The Competition in Contracting Act (CICA) of 1984, 41 U.S.C. 253, is United States legislation governing the hiring of contractors. It requires U.S. federal government agencies to arrange “full and open competition through the use of competitive procedures” in their procurement activities unless otherwise authorized by law.[1] CICA was passed into law as a foundation for the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and to foster competition and reduce costs. The theory was that more competition for procurements would reduce costs and allow more small businesses to win Federal Government contracts. Under CICA all procurements must be competed as full and open (there are some exceptions found in FAR Part 6) so that any qualified company can submit an offer. The bidding procedure should take the form of sealed bidding, previously known as "formal advertising",[2] solicited prior to 2001 through Commerce Business Daily.[3]
manuel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).