On June 22, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued new guidance to federal agencies on implementing recipient reporting requirements under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly called the Recovery Act. The guidance comes roughly four months after President Obama signed the Recovery Act into law and puts in place new requirements for the first quarterly reports that will start flowing in from grantees Oct. 10. According to the Coalition for an Accountable Recovery (CAR), "While this guidance is a step in the right direction, there is still much room for improvement."

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.