Effects of Incentive Contracts in Research and Development: A Preliminary Research Report (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Edward B. Roberts

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0666180342 ISBN 13: 9780666180346

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Effects of Incentive Contracts in Research and Development: A Preliminary Research Report

This study examines how cost incentive contracts affect government‑industry relationships and contractor behavior in complex development work. It presents real cases from five R&D contracts to shed light on potential benefits and risks of using incentives in engineering programs.

The report unpacked how incentive contracts change decision making, negotiation, and responses to technical uncertainty. It highlights that top management attention increased after conversions, and that contractor behavior shifted toward tighter change control and more careful cost management. While the evidence is based on a limited sample, it aims to guide further research and inform contracting practice in complex development projects.

Readers will gain a practical view of how incentive terms influence: the speed and manner of negotiations; how changes and scope adjustments are handled; the risk of cost overruns or underruns; and the role of government oversight in guarding against shortcutting while still maintaining flexibility for necessary design changes.

• How incentive structures align or misalign contractor profits with project costs.
• How technical uncertainty affects negotiation length and contract risk.
• How changes in project scope are managed under incentive regimes.
• What management attention and organizational dynamics look like after conversions.

Ideal for readers of policy, government contracting, and management of large, technically complex development programs.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0666180342
• ISBN 13: 9780666180346
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 51