While Congress was away for its August recess, the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan continued its work, holding a hearing on Aug. 11 to investigate deficiencies in contractors' business systems. The timing of the hearing prevented some significant problems from receiving much public attention.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will begin enforcing new regulations on the amount of lead allowed in toys and other children's products, as well as enforcing other measures intended to prevent children's exposure to dangerous goods.

OMB Watch recently submitted comments and recommendations on needed reforms to the federal contracting process in response to a presidential memorandum issued earlier in 2009. The Presidential Memorandum on Government Contracting directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to both collaborate with federal agencies to review existing contracts and to develop new guidance to help reform future government contracting.

Recent events are pointing to a shift in the way the Department of Defense (DOD) will implement future government contracts. The passage of a new law, the planned addition of much-needed acquisition personnel at DOD – by far the government's largest contracting agency – and an intended top-to-bottom overhaul of the Air Force's procurement process are all geared toward reforming a system ripe with waste, fraud, and abuse. Despite significant progress, these reforms face critical challenges ahead.