Through the course, I learned various issues that will be presented in this paper in the form of a reflection. For example, I learned the main issues in public administration and governance. They include transparency, accountability, communication, and coordination (Savas, 2000). I believe that these aspects are interdependent and complement each other to enhance the increased performance of the parties involved.
Cooper offers a detailed analysis of the history and laws of contracting over the centuries ( Cooper, 2003). It is amazing to see how contracting issues have changed over the years. The first federal contracting law was developed in 1792, and since then, various contractual legislations have been developed. These contracts bind the parties to a contract and are enforced by legislation. Failure to honor a contract leads to a predetermined punishment that is in the awareness of the parties involved.
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I also developed a deeper understanding of the requirements for carrying out a government program. The stakeholders involved in a program include clients, politicians, bureaucrats, contractors, and sub-contractors ( Cohen & William, 2008). When one of the parties fails in handling his/ her task efficiently, the project fails. For example, the Atlanta Water Contract was plagued by a budget deficit, an aging water system, nepotism and inefficiency in the city water department, poor performance, and corruption.
Besides, I knew the individuals who play an imperative role when developing a program network design. They include the contractors and subcontractors, government agencies, prime contractors, and third parties ( Goldsmith & William, 2004). To achieve success, it is necessary that the parties develop consensus on their goals and roles and actively interact to enhance performance. This prevents role confusion and ensures that every member is working towards achieving a common objective.
I also learned that the labor force is characterized by a skill imbalance where the knowledge, skills, and expertise of the current generation do not match the one needed in future work environments. This situation is facilitated by increasing retirements, voluntary separations, buyouts, and retirement of workers in the baby boom generation ( Martin, 2002). I would recommend that government agencies recruit more young people to take up the positions left by the old. A major advantage of the young generation is that they are technologically savvy hence will move with the current technological trends into the future. Further, they are more energetic, are self-driven, and will work for more years before they retire.
References
Cohen, S. & William, E. (2008). The Responsible Contract Manager . Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Cooper, P. J. (2003). Governing by Contract . Washington, D.C.: CQ Press.
Goldsmith, S. & William, D. E. (2004). Governing by Network . Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.
Martin, L. L. (2002). Making Performance-Based Contracting Perform. IBM Endowment for The Business of Government .
Savas, E. S. (2000). Privatization and Public-Private Partnerships . New York, NY, Chatham House Publishers.
