{{short description|Firm which produces goods and/or services under contract for the government}} A '''government contractor''' is a company (privately owned, publicly traded or a state-owned enterprise){{spaced ndash}}either for profit or non-profit{{spaced ndash}}that produces goods or services under contract for the government.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gallagher |first1=Daisy |title=The Government Contractor's Resource Guide |date=2006 |publisher=Daisy Gallagher |isbn=978-0-9789647-0-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_K6rNOjGeacC&q=%22Government+contractor%22+-wikipedia |access-date=17 June 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Some communities are largely sustained by government contracting activity; for instance, much of the economy of Northern Virginia consists of government contractors employed directly or indirectly by the federal government of the United States.<ref name=fedjobs>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1587284-2,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212035142/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C1587284-2%2C00.html|archive-date=February 12, 2007|title=The Federal Job Machine|date=February 8, 2007|magazine=Time|first=Justin|last=Fox|access-date=November 7, 2007}}</ref>
== Terminology == Frequently a term '''public contractor''' is used to describe the government contractor.
In ancient Rome, term publican was used for private individuals that performed work on public buildings, supplied Roman armies, or collected taxes.<ref>{{Britannica URL|topic/publican|publican}}</ref>
==United Kingdom== Section 12(2) and (3) of the Official Secrets Act 1989 define the expression "Government Contractor" for the purposes of that Act.<ref>[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/6/contents The Official Secrets Act 1989 as amended], from the National Archives</ref>
== United States ==
The United States federal government seeks to select contractors in a way that is fair to all and promotes the free market system. Contractors are selected via Federal Acquisition Regulations which are intended by Congress to ensure that taxpayer money is used to benefit the public or nation as a whole. Contractors must learn how to operate within these regulations.<ref>{{cite report |last=Sullivan |first=Andrew J. |date=August 12, 2005 |title=A Contractor's Introduction to the Federal Acquisition System |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA458749.pdf |publisher=University of Maryland Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering |page=3–4 }}</ref>
===Prime contractor=== '''Prime contractor''' is a term defined in the US law.{{sfn|Nicastro|2023|p=1}}{{sfn | Carril | Duggan | 2020 | p=}} Statutory definitions of prime contract, prime contractor, subcontract, and subcontractor are in {{USC|41|8701}}.{{sfn|Nicastro|2023|p=1|loc=Note 5}} The prime contractor term was already defined before the 8 March 1946 passage of '' An Act To eliminate the practice by subcontractors, under cost-plus-a-fixed-fee or cost reimbursable contacts of the United States, of paying fees or kick-backs, or of granting gifts or gratuities to employees of a cost-plus-a-fixed-fee or cost reimbursable prime contractors or of higher tier subcontractors for the purpose of securing the award of subcontracts or orders.'' (Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 79–319, 60 Stat. 37)
==See also== * Defense contractor * Beltway bandit * Private prison
==References== {{Reflist}}
== Sources == * {{cite web |last1=Nicastro |first1=Luke A. |title=The U.S. Defense Industrial Base: Background and Issues for Congress (R47751) |publisher=Congressional Research Service |date=12 October 2023 | url=https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47751}} * {{cite journal | last1=Carril | first1=Rodrigo | last2=Duggan | first2=Mark | title=The impact of industry consolidation on government procurement: Evidence from Department of Defense contracting | journal=Journal of Public Economics | volume=184 | date=2020 | doi=10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104141 | article-number=104141}}
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Category:Government procurement
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