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The revolution in federal procurement, 1980–present

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2018

Andrew J. Taylor Open the ORCID record for Andrew J. Taylor [Opens in a new window]
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Abstract

This paper examines revolutionary changes in the federal procurement regime that have taken place over roughly the past thirty-five years. The procurement process has long been formalized, but contractors were dispersed across the country and tended to furnish tangible goods in singular and discrete transactions. As a result of technology, global competition and security threats, ideological shifts, and fiscal changes, procurement spending exploded after 9/11 and today the regime forms “information communities” in which private companies exert both political and economic influence and supply staffing and information to the federal government within a continuous and seamless relationship where lines demarcating responsibilities and personnel are blurred.

Keywords

procurementfederal governmentdefensetechnologyfederal employees
Type
Research Article
Information
Business and Politics , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , March 2019 , pp. 27 - 52
Copyright
Copyright © V.K. Aggarwal 2018 and published under exclusive license to Cambridge University Press 

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Footnotes

Previous versions of the paper were presented to the annual meetings of the Midwest Political Science Association and Southern Political Science Association. I would like to thank Jeff Grynaviski, Trey Marchbanks, Brian Kelleher Richter, Henrik Schatzinger, and Doug Schuler for their helpful comments.

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