And This Is Surprising, how?
We've just gone through an election season in which the GOP (including its President and Vice-President) tried to convince the electorate that Democrats couldn't be trusted on security issues. Fortunately, the electorate didn't buy into this nonsense because we now have a report that substantiates just how bogus the claim that Republicans are better at national security actually is. From the Washington Post:
Private consultants hired by the Department of Homeland Security have found widespread problems with its contracting operation, including nearly three dozen contract files that could not be located.
Files that could be found often lacked basic documentation required under federal rules, such as evidence that the department negotiated the best prices for taxpayers, according to a copy of the consultants' report obtained by The Washington Post.
...The assessment underscores complaints by department auditors and outside experts that procurement officials persistently neglected contracting responsibilities as they spent billions of dollars after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks -- much of it on security systems that do not work as planned. [Emphasis added]
The first thing in the article that set my teeth on edge that of the 72 contracts that the auditors requested for sampling, more than thirty couldn't be located. How does one "lose" that many contract files? But wait, there's more:
The consultants sharply criticized an array of contracting procedures. Of the 72 contract files reviewed, only 14 were deemed to be in "excellent" shape. Those files contained evidence that the contracts were awarded with adequate competition and represented the best deal for taxpayers
Forty-seven files met only "minimum" standards and showed little evidence of fair and reasonable pricing or supervision by contracting officials.
Eleven files were deemed to be "seriously inadequate," with key documents missing or incomplete and little evidence that the contracts were competitively awarded or prices were justified.
The consultants said some information in the files "seems to be just enough to 'get by.' " [Emphasis added.]
And this is supposed to feel more secure?
Heckuva job, Mr. Chertoff.
Private consultants hired by the Department of Homeland Security have found widespread problems with its contracting operation, including nearly three dozen contract files that could not be located.
Files that could be found often lacked basic documentation required under federal rules, such as evidence that the department negotiated the best prices for taxpayers, according to a copy of the consultants' report obtained by The Washington Post.
...The assessment underscores complaints by department auditors and outside experts that procurement officials persistently neglected contracting responsibilities as they spent billions of dollars after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks -- much of it on security systems that do not work as planned. [Emphasis added]
The first thing in the article that set my teeth on edge that of the 72 contracts that the auditors requested for sampling, more than thirty couldn't be located. How does one "lose" that many contract files? But wait, there's more:
The consultants sharply criticized an array of contracting procedures. Of the 72 contract files reviewed, only 14 were deemed to be in "excellent" shape. Those files contained evidence that the contracts were awarded with adequate competition and represented the best deal for taxpayers
Forty-seven files met only "minimum" standards and showed little evidence of fair and reasonable pricing or supervision by contracting officials.
Eleven files were deemed to be "seriously inadequate," with key documents missing or incomplete and little evidence that the contracts were competitively awarded or prices were justified.
The consultants said some information in the files "seems to be just enough to 'get by.' " [Emphasis added.]
And this is supposed to feel more secure?
Heckuva job, Mr. Chertoff.
Labels: DHS
posted by Diane at 11:35 AM
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