Public-sector procurement typically means issuing requests for proposals (RFPs) that describe exactly what government wants vendors to do. The process generally includes long timelines, mind-numbing rules and almost no flexibility. Too often, the winner is whichever company is best at navigating the contracting-compliance maze. And vendors have an interest in limiting the number of potential contractors, with less competition translating to higher costs and lower quality for taxpayers.
Image: Charles Chieppo is a research fellow at the Ash Center of the Harvard Kennedy School.
