ABSTRACT
In 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower devoted his entire 'Farewell Address to the Nation' to federal contracting. The topic was seemingly glazing and mind-numbing that choosing it as the centerpiece of a major presidential message to the people appeared to verge on the weird. In the federal government, procurement, also known as purchasing and acquisitions, is government contracting with the private, independent, and public sectors to buy goods and services. Procurement is the dominant form of federal privatization. During the 2000s, Congress tried again to gain a semblance of control over federal contracting. Congress renewed its commitment to deepening the professionalism of federal procurement personnel in the 1990s. The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 required that all recipients of direct federal contracts, loans, and grants be listed, along with the money awarded, and that this information be made easily accessible to the general public.
