Cities and Municipalities Have Contracting Problems Too

We tend to focus our blog writings on Federal Government procurement but states, counties, and municipalities and their contractors face pretty much the same contracting challenges as the Feds. In some respects, they face even more challenges since many do not have contracting professionals nor adequate resources for contract oversight. While they’re not buying major weapon systems (we hope), contracted services represent a significant portion of cities’ budgets.  Purchasing decisions often rest with a single person with little, if any, internal controls or checks and balances to prevent or deter fraud, waste, or abuse. The vesting of responsibility with just a few individuals and the lack of adequate oversight is why cronyism tends to fester in many localities. Here’s an example of what we’re talking about.

Source: PNWC’s Government Contracting Update: Cities and Municipalities Have Contracting Problems Too