Noncompetitive Federal Contracting: Analyses of “Bridge” Situations & Urgent Needs

When an existing contract is set to expire but the follow-on contract is not ready to be awarded, the government can extend the existing contract or award a short-term sole-source contract to avoid a gap in service. These have been referred to as bridge contracts. While bridge contracts can be necessary tools, they are awarded without competition, which puts the government at risk of paying too much. This book examines insights selected agencies have into their use of bridge contracts; key characteristics of bridge contracts; and the reasons bridge contracts are used.