ART - Rebuilding IRAQ - Contract Award Procedures & Management Challenges 2005

The document is a reprint of an article titled "Rebuilding Iraq: Fiscal Year 2003 Contract Award Procedures and Management Challenges" from the Journal of Public Procurement. The article discusses the compliance of federal agencies with laws and regulations regarding competition in awarding contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq. It states that while agencies generally complied with competition requirements for new contracts, they did not always comply when issuing task orders under existing contracts. The article also highlights various contract administration challenges faced by the agencies, such as inadequate staffing, lack of defined roles and responsibilities, changing requirements, and security constraints. Recommendations are made to address these challenges and improve the delivery of acquisition support in future operations. The article mentions the establishment of a program management office by the CPA for better coordination and management of reconstruction activities in Iraq. Additionally, it provides some context about the high-level planning that took place in telecommunications, economic, and financial policy areas leading up to the fall of 2002.