Jul 5th, 2007 · Faced with huge wildfires, California officials are using big tools to fight them, including a DC-10 jet airliner. The big plane that once carried passengers now hauls four times as much retardant as the largest air tanker. But some say flying heavily loaded jumbo jets at low altitudes is too risky.
May 26th, 2007 · Congress passed a law eight years ago that would set aside 3 percent of all federal procurement dollars for service-disabled veteran entrepreneurs. Is the government living up to expectations?
Mar 16th, 2007 · Thousands of mobile trailers originally procured for distribution to Hurricane Katrina victims are on the auction block. The federal government is selling them at rock-bottom prices through the Internet and live auctions.
Jun 20th, 2006 · A federal grand jury returns guilty verdicts on four of five counts against David Safavian, the former chief procurement officer for the federal government. Safavian was convicted of lying and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors said he tried to cover up his business relationship with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Apr 20th, 2006 · NPR's Peter Overby takes a long look underneath the cyber-covers at the everyday e-mail dealings of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and David Safavian, the top procurement officer in the Office of Management and Budget. It's a "how Washington works" story.
Apr 11th, 2006 · Journalist Michael Pollan's new book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, follows industrial food, organic food, and food that consumers procure or hunt for themselves, from the source to the dinner plate.
Sep 26th, 2005 · Madeleine Brand talks with NPR senior Washington, D.C., editor Ron Elving about ethics questions swirling around Washington recently. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is facing a probe over a stock sale, a top Bush administration procurement official faces charges of lying to investigators and the process for awarding Hurricane Katrina recovery contracts gets wider scrutiny.
Aug 8th, 2005 · A former United Nations procurement official pleads guilty to taking nearly $1 million in bribes from contractors in the U.N. Oil-for-Food program in Iraq. The move came after U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan lifted the diplomatic immunity of the official, Alexander Yakovlev.