Even as the government meets its goals in working with small businesses, a concerning trend appears to be accelerating.

A nonprofit watchdog organization won its Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the General Services Administration on Thursday and has released 13 years of federal contract data on its website.

The cost to repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has ballooned to more than $14.65 million -- exceeding the original estimated cost of the no-bid contract by more than $4 million, according to ...