Government Contracts Research Articles

Integration of AI-based software as a medical device into Russian healthcare system: results of 2023

Introduction. Healthcare is one of the priority sectors for the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies worldwide, including Russia. A key area of AI deployment is the integration of AI-base software as a medical device (AI SaMD) into the Unified digital systems of the healthcare sector of the Russian Federation.Aim. Research of the results of the deployment of AI SaMD in healthcare of the Russian Federation in 2023.Materials and methods. The State Register of Medical Devices and Organizations (individual entrepreneurs) engaged in the production and manufacture of medical devices was used as information about AI SaMD registered in Russia. As information on the deployment of AI SaMD, data from monitoring to the federal project “Creating a single digital system in healthcare” was used, including reports from constituent entities of the Russian Federation upon these activities. The results of the implementation of AI SaMD in Moscow were obtained according to data from the Moscow Department of Health as part of an experiment on the use of innovative technologies in the field of computer vision for the analysis of medical images.Results. As of January 1, 2024, Roszdravnadzor registered 26 AI SaMD, 77 % of them were developed by 13 Russian companies. At the end of 2023, 84 (94 %) constituent entities of the Russian Federation met the minimum established target for the purchase of AI SaMD. Within the framework of public procurement procedures provided by law, 106 government contracts were signed for the purchase and deployment of AI SaMD for a total amount of 448 million 430 thousand rubles.Conclusion. In 2023, the Russian healthcare system made a significant breakthrough in terms of the practical deployment of AI SaMD. Completed procurement and deployment projects are the basis for subsequent industry development.

Creditor protection and government procurement contracting

This paper examines the effect of creditor protection on the choice of government procurement contract types. We use the staggered adoption of anti-recharacterization laws (ARLs) as a quasi-natural experiment to investigate the research question. ARLs strengthen creditors’ rights to repossess collateral in bankruptcy and thus enhance creditor protection. Using a dataset of U.S. government contracts, we find a significant shift from the use of fixed-price contracts to cost-plus contracts after the adoption of ARLs. The effect is more pronounced for firms with higher default risk and stronger firm-government ties. We also find that the government is more likely to switch away or reduce the contract value for contractors affected by ARLs. Overall, our findings point to an important relation between debt contracts and government contracts.

Developing an Entrepreneurship Training Framework for Graphic Design Students at the Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa

Entrepreneurship education has become increasingly important worldwide, including for graduates in South Africa. Like their counterparts in other emerging economies, South African graduates face challenges in starting their businesses. This study focused on Graphic Design graduates at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), who encountered difficulties in establishing their design businesses. The research aimed to develop an entrepreneurship education framework for the Integrated Communication Design (ICD) programme at Tshwane University of Technology. A qualitative method was used along with an interpretivism research philosophy to examine small and micrographic design businesses in Tshwane’s central business district. In this article, twelve participants were chosen through purposive sampling. Four main themes were revealed in this article namely, core entrepreneurial skills, curriculum challenges in practical education, challenges faced by graphic design graduates, and strategies for improving business performance. These findings informed the proposed framework for entrepreneurial education for Tshwane University of Technology. The study identified ten key challenges for graphic design graduates, such as a lack of contracts, mentorship, and financial support, difficulties in hiring skilled staff, limited business knowledge, reliance on government contracts, excessive subcontracting, brand recognition issues, cash flow problems, and corruption. The study concluded by emphasising the urgent need for a shift in graphic design education, particularly in South Africa. It is recommended that graphic design educational institutions and the government join hands in finding ways to sponsor these entrepreneurs financially and non-financially to make their transition into the corporate world as smooth as possible. Keywords: Curriculum, entrepreneurship education, graphic design, higher education, Integrated Communication Design (ICD), small business

Типовые условия государственного контракта на государственное геологическое изучение недр

The full implementation of the state geological survey of the subsurface directly depends on the terms of government contracts, which should reflect the specifics of the field of the subject of purchase, which cannot be done without special conditions for this type of government contracts. It is possible to avoid delaying procurement procedures for the state geological study of subsurface resources and possible nonfulfillment of tasks assigned to state customers by establishing standard conditions necessary to reflect the specifics of the subsurface use area. In this regard, the special law on public procurement requires adjustments in terms of setting standard conditions for the approval of project documentation and the ability of customers to limit the cost of an informational geological report.

Putting the Politics Into Corporate Political Activity: A Variance Decomposition Analysis of Firm–Government Interactions Across Political Contexts

Despite the wealth of theorizing about the relationship between business and government, research on corporate political activity (CPA) has yet to comprehensively consider how political context (e.g., party ideology and the degree of united or divided party government control) may shift the salience of how CPA materializes across industry-, firm-, and executive-level factors, which can shed light on the level of effects that appear to matter more (or less). To advance our understanding, we conducted a variance decomposition analysis on U.S. public firms (2001–2019), exploring the relative effect of each level on firm (lobbying expenditures and campaign contributions) and government actions (government contracts), and parsing our sample based on whether key government branches are Democrat- or Republican-controlled. We generally found that firm effects explain the most variance, followed by industry, while executive effects explain the least. However, this pattern shifts notably when considering political context across our sample period. As such, our findings have important implications for future CPA research and theorizing.

Некоторые вопросы казначейского сопровождения контрактов

Treasury support of contracts is a budgetary and legal instrument for the efficient use of budget funds, and the clear application of all its procedures in practice will lead to strengthening the financial sovereignty of the Russian Federation and effective and timely resolution of all those strategic goals of the development of the Russian state. The Federal Treasury faces an important task of ensuring the public interest of the state when implementing financing from the budget. At the same time, a balance must be found with the private interests of those persons who act as contractors under government contracts, especially in cases where the issue is the conscientious fulfillment of their obligations by these persons. The article examines a number of issues arising in practice during treasury support of contracts and proposes measures for their regulatory consolidation.

Feasibility Study for a Commercial Space Station in Low Earth Orbit

Space exploration demands innovative solutions. Currently, this sector is financially driven by governmental agencies with the support of industry partners. However, a paradigm shift will be observed with the planned de-orbiting of the International Space Station (ISS). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) spends $3.1 billion on ISS operations. Nevertheless, as per the ISS Transition Report 2022, switching to a self-sustaining Commercial Space Station (CSS) in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) could save the agency approximately $1.8 billion annually by 2033. This figure is derived from the difference between NASA's current ISS operational costs and the projected costs of utilizing a CSS. These savings could allow room for industry growth and create new global opportunities for human space exploration while enabling governmental agencies to refocus on upcoming lunar missions.NASA's expected contribution to CSS development costs is estimated to be a portion of the overall development costs, with the rest likely coming from private investments and other funding sources. NASA's investment in the CSS development can be considered a sunk cost, as it may not be repaid directly but is expected to generate returns on investment through savings on operational costs and by fostering growth in the space industry.Upcoming stations like Orbital Reef, Axiom Station, and Starlab cater to diverse customers and offer prospects for scientific research, in-space manufacturing, space tourism, creative industries and education. However, research is necessary to ensure their financial viability. This study aims to evaluate a CSS’s financial and economic feasibility, focusing on potential new businesses and how to achieve a self-sustaining business park in space. This assessment encompasses analyzing costs, funding sources, market and competitor trends, business models, and revenue streams while focusing on legal, political, and cultural factors.Our findings reveal that space-based research will likely be LEO’s most significant revenue generator within the decade, thanks to existing government grants and contracts. NASA's $1.8 billion annual expenditure on LEO activities could meet its requirements for research, technology development, and training. However, potential implications may arise if this expenditure proves insufficient. In such cases, NASA might need to reevaluate its budget allocation, seek additional funding, or collaborate more extensively with private entities to ensure its LEO requirements are met. A shortfall in expenditure could potentially impact the pace of technology development and affect NASA's ability to conduct research and maintain its presence in LEO.According to Deloitte, space tourism could become the most profitable revenue stream at the beginning of the next decade, with an estimated annual revenue of up to $3.3 billion. Furthermore, once the industry overcomes technical challenges and the demand for in-space manufacturing becomes sufficient, it will likely become the primary revenue stream. Finally, our analysis reveals that fine arts, live events, TV Film, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education have the potential to generate $242 million as additional revenue streams. In conclusion, this study offers a roadmap of future business prospects and actionable recommendations outlining various activities, demands, and possibilities that can be carried out in a CSS. The report can serve as a general guideline for commercial space entities to leverage emerging prospects in the space industry. Moreover, this study can be a source for space agencies seeking to expand their activities and optimize their resources.

Employee Compensation of Nonprofit Child Welfare Agencies in New York: Crises and Strategies

ABSTRACTWhile existing literature documents the low compensation of nonprofit human services workers, it is not well understood how managers of these organizations perceive and respond to the problem. Adopting resource dependency and competing institutional logics perspectives, we chose the New York nonprofit child welfare sector—a heavily government‐funded field—as a collective case to study these issues. Based on interviews with 17 leaders of the primary NY nonprofit child welfare agencies, we found that these agencies' employee compensation was primarily constrained by government contracts, and they were torn by conflicting institutional logics from the state, the labor market, private funders, and unions. Overall, government contracts and market competition determined worker pay, and nonprofit child welfare agencies faced labor competition not only from peer organizations, but also from the government and for‐profit sectors. With the “great resignation” atmosphere and increased cost of living intensified by the COVID‐19 pandemic, agencies were under tremendous pressure to raise worker pay. However, programs chronically underfunded by the government were incapable of providing competitive wages and were experiencing high staff turnover and vacancies. Agency leaders agreed on the need to push the government to pay programs adequately but disagreed about advocacy goals and messaging. Most leaders had reservations about aggressive collective bargaining measures such as “going on strike.” These common but attenuated labor dynamics, related managerial responses, and implications for the future of the sector are discussed, particularly in response to competing institutional pressures.

Nigeria’s Quest for Investments Relations from China: Prospects for Achieving Mutual Benefits

The study assessed the prospects for achieving mutual benefits in the investment relations between Nigeria and China from 1999 to 2022. The investment relations involved execution of government contracts in the form of infrastructure such as roads, dams among others. The objectives of the study were to examine the nature and benefits of investment relations between Nigeria and China from 1999 to 2022. The methodology used was the explanatory design. The data were analysed through themes and content analysis. The findings revealed that Chinese investments in Nigeria was not beneficial to Nigeria in the area of technology transfer and equal opportunities for market access. This implied that the unequal relationship increased the dependency of the Nigerian economy on China

The price of politics: What the 2020 oil shocks in Nigeria teach us about transactional political systems

Political spending—funds that elite actors use to buy and sell political power—is the lifeblood of Nigerian politics. It fuels backroom deals, forges political coalitions, and is the means to incite or end violence. To date, political spending in Nigeria has largely been financed by its immense oil revenues flowing through the government. It is natural to assume that political budgets should rise and fall with oil’s boom-and-bust cycles, but the reality is not so straightforward. Based on an analysis of the 2020 oil crash in Nigeria, this paper examines how traumatic decarbonization—the sudden, unplanned loss of oil revenues—did not lead to a reduction in political budgets but did force a change in how they were funded and channeled. Despite the loss in oil revenues, patronage and the “contractocracy,” government contracts used to funnel rents to the elite, were protected and expanded massively in 2021 with funding from domestic and international loans. The 2020 oil crash demonstrated the resilience and rising cost of transactional politics in Nigeria, even when it came at the expense of the Nigerian people. Through this analysis, the paper further examines systemically corrupt political systems and how political actors adapt to changes in available political finance.

Representative bureaucracy and local government contracting: Examining supplier diversity programs

Representative bureaucracy and local government contracting: Examining supplier diversity programs

Rules, Discretion, and Corruption in Procurement: Evidence from Italian Government Contracting

Rules, Discretion, and Corruption in Procurement: Evidence from Italian Government Contracting

Government procurement and corporate investment efficiency: Evidence from China

This study investigates the impact of government procurement on the microeconomic landscape, particularly focusing on investment decisions and efficiency within corporations. Utilizing a dataset spanning 2015 to 2021 from A-share listed companies in China, the study examines how government contracts, as reported by the China Government Procurement website, influence corporate investment strategies. The analysis reveals that government procurement significantly enhances investment efficiency and mitigates common corporate investment deficiencies. These findings are robust, confirmed through instrumental variable techniques and validation procedures. Furthermore, the study explores the underlying mechanisms, suggesting that government procurement facilitates corporate financial fluidity and reduces environmental unpredictability. The impact is notably more pronounced in private sector entities, high-tech industries, and economically advanced regions in eastern China. This research provides empirical evidence of government procurement's efficacy as an economic instrument, highlighting its role in promoting corporate fiscal prudence. However, the study acknowledges limitations, such as potential variability in procurement practices across different regions and industries, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. Future research could explore the long-term effects of government procurement on corporate innovation and broader economic outcomes.

Low-carbon strategy analysis in a construction supply chain considering government subsidies and contract design

This study establishes a low-carbon construction supply chain (CSC) composed of a developer and a contractor. The developer invests in low-carbon promotion (LCP) to give consumers more accurate information about the project's low-carbon aspects. The contractor invests in low-carbon construction technology (LCT) with the intention of reducing carbon emissions. This paper explores the investment strategies and cooperative behaviors of developers and contractors from the perspective of government subsidies and further studies the conditions that affect the successful implementation of cost-sharing contracts between the developer and contractor. This study considers four decision-making scenarios: decentralized decision-making without government subsidies, decentralized decision-making with government subsidies, unilateral cost-sharing contract (UCC) with government subsidies, and bilateral cost-sharing contract (BCC) with government subsidies. The findings indicate that: (1) The contractor's LCT investment has a better optimization effect on CSC than the developer's LCP investment. (2) When only government subsidies are implemented, subsidizing contractors is more conducive to the optimization of CSC. When UCC and BCC are further introduced, subsidizing developers becomes more beneficial. Moreover, excessively high subsidy standards are not conducive to the sustainable development of CSC. (3) UCC and BCC both hold the potential for Pareto improvements within CSC, with success contingent upon specific conditions, and BCC tends to achieve better optimization than UCC. (4) The marginal profits of developers and contractors primarily drive the effectiveness of contracts. CSC's sustainability is jeopardized by cost-sharing ratios that are either excessively high or too low. This study provides a robust theoretical foundation for promoting low-carbon cooperation among members of CSC and formulating government subsidy policies.

Improving Proposal Writing by Looking to Information Operations

This article examines the subject of persuasion in technical and professional communications (TPC) with a specific focus on proposals in U.S. Government contracting. It demonstrates a fundamental disconnect between the intent of proposals, which is to persuade, and the rhetorical traditions and professional boundaries of technical writers. The analysis draws on the existing rhetorical- and genre-based TPC literature and borrows from theory in other disciplines—management, organizational theory, sociology, and psychology among others. To advance the scholarship on proposals, this analysis is framed within the overall context of a structural analogy to U.S. military Information Operations (IO). Through use of analogy, it is suggested that the IO community's approach to the concepts of “influence,” “narrative,” “target audience,” and “unity of effort” may offer useful insight for State and Federal contractors to consider in their efforts to write persuasive proposals. This analysis is then used to develop a research agenda for the study of proposals. Areas for future research include the science of persuasion and the use of narrative as it relates to proposals, improved rigor in the use of target audience research, and organizational constructs to improve collaborative writing in proposals.

Show Your Hand: The Impacts of Fair Pricing Requirements in Procurement Contracting

ABSTRACTThis paper studies how a federal procurement regulation, known as the Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA), affects the competitiveness and execution of government contracts. TINA stipulates how contracting officials (COs) can ensure reasonable prices. Following TINA, for contracts above a certain size threshold, COs can no longer rely solely on their own judgment that a price is reasonable. Instead, they must either require suppliers to provide accounting data supporting their proposed prices or expect multiple bids. Using a regression discontinuity design, I find that above‐threshold contracts experience greater competition (i.e., more bids), improved performance (i.e., less frequent renegotiations and cost overruns), and reduced use of the harder‐to‐monitor cost‐plus pricing, compared to below‐threshold contracts. These findings suggest that TINA's requirements enhance competition and oversight for above‐threshold contracts.

Impacts of dual carbon emission reduction technology and technology spillovers of deterioration reduction on supply chain system's performances considering government incentives and contract design

Investments in carbon emission reduction and deterioration reduction are important aspects for the firms to construct a low-carbon supply chain systems of deteriorating products with the increasing preferences of customers for environmentally friendly and fresh products. In this study we develop a two-echelon supply chain system consists of one manufacturer and one retailer. The manufacturer implements dual carbon emission reduction technology to strengthen the carbon emission reduction efficiency under cap-and-trade regulation and both manufacturer and the retailer invest in deterioration reduction technology to reduce the deterioration and increase the stock level of the fresh items. To increase the demand, the retailer takes the responsibility of promoting the low-carbon and fresh products among the customers. Deterioration reduction technology spills over from the manufacturer to the retailer. Then a differential game model is formulated and the equilibrium strategies are analysed by Stackelberg differential game approach in long term scenario. Numerical analysis has been done to analyse the theoretical results more rigorously by MATLAB software and sensitivity of some major parameters on the demand and profits of the manufacturer and the retailer have also been done to obtain some managerial insights. The impacts of implementing dual carbon emissions reduction technology and the effects technology spillovers are discussed. The results show that when the manufacturer invests in dual carbon emission reduction technology over single reduction technology, it increases the emission reduction level and hence the environmental performance and also the demand and hence economic profits of the both the supply chain members. If the deterioration reduction technology spills over from the manufacturer to retailer, it increases the profit of the manufacturer but the retailer will be beneficial when his/her marginal profit will be high. In addition, we have incorporated government subsidy on manufacturer's emission reduction investment and a cost-sharing contract on the promotional effort of the retailer in our work and then found that joint impacts of them on the supply chain system. We have shown that these two incentives provide the pareto improved solution for the supply chain system and take the supply chain members to a win-win situation as economically and environmentally. The discussions of the results of this study can be beneficial for the industries which produced deteriorating products and emits high carbon during the production process in terms of taking optimal decisions. It also gives a lesson to the government how to inspired the practitioners towards developing a sustainable system.

CIRCULAR APPROACHES: THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC PROCUREMENT

The future of public procurement is increasingly interconnected with the principles of circular economy as governments face pressing ecological, economic, and social challenges that deplete their financial resources. The adoption of circular public procurement practices represents a significant shift towards sustainability and offers significant benefits to government contractors, businesses, and citizens alike. This approach drives innovation and creates added value as it focuses on extending product lifecycles, reducing waste, and promoting resource efficiency throughout supply chains. If public entities prioritize circularity in their purchasing, they could enhance trust and reputation through the creation of a sustainable and resilient procurement ecosystem. This paper explores the concept of circular public procurement and how it could be implemented by public entities to advance sustainable development goals and ensure long-term socio-environmental benefits.

Codesigning youth diversion programmes with community-led organisations: a case study

Background:We explore the feasibility of applying methods of participatory codesign to collaborative service development with community-led youth diversion programmes. Collaborative partnerships can support wealth redistribution and community mobilisation, a goal of governments aiming to implement equity-focused policy. There is little systematic exploration of methods aiming to structure the relationship between government and community-led programmes as part of youth criminal-legal diversion efforts. Methods:We use case study methodology to assess the feasibility and impact of a curriculum codesign approach between a university research team and two community-led organisations providing diversion services through a county juvenile court. The codesign method was informed by participatory design and use of research evidence frameworks. Findings:The analysis focuses on the feasibility of the approach from the perspective of the university research team and community organisations as well as how well the approach successfully navigated critical components of participatory process, including shared power, deference to community vision and values, and a valued end product. We conclude that the approach was generally feasible as a quality improvement strategy and well-received by the community-led organisations. Discussion and conclusions:Codesign is a promising strategy for reconciling public administration and health equity goals. The approach used in this case study adds to a small literature on methods of using codesign as a quality improvement process with applications for government contracting and monitoring, programme development and capacity-building.

Совершенствование бюджетного процесса в Российской Федерации в рамках осуществления казначейского сопровождения

In the article, the author presents problematic issues that arise in the budget process when implementing treasury support between customers and contractors during the design, construction (reconstruction) of capital construction projects within the framework of the execution of government contracts (agreements), ways to solve them and recommendations.