Contracting for Services in State and Local Government Agencies (Public Administration and Public Policy)

Contracting for Services in State and Local Government Agencies: Best Practices for Public Procurement, Third Edition provides state-of-the-art tools for best practice in the procurement of services at state and local levels, throughout the procurement cycle. Including lively case studies and research conducted with state and local agencies across the United States, this award-winning book provides management advice and tips on compliance to reduce costs, select the best-qualified contractors, manage contractors’ performance, and prevent corruption and waste.

Utilizing the results of new research across states, cities, counties, and institutes of higher learning, this third edition offers 18 all-new best-practice documents as well as updated methodologies and templates including but not limited to: a full-length and short form request for proposal (RFP), a full-length and short form pro forma contract (PFC), a letter contract, a sample estimate at completion, a contract amendment template, and a form for evaluation of proposals. Special consideration is given to obtaining services and products during states of emergency. Several additional resources for instructors and professionals are available online, including templates and PowerPoint slides.

The roadmap and templates contained in this book and available online to readers will prove essential to state and local government agency contracting professionals and other officials and employees called upon to participate in the drafting of solicitations, writing sole source justifications, writing scopes of work, serving on advance contract planning and source selection teams, recommending award of contracts, or assisting in the management of those contracts.

William Sims Curry is president of WSC Consulting, a small business specializing in consulting on government procurement. Curry served as an Air Force systems procurement officer and was employed in purchasing management for prime contractors on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, the Department of Energy's Positron Electron Project, and numerous Department of Defense programs. He has authored three books and numerous articles and research papers on government procurement. Curry is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager and a Fellow by the National Contract Management Association.