Government contracting is one of the most important issues facing federal, state, and local governments. As governments contend with lower tax revenues and a growing belief that smaller government is better government, contracting has become a fundamental means of providing goods and services to citizens. Government Contracting, which is geared toward practitioners as well as students, addresses the broad range of issues that comprise government contracting - from the political, economic philosophy, and value of contracting - to the future of government contracting.

Part 1: Government Contracting Theory 1. Political and Economic Philosophy and the Value of Contacting Lynne A. Weikart 2. The Contracting Decision Olga Victorovna Smirnova and Suzanne Leland 3. The Contracting Process William Sims Curry Part 2: Issues in Government Contracting 4. Performance-based Contacting Lawrence Martin 5. Contracting with Nonprofit Organizations Christopher Prentice and Jeffrey Brudney 6. Public Private Partnerships: Implications for Public Procurement Wendell Lawther 7. Monitoring and Evaluating Contracts Clifford McCue and Bill Davison Part 3: Government Contracting: Ethics, Management and Governance 8. Governance and Contracting Julia L. Carboni 9. Ethics in Contracting William Sims Curry 10. Impact of Contracting on Managing Government Organizations Stephen B. Gordon 11. Contracting in State and Local Governments Donna Ginter 12. The Future of Government Contracting Robert A. Shick