Center for Government Contracting Research
Center staff and affiliated faculty produce significant research ranging from commentary pieces in influential outlets, to white papers and essays on pressing government contracting issues, to peer-reviewed articles in premier journals.
Center competencies and capabilities are making an impact in the government contracting industry:
- Unique and influential analysis, commentaries, reports, and webinars on the federal response to COVID.
- White Paper Series that shares cutting edge research on small business transition, intellectual property, DoD budget reform, acquisition reform, and industrial base resilience.
- Impactful op eds in The Hill, Business Insider, Defense One, Defense News, the National Interest, with additional coverage by national print and broadcast outlets.
Acquisition Next: A Playbook to Break the Industrial Age Paradigm
To ensure overmatch against strategic adversaries like Russia and China, the defense acquisition system does not need a new set of reforms but rather a change in mindset. The Center for Government Contracting calls this change in mindset and approach "Acquisition Next." It seeks to replace industrial age paradigm of linearity and prediction with the modern approaches of modularity, speed, iteration, and competition. This playbook suggests a way to implement the Acquisition Next mindset.
Program-Level Plays
1. Adaptive Requirements
2. Continuous Market Research
3. Master the Baseline
Software-Intensive Plays
4. Agile Work Statements
5. Modular Contracts
6. Smart Intellectual Property
Send feedback to Eric Lofgren at elofgren@gmu.edu.
Acquisition Next Media Mentions
- How agencies can bolster their market research chops, Ross Wilkers, Washington Technology
- GMU GovCon Center Playbook Seeks to Implement ‘Acquisition Next’ Mindset, Jane Edwards, GovConWire
- Addressing DOD's Tech Focus Areas Requires New Approaches, C. Todd Lopez, DOD News
Center for Government Contracting White Paper Series
The Center for Government Contracting White Paper Series is a central focus of our work. The purpose of the series is to inject ideas into the government contracting ecosystem and identify potential solutions for vexing challenges facing the community.
In releasing these White Papers, the Center gratefully acknowledges the work of its senior fellows who wrote them. Through research, writing, and discussion, Center senior fellows champion matters of interest to the government contracting community. These fellows add a rich practitioner component for the School of Business to better understand and support the GovCon industry.
We welcome your feedback and ideas for future topics in this series. Contact Charles Dolgas at cdolgas@gmu.edu.
June 29, 2022June 29, 2022 — The Center for Government Contracting releases its latest White Paper: "Don't Get Ahead of the Data:" Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Maintenance in DoD.-
April 29, 2022The Department of Defense (DoD) faces unique data licensing challenges when acquiring artificial intelligence (AI) solutions from the private sector. This paper provides an alternative framework to the traditional data licensing strategies to better address the unique challenges of acquiring AI solutions.
- August 16, 2021This white paper explores U.S. Government and Department of Defense efforts to achieve defense exportability over the years, highlights current problems that deserve urgent attention, and suggests alternatives to improve performance.
- June 5, 2021This white paper outlines specific measures that the Department of Defense and Congress can undertake to help build U.S. industrial resilience through close cooperation with allies and partners.
- January 14, 2021What breadth and permanence will federal agencies will allow when it comes to remote work, at least in their on-site contractors, and on contracts where work locations are geographically restricted? The degree to which remote work will continue depends on legitimization, shaping, and timing.
- September 28, 2020This paper provides an expansive review of the U.S. defense industrial base from World War I to today, the vital importance of a robust and secure industrial base, and how that base is being used to face the COVID pandemic.
- July 29, 2020In this paper, author Eric Lofgren, who researches business, policy, regulatory, and other issues in government contracting, charts a course for the future of budgeting informed by the history of government's financial management.
- July 14, 2020This paper examines the value of intellectual property in government procurement auctions using a focused comparison of two recent programs by Oshkosh Corporation for military medium-weight trucks.
November 25, 2019This white paper details the effects of budget swings on readiness for Department of Defense operations as well as the impact on the contractors who engage on these efforts.- November 25, 2019This white paper introduces a model of defense procurement competitions to examine the difference on pricing intellectual property between the government and government contractors, and how that difference can be reduced.
- November 25, 2019The Small Business Runway Extension Act brings to light the broader issues surrounding set-aside contracting policies. This white paper provides recommendations for other ways to achieve similar social policy objectives while mitigating the adverse effects of these unintended consequences.
Center for Government Contracting Commentaries
Center commentaries provide timely insights into pressing government contracting issues in government and business. Whether the commentary topic is “in the news” or deserves “future attention,” readers are provided short, to the point on the topic, why the topic is important, and what to consider for its resolution.
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June 15, 2022Defense News Commentary by Bill Greenwalt, Jerry McGinn, and Christopher Zember see the Defense Production Act "as a strategic asset for shared American values and national interests."
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May 19, 2022Defense News Commentary authors Daniel Fata and Jerry McGinn detail how "maintaining robust foreign suppliers through a 'Buy Allied' approach is essential for the American economy to remain strong and will help reduce dependencies on Chinese sources."
- April 18, 2022As Emily Murphy writes in her Federal News Network Commentary, "Over the past 40 years, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program has contributed substantial innovations in the defense, civilian and private sectors."
- March 14, 2022There are already signs that OTA growth may soon reach a crescendo.
- March 2, 2022Center Executive Director Jerry McGinn wrote a commentary for Defense News, "You don’t need to rewrite acquisition regulations to improve DoD buying."
- February 3, 2022Center Executive Director Jerry McGinn teamed up with Center Senior Fellow Eric Lofgren to write the a commentary for Defense News, "Three Steps to Help Defense Innovation Break Free From Its Shackles."
- August 13, 2021Executive Director of the Center for Government Contracting Jerry McGinn wrote an op-ed for Breaking Defense on how the Department of Defense needs to address intellectual property (IP) and security.
- November 24, 2020Center for Government Contracting Executive Director Jerry McGinn and Daniel Kaniewski, Marsh and McLennan managing director, wrote an op-ed for Defense One on the Defense Production Act (DPA) entitled, “Where Does the Defense Production Act Go from Here?”
- November 17, 2020Center for Government Contracting Executive Director Jerry McGinn wrote an essay for The Heritage Foundation’s 2021 Index of Military Strength entitled, “Building Resilience: Mobilizing the Defense Industrial Base in an Era of Great-Power Competition.”
- October 19, 2020Center for Government Contracting Executive Director Jerry McGinn wrote a commentary for The Hill entitled, “Continuity is (mostly) on the menu for government contracting in the next administration.” The commentary points out many ways in which government contracting will remain unchanged in the case of a presidential transition.
- September 15, 2020Center for Government Contracting Executive Director Jerry McGinn wrote a commentary entitled “Reshoring Does Not Mean ‘Buy America’ Only” that was published in
- September 13, 2020Center for Government Contracting Executive Director Jerry McGinn wrote a commentary entitled “Could The Coronavirus Jump Start U.S. Defense Acquisition Reform?” for The National Interest in which he points out how COVID-19 has changed defense acquisition for the better.
Center for Government Contracting Affiliated Faculty
The Center for Government Contracting offers access to both the GovCon network and funds for research and writing, to enrich the understanding of the unique business interests on both sides of this market—government and business.
Affiliated Faculty appointments will
- Encourage academic research in GovCon;
- Advance the research reputation of the faculty and the Center;
- Offer grants and honoraria to support the effort faculty can bring to this discussion; and
- Offer a new avenue to engage faculty who share our interest to create a more efficient and effective market for the public good.
Current Appointments
Senior Associate Dean, Academic Affairs and Global Engagement
Additional Roles: Associate Professor, Accounting; Kearney & Company Faculty FellowDr. JK Aier is the senior associate dean for academic affairs and global engagement and an associate professor within the Accounting Area in the School of Business at George Mason University.
Associate Professor, Information Systems and Operations Management
Mehmet Altug is an associate professor within the Information Systems and Operations Management Area in the School of Business at George Mason University.
Assistant Area Chair, Information Systems and Operations Management
Additional Roles: Professor, Information Systems and Operations ManagementSidhartha Das is an assistant area chair and a professor within the Information Systems and Operations Management Area in the School of Business at George Mason University.
Deputy Assistant to the Director for Strategic Initiatives at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory and Chairman and Co-Founder of the Andrew W. Marshall Foundation
Mr. Durnan is a director of Siga Technologies, LLC, and he has served as a director or trustee for MacAndrews & Forbes Worldwide Corp., Swift Prepaid Solutions, kSARIA Corp., Orthozon Technologies, Defensewerx, Antioch New England University, and Unity College.
Associate Professor, Management
Additional Roles: Masters of Science in Management Program DirectorVictoria Grady is the Masters of Science in Management program director and an associate professor within the Management Area in the School of Business at George Mason University.
Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management, North Carolina State University
Dr. Robert Handfield is considered a thought leader in the field of supply chain management, and is an industry expert in the field of strategic sourcing, supply market intelligence, and supplier development.
Executive in Residence, Business for a Better World Center
Additional Roles: Professor of Practice, ManagementM. Rashed Hasan is the executive in residence for the Business for a Better World Center and a professor of practice in the Management Area within the School of Business at George Mason University.
Senior Research Scientist, School of Business
James Hasik is a senior research scientist within the School of Business at George Mason University.
Assistant Professor of Finance, Ball State University
Reza Houston is an Assistant Professor of Finance at Ball State University. He has published articles in the Journal of Corporate Finance, Financial Review, Managerial Finance, and other journals. His research interests include political economy, mergers, and federal government contracting.
Founder & Executive Director, National Security Institute and Assistant Professor of Law & Director, National Security Law & Policy Program at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University
Jamil Jaffer currently serves as Founder and Executive Director of the National Security Institute and as an Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the National Security Law & Policy Program at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, where he teaches classes on counterterrorism, intelligence, surveillance, cybersecurity, and other national security matters.