A unique treatment, this book is designed to provide real answers to software acquisition managment--the processes of acquiring, via formal agreement with the developer (contract), software that has to be developed or has a rather large content requiring development. This guide explores and answers several questions, including: What are the issues?; How should you deal with the contractor environment and contracting process?; How are software management requirements incorporated into the contract and managed?; and How is visibility achieved in the development process? The authors approach the subject on a broad scale, rather than concentrating on a specific management environment. However, specific examples are used to explain management precepts and guidelines that can be applied to software development efforts in any management environment.