A good story in the American Prospect on contract cronyism. The contract in question is another one of these contracts that's put up for competition, but, mysteriously, ends up in the hands of a close associate of powerful people in government. More than just "no-bid" contracts are susceptible to political manipulation- even fully competed contracts can get shady. Makes you wonder if it's worth taking the risk of contracting these services out in the first place. UPDATE: Check out FedSpending.org for the profile of the contractor in this article - MZM, Inc..