ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the procurement of complex performance from an historical perspective. It does so by considering a range of contractual and quasi-contractual instruments employed by governments from the 18th until the early 20th century and how these adapted to the growing complexity of modern government. Private-and third-sector institutions were central to the development of many public services, although, for the most part, they were not commissioned under contract. Some, such as unemployment insurance, were developed entirely through private initiative. Others, such as transportation infrastructure, were delivered through proprietary arrangements, with the state granting exclusive long-term concessions to private entrepreneurs in return for substantial private investment. However, for many centuries, a number of core public services, such as military support and prison management, were procured under contract.
