Verified Document

Contracts Over The Last Several Term Paper

These different elements are important, because they make it difficult for the federal government to adjustment to large scale projects. This is problematic, because it means that inevitable cost overruns and delays will occur (despite using these agreements to deal with these issues). (Carr, 2004) Discuss which element(s) of cost-reimbursement contracts tend to produce the biggest troubles for contractors and why.

The biggest elements that are giving contractors the largest challenges with reimbursement agreements are the lack of flexibility they have. Like with the federal government, contractors have to work within the overall scope of the accord. During the course of various projects, this can often lead to cost overruns. The reason why, is because the contractor must issue new agreements to: cover additional costs or changes to the underlying work. Once this occurs, it means that it is only a matter of time until there will be delays and costs will begin to soar. (Carr, 2004)

Select one other contract type (neither fixed-price nor cost-reimbursement) and explain its pros and cons from the perspective of the federal government.

Another type of agreement that could be utilized is: the fixed price with economic price adjustment contract. This is when the federal government will allow for sealed bidding to take place. However, there are provisions inside the agreement that will compensate for increases based upon changes in economic conditions (such as: rising costs for raw materials). This is important, because it shows how this type of agreement is designed to provide increased amounts of flexibility during the process. (Manuel, 2010, pp. 3 -- 6)

The advantage of using these kinds of contracts (from the viewpoint of the federal government) is that it is providing increased amounts of flexibility. This is significant, because it will allow federal officials to use this as way to: find the lowest costs possible with the greatest benefits....

While at the same time, they are able to adjust to changes that are taking place from various economic events. This will help the project to be completed in timeline of the estimate and within the costs of contract. (Manuel, 2010, pp. 3 -- 6)
The biggest drawback of using this kind of accord is that the risks are un-proportionately balanced. This means that when something happens that could have an impact on the time table or there are possible legal challenges (i.e., lawsuits). The federal government could face tremendous cost overruns that will affect the viability of the project. This is because they do not have the ability, to make any kind changes to these agreements beyond the scope of economic factors. (Manuel, 2010, pp. 3 -- 6)

Clearly, there are wide variety of advantages and drawbacks associated with the various contracts that have been discussed. These elements are important, because they are showing how the process is designed to increase transparency and reduce costs. Yet, beneath the surface all of the different agreements have a number of drawbacks that will affect contractors and the federal government. Therefore, there needs to be some kind of reform that must be implemented to provide both sides with increased amounts of flexibility. This will prevent cost overruns and delays in a host of different projects.

Bibliography

Federal Contract Awards. (2009). Fed Spending. Retrieved from: http://www.fedspending.org/fpds/tables.php?tabtype=t1&rowtype=f&subtype=a&sorttype=tot

Environmental Management. (2005). Department of Energy. Retrieved from: http://www.em.doe.gov/PDFs/EMAB_Contract_Strategy_and_Mgmt_Presentation_092905.pdf

Carr, A. (2004). Federal Contracts and Assistance Relationships. Public Law Research Institute. Retrieved from: http://uchastings.edu/public-law/plri/spring95/basefund.html

Manuel, K. (2010). Contract Types. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Federal Contract Awards. (2009). Fed Spending. Retrieved from: http://www.fedspending.org/fpds/tables.php?tabtype=t1&rowtype=f&subtype=a&sorttype=tot

Environmental Management. (2005). Department of Energy. Retrieved from: http://www.em.doe.gov/PDFs/EMAB_Contract_Strategy_and_Mgmt_Presentation_092905.pdf

Carr, A. (2004). Federal Contracts and Assistance Relationships. Public Law Research Institute. Retrieved from: http://uchastings.edu/public-law/plri/spring95/basefund.html

Manuel, K. (2010). Contract Types. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Macroeconomics Over the Last Several
Words: 1026 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

This is problematic, because it allows government waste and inefficiency to increase, which this makes it more difficult to: fire or layoff non-essential employees. As a result, there has been a concentrated effort to eliminate this power, in order to improve the state's ability to adapt to shifts in the economy. (Weitzman) However, many of the public employee unions and liberal Democrats have been fighting this law. The reason why,

Finance Over the Last Several Years, Dividend
Words: 4120 Length: 14 Document Type: Essay

Finance Over the last several years, dividend stocks have become an important tool that is helping investors to realize above average returns. According to Paul (2012), these areas have been accounting for 40% of profits on the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1930. This is because they can provide a number of benefits in assisting investors to realize their long-term objectives with him saying, "Those areas that offer sustainable and growing

Operating Budget Over the Last Several Years,
Words: 1040 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Operating Budget Over the last several years, the issue of rising health care costs has been having a dramatic impact on a variety of facilities. Evidence of this can be seen with a study that was conducted by the Kaiser Foundation, where they found that prices have risen by 47% since 2005. (Ableson, 2010) This is important, because it showing the budgetary challenges that many hospitals are facing. In the case

Strategic Alignment in the Last Several Years,
Words: 1950 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Strategic Alignment In the last several years, the Strategic Alignment Maturity model is focusing on understanding how an organization can evolve with the different challenges they are facing. This is achieved by carefully examining the business and IT configuration of the firm. To fully understand how this works requires comparing the model with an actual health care organization (i.e. Kaiser Permanente). These insights will illustrate its effectiveness and how it helps

Marketing Management Over the Last Several Years,
Words: 1586 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Marketing Management Over the last several years, consumers have been experiencing changing tastes and style. At the heart of these transformations, is a focus on using more traditional forms of artwork to decorate their homes and offices. In many cases, this involves the person buying a particular piece that appears to be authentic. The demand for these products has increased so much that a number of firms and competitors are entering

International Business Over the Last Several Decades,
Words: 1285 Length: 5 Document Type: Business Proposal

International Business Over the last several decades, globalization has been having profound impact on the way businesses are operating. This has created shifts in the markets for a wide variety of corporations seeking to aggressively expand into these areas to increase their overall profits. A good example of this can be seen with a study that was conducted by the UN Conference on Trade and Development. They found that nearly 90%

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now