During the Presidential campaign the democratic candidates stated that they would reduce federal contracting dollars. Now we have bailout and stimulus initiatives, both probably stimulating the amount of federal contracting dollars. How many stimulus dollars will end up as contracting dollars in unknown but there is general agreement that contracting dollars will go North, not South.

Now the political emphasis is turning to contract and procurement reform, an emphasis on contractor ethics, more contract accountability, new methods for improving contractor performance, more competition and a litany of related oversight measures. All of this is needed and is actually a good thing for the industry.

What's to fear if you are a contractor that performs well and delivers quality services or products. Weeding out the bad guys and poorly conceived contracts can only result in a better reputation for the industry and more business in the long run. Better oversight and transparency is certainly better than a reduction in federal contracting.