Posting Federal Contracts Online: Let's Do It

A recent column in Government Executive recaps the debate about posting federal contracts online.

In May, the federal acquisition councils asked for public comments on how to post contracts online without disclosing protected information. The comments were posted online in July. The councils have yet to release their analysis of the comments.

As an "advance notice of proposed rulemaking", the comment period indicates that the councils anticipate amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation to facilitate posting contracts online. As strong advocates for transparency, OMB Watch supports a robust rule that efficiently maximizes disclosure. As the Project on Government Oversight said in their comments:

In order to regain public faith in the contracting system, the government must provide open public access to information on the contracting process, including actual copies of contracts rather than coded summary data, and contracting officers' decisions and justifications.

We look forward to the councils' analysis and will continue to monitor the issue.

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