Acquisition professionals with more than ten years’ experience can confirm that a metaphorical pendulum in government contracting swings from oversight and restrictions to openness and flexibility and back again.
In the 1980s, the Reagan-era defense buildup led to contracting problems that became front-page stories. This motivated Congress to increase oversight and restrictions. Then, in the 1990s, the Clinton acquisition-reform era reduced oversight and increased flexibility. The pendulum swung through a full cycle in one decade.
After 9/11, the war on terror led to another defense buildup, and the shadow of errors and abuses is creeping over ...
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