Government Contracting Research

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. 
Mosaic tile
Mosaic tile

 

Reports

  • April 28, 2023
    The Statement of Objectives (SOO), available in Appendix 1, defines the overall objective of this study: “Identify the obstacles for small businesses to obtain financing in the private sector as well as when doing business with the Department of Defense.” (DoD) This final report addresses this objective, following the structure of the SOO.
  • April 28, 2023
    In support of the Office of Defense Pricing & Contracting’s Contract Financing/Cost and Pricing Study, George Mason University’s Center for Government Contracting examined government accounting system requirements and their impact on commercial company participation in defense contracts.
  • April 28, 2023
    This project focused on three research questions, over the period 2000 through 2019: A. Did free cash flow (FCF) increase or decrease over time? For what was FCF being used, and did that change over time? Was there a relationship between FCF and independent research and development (IR&D)?
  • January 26, 2023
    Report to the Laboratories and Personnel Office, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, U.S. Department of Defense in response to the FY2020 NDAA requirement for "the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to enter into an arrangement with a university business school or law school with resident economics and intellectual property expertise to conduct an independent assessment of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s and defense laboratories’ contracting and intellectual property management policies and their effects on the commercialization of and innovation in dual-use technology."
  • October 26, 2022
    While the platform-based defense budgeting system works well for large capital investments, many other capital investments such as the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) concept require modular, cross-cutting technologies that do not fit well into program stovepipes. Even when all stakeholders are aligned, there are precious few opportunities to get funding within the traditional resource allocation process. This creates a proverbial “valley of death” that frustrates everyone involved. What types of strategies can inject the execution flexibility necessary to bridge this valley of death and get capabilities in the hands of warfighters?
  • August 2, 2022
    This report outlines the results of a workshop discussion on Trusted Workforce 2.0 (TW 2.0) implementation and academic initiatives to educate and train today and tomorrow’s cleared government contracting workforce.
  • July 20, 2022
    The Center for Government Contracting releases a new report, “The Power of Many: Leveraging Consortia to Promote Innovation, Expand the Defense Industrial Base, and Accelerate Acquisition.”
  • February 9, 2022
    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. 
  • November 6, 2020
    Executive Director Jerry McGinn & Research Fellow Eric Lofgren compiled and analyzed data from the federal response to COVID-19.
  • June 15, 2020
    Update and trends from the Center for Government Contracting on the COVID-19 response
  • April 22, 2020
    Focuses on the performance of FAR and non-FAR authorities in the response to date.
  • April 8, 2020
    Provides updates and trends in the federal response to COVID.

 

White Paper Series

Center for Government Contracting White Paper Series Logo

The Baroni 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.


 

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. 


 

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

  • George Mason University School of Business Faculty JK Aier

    Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Global Engagement
    Additional Roles: Associate Professor, Accounting; Kearney & Company Faculty Fellow

    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.
  • George Mason University School of Business Faculty Mehmet Altug

    Associate Professor, Information Systems and Operations Management
    Additional Roles: 
    Academic Director, Master's in Business Analytics

    Mehmet Altug is an associate professor within the Information Systems and Operations Management Area in the School of Business at George Mason University.
  • George Mason University School of Business Faculty Sidhartha Das

    Assistant Area Chair, Information Systems and Operations Management
    Additional Roles: Professor, Information Systems and Operations Management

    Sidhartha 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.
  • Jaymie A Durnan

    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.
  • George Mason University School of Business Faculty Victoria Grady

    Associate Professor, Management
    Additional Roles: Masters of Science in Management Program Director

    Victoria 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.
  • Rob Handfield

    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.
  • Reza Houston

    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.
  • Jamil Jaffer

    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.
  • George Mason University School of Business Faculty Brett Josephson

    Associate Dean for Executive Development
    Additional Roles: Associate Professor, Marketing

    Brett Josephson is the associate dean for Executive Development and an associate professor within the marketing area in the School of Business at George Mason University.
  • George Mason University School of Business Faculty Mahesh Joshi

    Associate Professor, Management
    Additional Roles: Academic Director, Executive Development Chief Risk Officer program

    Mahesh Joshi is an associate professor within the Management Area in the School of Business at George Mason University. He is also the president of Joshi International, Inc., a consulting firm that provides strategic and entrepreneurial advice to clients.