In the 30 years that we’ve been researching and writing about state and local government management, there are few fields that have changed as much as procurement. In the old days, agencies tended to think of their purchasing and contracting offices in much the same way as they did of human resources. It was the department that had the job of saying “no.” The emphasis in government procurement was often on compliance and control with employees entering the field more by accident than with a professional commitment to build a career.

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