the midst of all the outrageous examples of FIWA ( fraud, incompetence, waste and abuse ) Curry shows it doesn't have to be this way. . . . May this book be widely read in high places. --Dan Barnett, Paradise Post William Sims Curry is a modern day Bob Woodward as he goes deeply into the abuses and incompetency of the federal procurement system. Well documented by authenticated references to actual cases, this book will make you think twice about the power of government and how it spends our tax money. --Lee Schuh, UCLA Extension

Author Information

William Sims Curry is designated as a certified professional contracts manager and a fellow by the National Contract Management Association. His books include Government Contracting: Promises and Perils and Contracting for Services in State and Local Government Agencies.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions