Unspent budgets lapse at year end. Research on United States federal contracts found spending in the last week of the year ran several times the weekly average, and year-end projects were rated lower quality.
The Open Contracting Partnership's guide to red flags puts it this way: a red flag is not evidence that anything wrong happened. It points at something that may be worth a closer look.
| Public body | Source | Last month's share | Times an even share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Correctional Service of Canada | Federal contract | $7.4 million of $12.6 million | 7.0× |
| Department of Education and Early Childhood Development | Provincial contract award | $14.4 million of $27.3 million | 6.3× |
| Employment and Social Development Canada | Federal contract | $1.9 million of $5.2 million | 4.4× |
| National Research Council Canada | Federal contract | $10.1 million of $35 million | 3.5× |