[driftdiver]

I dunno about that. In the case of federal government contracting most of the work would be tied up by a few large companies if there weren't set asides that forced contracting officers to look elsewhere. Its sheer laziness most of the time. That and favors given and accepted.

[muawiyah]

Contracting on the government side of the process is exceedingly difficult mind-numbing busy work. Every now and then someone passes around favors, but rarely. In most cases competitors pass around rumors of favors in hopes someone else's bid will be disqualified.

Tell you what, if government contracting officers and COTRs got as much bribe money as you bidders believe, everybody around DC would be living in a 25,000 sq ft minimansion, on 1/2 acre, with a pool, and 2 SUVs in the drive.

[fini]

Concur with Muawiyah. My organization (in the Marine Corps) requires many contracts. The contracting personnel do a lot of slug work that would numb your brain, but it is required by the Federal Acquisition Regulations. It is absolutely incredible on how much information a contractor has to send in to even be considered for a contract. And how much information has to be submitted for payment. If anyone shows even a hint of favoritism, it is investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.