Procurement & Contracting

27Titles in the inventory

7From problem folders

2From solution folders

Detailed overview of the entire domain — including all subdivisions

Problems / Solutions

A buy more than one seller can meet

The buy with no bid, the spec written for one seller, the vendor who used to sit on the other side of the table. Underbidding a pour is on the Construction pages. A sold door is on the Management pages. A chip with one island is on the Resources pages. A sealed machine is on the Manufacturing pages. Corporate welfare is on the Business pages.

Problem

No-bid contracts

CRS: $278 billion of $793 billion in FY 2025 went other than full and open competition. The urgency exception jumped to $18.4 billion in the first half of FY 2026.

Solution

Open bidding

Post the buy. More than one seller. A handshake is not a bid.

Problem

Specification written for one seller

CRS: $199 billion — 73 percent of exception dollars — invoked only one responsible source.

Solution

A spec more than one seller can meet

Write what the work is. Not who already does it.

Problem

Revolving-door vendors

OpenSecrets: of 3,828 lobbyists on the Defense issue in 2025, 1,536 — 40 percent — came through the revolving door.