Small Business Contracting in America and Europe: A Comparison of Approaches

Working Paper (for Acquisition Research Program)The United States, the EU, and virtually all European nations undertook solemn commitments to promote small business access to public procurement and R&D programs as part of the 2000 OECD Bologna Charter on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) Policies. Notwithstanding these mutual commitments, the Europeans have continued challenging America''s Small Business Act of 1953 and the set-asides it authorizes as unfair barriers to trade. Thus far, the United States has resisted the criticism. To put the transatlantic debate over small business contracting into concrete terms, this article compares European and US approaches to small business procurement assistance. Subjects of comparison include approaches to defining a small business concern; creation of small business procurement assistance agencies; availability of suitable contracts through reductions in bundling and consolidation; small business goals and set-asides; contracting with small firms for economic sustainability and remedial purposes; measures to enhance transparency and availability of public procurement information for small firms; small business subcontracting policies; and use of public procurement to stimulate innovation. The article notes that Europe is competing with the United States for best SME assistance policies. It concludes that the main elements of European and US policies to support SME access to public procurement and R&D are very similar and are continuing to further converge. Accordingly, EU trade complaints are without substantial merit. Indeed, both sides in this debate have legitimate reasons to help their small contractors, both sides have weaknesses in their SME policies, and both sides can learn from each other''s best practices.Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research ProgramApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Control of the Parameters of GaAs:Si p-n Structures by Gyrotron Irradiation

It is shown that using gyrotron irradiation it is possible to control the p-n junction in an already fabricated light-emitting structure. Shift of the compensated region of emitting structure based on GaAs:Si is conditioned by the motion of impurities in the field of thermoelastic stresses appearing during cooling of the samples after gyrotron irradiation. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/3601

Effect of the type of electrolyte аnion on the porous InP morphology obtained by the electrochemical etching

In this work the analysis of the dependence of the porous InP morphology on the type of reacting anion is presented. It is shown that nanoporous InP layers are obtained under certain conditions of electrochemical etching. При цитуванні документа, використовуйте посилання http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/9352У даній роботі подано аналіз залежності морфології поруватого фосфіду індію від типу аніону що бере участь у реакції пороутворення. Показано, що за певних умов електролітичного травлення, можливе отримання нанопоруватих шарів InP. При цитировании документа, используйте ссылку http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/9352В данной работе представлен анализ зависимости морфологии пористого фосфида индия от типа участвующего в реакции аниона. Показано, что при определенных условиях электролитического травления, получаются нанопористые слои InP. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/935

Films CdS Grown on Porous Si Substrate

In this work, CdS films were obtained on the technology of chemical surface deposition on porous semiconductor substrates. The morphology and chemical composition of the obtained structures were studied. The possibility of using CdS/porous-Si/p-Si heterostructures as photovoltaic solar energy converters is considered

A New Paradigm to Address Bid Protests

Sponsored Report (for Acquisition Research Program)distribution unlimited.The goal of this study is to offer senior decision-makers a useful framework to evaluate, articulate, and recommend modifications of the government''s bid protest policy to improve procurement outcomes. Most countries allow disappointed bidders to protest public procurement decisions as an oversight mechanism to minimize fraud and errors by procurement officials. The expectation is that allowing bid protests increases transparency and accountability and encourages competition, reducing the cost of public purchases. A key contribution of this study is to add an economics dimension to a bid protest process that is mostly thought of in legal terms. The economics approach suggests firms are likely to use the protest process strategically to improve their competitive bargaining position and will be equally strategic in their decision to protest an award. The conclusion is that a firm''s responsibility to its shareholders can lead it to undertake protests for reasons substantially different from, and fundamentally opposed to, the government''s objectives. The economics approach suggests minimizing the risk of protests that result in cost overruns, schedule delays, and performance gaps, while preserving the benefits offered by protests to promote competition and ensure the integrity, transparency, and accountability of the procurement process. Adopting an economics perspective reveals two other crucial insights: firms can exploit protests to extract concessions (Fed Mail), and risk-averse officials can overreact in attempts to achieve protest-proof procurements (Buy-offs). In recognizing costs as well as benefits of a protest system, the economics approach invites a review of alternative portfolios of governance mechanisms that complement bid protests (internal audits, external audits, independent investigations, alternative dispute resolution, increased training and incentives, etc.), to improve procurement outcomes.Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research ProgramApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Modeling of Etching Nano-surfaces of Indium Phosphide

This paper describes a mechanism for obtaining a regular porous structure InP, which is to use the method of photoelectrochemical etching. Through the use of simulation etching at the nanoscale, it is possible to get a regular uniform grid of nanopores on the surface of indium phosphide, which allows us to understand the mechanisms and the establishment of technological regimes anodic structures indium phosphide to produce a variety of devices

Optical properties of p-type porous GaAs

Samples of p-type porous GaAs was obtained by electrochemical anodization of (100) oriented p-type GaAs. The formation of porous structure has been confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy investigations. The low-frequency Raman shift of the peaks conditioned by the main optical phonons was observed in the Raman spectra of the porous GaAs. Estimation of the size of nanocryslallites in porous GaAs both by Raman shift and scanning electron microscopy gives approximately the same values and was about 10-20 nm. Photoluminescence investigations of porous GaAs exhibit the presence of two infrared and one visible bands

Structural and optical properties of ZnO films obtained on mesoporous Si substrates by the method of HF magnetron sputtering

In the present work, ZnO films were obtained on mesoporous silicon substrates by the method of HF magnetron sputtering of a metallic zinc target in reaction oxygen and argon gas medium. The properties of the ZnO films obtained on mesoporous substrates were studied depending on the ratio of the partial pressures of the working gases (argon/oxygen). X-ray analysis showed that in the process of deposition, the ZnO films of a hexagonal structure were formed. The effect of the porous layer on the structural and luminescent properties of the thin ZnO films was studied. The results showed that the porous silicon substrate reduces residual stresses and can be used for obtaining high-quality ZnO films