In 1994, the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy and 20 Senior Procurement Executives pledged to improve com-munication practices "through all phases of the acquisition cycle." The pledge found as follows:

Complex legal restrictions on the release of sensitive procurement information and agency reactions thereto, while protecting the integrity of the Federal acquisition process, have contributed to an acquisition climate where legitimate and necessary exchange of information is often unduly restricted.

Competitors for Government contracts need information to make intelligent business decisions regarding the prepa-ration of proposals in response to agency solicitations. Also, agencies must be able to obtain enough information to conduct meaningful market research, thus enabling them to effectively consider the latest and best that industry can offer to meet the Government's needs.