Public Procurement for Innovation: Research and Development at the US Federal Level

In this book, nationally recognized public procurement experts Dolores Kuchina-Musina and Benjamin D. McMartin present a comprehensive analysis of the alternative contract vehicles used to promote innovation in the United States (U.S).

Kuchina-Musina and McMartin begin by introducing the innovation policy environment in the U.S, addressing current trends in the workforce, decreased investment in research and development (R&D), and how technology is increasing at a rapid speed. They then go on to discuss key terms and subjects to show how public procurement and innovation policy is tied together. Diving deeper, Kuchina-Musina and McMartin examine the pathways the federal government uses such as the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) part 12 acquisition, a review of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, and non-FAR based contract overview with a specific focus on Other Transaction Authorities (OTA). Using the new Department of Defense (DoD) prototype authority that was enacted in November 2015, Kuchina-Musina and McMartin conclude by presenting a methodology for examining the effectiveness of OTs. Specifically, they show the way the government is evaluating the DoD statute and discussions some of the additional guidance the DoD uses to implement this authority.

Bringing academic literature on innovation policy and applying it to the practitioner environment, Alternative Contracting Pathways provide its audience an understanding of models, methods, and techniques the U.S. uses to promote the development of innovative technologies and products. Clearly written and impeccably researched, the book fills a huge void in the literature on public procurement.