Government: Better Contracting

Better government is more important than smaller government. An example ...

Up until now, federal agencies have had very uneven access to information about how well a potential contractor had performed on prior contracts. On top of that, agencies have had limited insight into a contractor’s business ethics — on matters as basic as whether the contractor has had a criminal conviction or been found liable in a civil or administrative proceeding, such as for violation of employment laws, tax laws, anti-trust laws, and the like.

... today we’re launching the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) to break down these barriers to information and increase the integrity of the federal procurement process.

The database allows agencies to obtain a comprehensive range of data, such as information on debarments and suspensions, agency assessments of contractor past performance, contract terminations, and contractor self-reporting of criminal, civil, and administrative actions. Federal contracting officials will be required to review FAPIIS before making awards above the "simplified acquisition threshold," currently $100,000, to protect American taxpayers from the waste and abuse of contractors who are proven bad actors.

See Tech Tool to Save Taxpayers’ Money by Peter R. Orszag, March 24, 2010.