In a new report to be released next Monday, the Center for American Progress details the horrendous state of the federal contracting process. The report examines what is presently known about the potential size and scope of wasteful and corrupt contracting within the federal government, provides the new Congress with useful guidance for developing a broader understanding of the problem, and outlines some steps that might be taken to restore greater transparency and accountability to the use of public funds in the procurement process. The Washington Post reported this morning on the steep rise in non-competed, or no-bid contracts over the last 6 years - something we've noted using data from FedSpending.org. In fact, between FY 2000 and FY 2005, contracts that were not competed have increased over 110 percent, and contracts that had open competition but received only one bid have increased over 119 percent. What's more, The Hill newspaper reported today that Henry Waxman, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman, is widening his investigations into contracting abuse at the Pentagon. Seems like the Center for American Progress report is coming out at just the right time.