ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the extent of corruption in government procurement and introduces recommendations for improving ethics and efficiency in government contracting. Private sector companies design, manufacture, and market products that either fully meet the needs of government or variations thereof that will meet government requirements through value added effort. The problems, or perils, associated with government contracting, as reflected in the Government Procurement Corruption Wall of Shame, give one reason to consider abandoning government contracts altogether. Enhanced ethics standards and practices are recommended as two of several approaches designed to address the significant procurement corruption problem. The levels of corruption span an extensive range of monetary values. Socioeconomic contracting has an undeserved reputation for excluding mainstream contractors from the government procurement process while purchasing inferior products or services from targeted companies at inflated prices. Nefarious, amateurish, and criminal behaviors contaminate government contracting globally from the smallest villages to national governments and multinational organizations.
