Understanding Government Contract Law

A “back-to-basics” guide to government contract law Finally! A plain-English presentation of the basic legal concepts of government contract law for professionals at any stage in their careers. Until now, anyone in the procurement field has had to trudge through dense and complex texts written in hard-to-follow “legalese” in their quest to understand procurement law. With Understanding Government Contract Law, they finally have a source of clear and concise explanations of the legal principles involved in government contract law, written by an authority on the subject. Part I of the book focuses on the unique problems facing each of the parties to a government contract – the contract officer and the contractor – and offers insight to the many roles played by the contract officer in the procurement process. Part II describes why and how the government contract is different from commercial contracts. Part III explores the ins and outs of a government contract lawsuit. The author presents key legal principles of government contract law by: • Stating a legal principle • Specifying where in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) that principle is found • Offering the rationale, context, and any public policy behind the principle • Describing, with case law examples, situations where the government applied the law correctly and situations where the government came to that conclusion incorrectly

Terrence M. O’Connor has practiced government contract law for over 35 years. After 15 years as an attorney for the federal government, he went into private practice, focusing on litigation and teaching. He has tried more than 70 criminal jury cases and more than 20 civil/non-jury administrative hearings, including government contract claims before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and various Boards of Contract Appeals.
He is the author of The Federal Contracting Answer Book and currently writes monthly columns on recent court, GAO, and BCA decisions for the popular monthly newsletter Federal Acquisition Report.