Contracting, by creating an alternative, raises standards for the government as well as for private vendors. Contracting adds new expertise and specialized skills. Quantity a. Contractors can help alleviate today's capacity crisis by building new prisons faster than the government can. Contracting helps limit the size of government. Flexibility a. Contracting allows greater flexibility, which promotes innovation, experimentation, and other changes in programs, including expansion, contraction, and termination.
Contracting reduces some of the political pressures that interfere with good management.
Contracting relieves public administrators of daily hassles, allowing them to plan, set policy, and supervise. Security a. Contracting may enhance public and inmate safety through increased staff training and professionalism. Liability a. Contracting may decrease the risks for which government remains liable, through higher quality performance and through indemnification and insurance. Accountability a. Contracting increases accountability because market mechanisms of control are added to those of the political process. Contracting increases accountability because it is easier for the government to monitor and control a contractor than to monitor and control itself.