PREFACE

Although the extent of government reliance on contractors may change over time, it is abundantly clear that the government will always depend on the private sector to provide many goods and services. Quite often government managers must become involved in, or otherwise be affected by, the process used for selecting contractors to supply those goods and services.

Government managers are most effective in the source selection process when they possess a base of knowledge that enables them to influence the process in a positive manner and enables them to judiciously weigh the advice and counsel given to them by other functional area experts.

This book offers government managers the base of source selection knowledge they need. It explains how the source selection process works, it identifies potential impediments, and it guides the manager in making prudent business decisions. And it does so in a logical sequence and without consuming too much of the manager’s one irreplaceable resource—time.

To the extent feasible, source selection events are examined in this book in the order in which they are likely to occur. And the pertinent information is presented in succinct single-topic chapters. This permits a manager to focus on any particular part of the process whenever the need for specific information arises.

A glossary is included as a reference, should managers encounter terms with which they are not familiar.

Knowledge of the source selection process is of critical importance to today’s government manager. Even the most carefully crafted contract cannot repair the adverse mission impact of making a poor source selection.

—Chuck Solloway