Guides: Government Contracts Research Guide: Introduction

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Getting Started

This research guide lists introductory materials for researching government contracts. It focuses on primary and secondary sources and other points of entry for research.

Government Contracts on Bloomberg Law, VitalLaw, Lexis, and Westlaw

Bloomberg: Federal Contracting This weekly publication from Bloomberg/BNA is the one source for timely, accurate, and in-depth information on federal contracting laws, regulations, policies, and litigation. Updated continually, the database coverage extends from 1996 to present. A Bloomberg password is required.
Lexis: Federal Contract Management This manual covers all aspects of the federal government contracting (procurement) process.
Lexis: Getting the Deal Through: Public Procurement Expert local insight into public procurement procedures in multiple jurisdictions, addressing such crucial topics as: legislative framework, applicability of EU directives and the GPA, types of contracts and organisations bound by procurement law, equal treatment, transparency and competition issues, independence and conflicts of interest, contract modification and framework agreements, review process, cancellation of contracts, and legal protection.
Lexis: Government Contracts: Law, Administration & Procedures Government Contracts: Law, Administration and Procedure addresses nearly every aspect of government contract law and practice, with references to the history and policies underlying current principles as well as current references to applicable statutes, regulations, and case decisions.
VitalLaw - Government Contracts VitalLaw's Government Contracts Practice Center.
Westlaw: Government Contract Guidebook The Government Contract Guidebook takes you through every step of the contracting process in chronological order, from getting the contract to getting paid.
Westlaw: Government Contractor This weekly newsletter is published by West and covers legal developments in the area of government contracting, including legislation, rules and regulations, and decisions from the courts, federal boards of contract appeals, and the General Accounting Office. Coverage begins in January 1992.

Key Resources - Electronic

Acquisition.gov Official website for Federal government procurement.
GWU: Government Contracts Resources This George Washington University Law Library guide links directly to the procurement sites of federal agencies, as well as a multitude of other web sites on government contracts, including private practice resources and research and training aids.
Lexis: Government Contracts: Law, Administration & Procedures Government Contracts: Law, Administration and Procedure addresses nearly every aspect of government contract law and practice, with references to the history and policies underlying current principles as well as current references to applicable statutes, regulations, and case decisions.
Principles of Government Contracts (2020) Summarizes the Federal Acquisition Regulation System (FARS), improper business practices and personal conflicts of interest, publicizing contract actions, and competition requirements. Addresses acquisition planning, contractor qualifications, and descriptions of agency needs
USAspending.gov

Key Resources - Print

Government Contracts in a Nutshell (2016) (print) This nutshell summarizes Federal Acquisition Regulation System (FARS), improper business practices and personal conflicts of interest, publicizing contract actions, competition requirements and all other aspects of government contracting.
Government Contracts Under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (2d ed. 1996) (print) Part of West's Handbooks series, it describes the policies and procedures of each Federal Acquisition Regulation with critical analysis of the interpretive decisions of the courts and board.
Government Contract Guidebook (4th ed. 2011) (print) Every step of the contracting process is presented in chronological order, from getting the contract to getting paid.

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Research Guides

Library of Congress: Government Contracts: A Beginner's Guide This research guide from the Library of Congress presents a list of valuable resources for getting started.
Library of Congress: Federal Government Contracting This in-depth guide focuses more on the business side of federal government contracting and includes a variety of print and electronic resources.
GWU: Government Contracts Resources This George Washington University Law Library guide links directly to the procurement sites of federal agencies, as well as a multitude of other web sites on government contracts, including private practice resources and research and training aids.
GWU: Government Contracts Research Guide This older (2014) George Washington University Law Library guide provides an introduction to research in federal government contracts law. It is less up to date but more detailed than their current Government Contracts Resources page.
GWU: Government Procurement Research Guides This page links to all of George Washington University Law Library's current research guides related to government procurement, including specialized guides on U.S. Defense Procurement and Foreign and International Public Procurement.

Update History

Links 05/21 (JJM)
Updated 1/23 (MK)

Government Contracts Research Guide

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