The vast majority of United States Federal government evaluations are conducted by contractors. However, the issue of communication between contractors and their Federal clients is rarely explored. Can enhanced communication and other creative solutions improve the process of contracting for federally-funded evaluations? Can a focus on communication lead to better contracting, more openness, enhanced flexibility to meet the realities and overcome obstacles in conducting evaluations, produce more timely and relevant evaluation results, and lead to better quality evaluations that serve the needs of the public? What are some of the legal and regulatory obstacles that affect the design and conduct of Federally-funded contract evaluation that may inhibit or limit communication and flexibility? A panel of experienced and well-respected government evaluators, contractors, and the audience were asked to address these and related follow-up questions. #2012Conference #Communications #GovernmentEvaluation