The United States government spends nearly $500 billion annually on contracts to procure goods and services. Government contracts and grants are used to acquire items ranging from multi-million dollar weapons systems and aerospace vehicles to disaster recovery services, job training and technology. The process of awarding these contracts is highly competitive and the performance of them can be complicated and risky. This course will focus on the laws and policies that affect those who do business with the government. We will explore the roles and responsibilities of both private contractors and employees on the government side. We will learn about the role of Congress and the executive branch agencies in the procurement process, the various contracting methods available, enforcement and penalties for ethical violations, battlefield contracting, socio-economic issues such as small and disadvantaged business set-asides, and more. [2]
