Procurement irregularities

Procurement irregularities include no-bid contracts awarded to political allies or donors, the suspension or manipulation of competitive bidding requirements to favor specific contractors, the directed award of major contracts on thin technical justification, and the structuring of solicitations so that only one bidder qualifies. Lawful emergency procurement, sole-source justifications meeting statutory standards, and routine award decisions explained by neutral evaluation criteria are not irregularities; the abuse is the manipulation of procurement to advantage favored parties.