Dispelling Fear and Loathing in Government Contracting: A Proposal for Cultivational Governance in DOD Source Selections

Abstract:     
Government contracting is rife with miscommunication and misperception, sometimes unavoidably, and is often associated with secrecy, autarky, and opportunism. These qualities undermine trust, increase contracting costs, and reduce effective collaboration between business and government. In this article we show how mutual trust can be repaired and, once repaired, bumped up and made much more robust through cultivational governance.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 18

Keywords: Governance, Trust, Fairness, Defense acquisition, Procurement, Source selection, Bid protests, Opportunism, Transaction costs

JEL Classification: D73, D74. H11, H57

working papers series