The book is focused entirely on the formation of a contract - from the earliest planning until contract award. For our purposes, the award of a contract begins the process of contract administration, a separate process. As with previous editions, the goal is to make the reader aware of the statutes, regulations and decisions that establish the complex rule structure that is followed in the process of entering into government contracts. Major updates to this 4th edition include: One of the major changes that has occurred since the third edition of Formation of Government Contracts is the widespread use of interagency contracting. For that reason, we have added a new Chapter 8 covering this complex field. The other major change that has occurred since the publication of the third edition is in the selection of the proper type of contract - addressed in Chapter 9. We are in one of those periods where the emphasis is on more fixed-price type contracts.