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Even before our nation was a nation, political leaders turned to private contractors to supply goods and services. However, the rapid growth in federal contracting in recent years brings greater scrutiny of both the process and the players. Investigations into the actions of contractors have uncovered a series of widely publicized scandals from $45 cases of soda for soldiers in Iraq to $24 billion for Coast Guard boats that do not float. In August 2007, the Washington Post reported that no-bid government contract awards tripled since 2000 and rose by $60 billion in the last year alone.