April 30
On April 30, 1810, Congress enacted legislation establishing formal advertisement requirements for mail contracts, mandating eight-week public notices, detailed specifications, ninety-day Treasury Department filings, and four-year term limits. These requirements built upon earlier standards like the 1808 solicitation that introduced performance specifications and penalties created the first comprehensive framework for federal contracting. Though later challenged by westward expansion, these principles of public notice, term limitations, and detailed requirements laid the foundation for government-wide procurement practices.
