Bechtel

[andyfox]

A senior vice president of Bechtel, Jack Sheehan, sits on the Defense Policy Board.

Isn't there something wrong with a system that allows a bigwig from a company to advise the Secretary of Defense, on whether or not to invade a country, and then that company gets the contract to rebuild said country?

[MMMMMM]

Maybe. But why don't you just admit that the invasion of Iraq has thus far turned out to be a great thing;-)

[adios]

If you don't like the choice of Bechtel whom would you recommend? I know you're really suggesting that there's impropriety here rather than arguing with Bechtel's qualifications. To be honest I don't know what the process was for selecting Bechtel. For instance was it through some sort of RFQ/RFP process (typical government type process) where bids were submitted? Or was it something else like some honcho making an arbritrary choice? I'm betting it was a much more formal RFQ/RFP type process. Might you agree that it's possible the process was fair and open?

[Chris Alger]

Nine of the thirty members have direct ties to defense contractors. It's a liason to the private sector, not a conclave of defense experts. I don't think that it's any more suprising than the absence of any controversy surrounding it.

They include:

Retired Adm. David Jeremiah: “a director or advisor of at least five corporations that received more than $10 billion in Pentagon contracts in 2002.”

Retired Air Force Gen. Ronald Fogleman “sits on the board of directors of companies which received more than $900 million in contracts in 2002. The companies, which all have longstanding business relationships with the Air Force and other Defense Department branches, include Rolls-Royce North America, North American Airlines, AAR Corporation and the Mitre Corp.”

Former CIA director James Woolsey “is a principal in the Paladin Capital Group, a venture-capital firm that like Perle’s Trireme Partners is soliciting investment for homeland security firms. Woolsey joined consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton as vice president in July 2002. The company had contracts worth more than $680 million in 2002.”

William Owens “sits on boards of five companies that received more than $60 million in defense contracts last year.”

Former Secretary of Defense Harold Brown “is a board member of Philip Morris Companies and a trustee of the Rand Corporation, which respectively had contracts worth $146 million and $83 million in 2002.”

From the Center for Public Integrity
http://www.publici.org/dtaweb/report.asp?ReportID=513&L1=10&L2=10&L3=0&L4=0&L5=0

[Zeno]

As a strange coincidence just last Saturday I attend a dinner with old acquaintances from the Large Company that I used to work for. It was fun to hobnob with some bigwigs and caress my ego with the delusion that I am important in this silly world. As posturing was tossed about the table – the biggest wig of all mentioned dealings with the Iraqi ambassador to the US (not UN, that’s US) and certain large American firms, Bechtel being named. But also mentioned was Washington Group. This immense firm used to be Morrison-Knudsen (MK) but went bankrupt and then got reorganized and acquired by a confederation of moneyed people (or something like that). I have had dealings with Washington Group lately and years ago sent my resume to Bechtel as I wished to get into bed with bigger boys than I was currently employed by. Nothing happen.

Anyway, Washington Group handles contracts into the 100s of millions and even billions. And, as is usual with these types of contracts, all sorts of sub-contractors and subs to sub-contractors etc will get work, and the daisy chain continues on down to the specialty companies and small firms like the one I work for at present. Well, my former firm is in on the sex act with Washington Group and Bechtel (and many other firms as well I’m sure). At this point I said to Mr. Bigwig – you need us little specialty guys and that I would go to Iraq in a heartbeat. Chances are immensely slim of course but it would be fun to get in on the looting and pillaging before order is restored. Actually, much must still be worked out as insurance issues and liability and other legal chicanery must be settled before anything can really start up.

So the real gist is that yes, I know that an RFP was let and that everything is legal and more importantly - you must have large firms with the people and ability to do all that work, and do it well. Which is why a former bankrupt company is in on the act. It is all so amusing that I cannot stop laughing. Anyway, it is usually all the subs that do most of the work and get things done, the big firms take a big percentage off the top and then if anything goes wrong they can blame the subs and get off scott free and sip drinks and play golf in Bermuda with all their ill-gotten wealth. I could on but I have not the time. Wish me luck if I go to Iraq – I’ll need it, atheists do not fair well in the Muslim world I’m told.

-Zeno

[Zeno]

The number of firms that can handle immense projects is rather limited and it will come down to a select few big ones. But actually much of the work will be done by "smaller companies" - see my post in response to Tom Haley. Don't fret over it. The country must be rebuilt and rest assured; Iraqi companies will also get in on the sex act along with everyone else.

-Zeno

[Zeno]

Check out the website. Washington Group (http://www.wgint.com)

Note the recent contracts. If anyone needs work, they are going to be hiring. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif

-Zeno

[andyfox]

O.K. The invasion of Iras has turned out to be a great thing, thus far, for Bechtel. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

[andyfox]

The process can't possibly be fair and open when the Defense Policy Board recommends invading a country and one of its members is a bigwig for a company that gets the main contract to rebuild the country that was invaded.

But of course this is nothing new. After all, it was one of our country's greatest military leaders who told us to beware the military-industrial complex.

[adios]

Actually I did find out something about the process. It was an expedited process supposedly in compliance with USA procurement law. The reason it was an expedited process was due to the time frame involved. This same expedited process was used in the Clinton Administration for aid to Bosnia. An RFP went out to seven selected contractors (BTW Haliburton declinded to bid) and each contractor was scored on the basis of technical ability and cost. Bechtel came in with the lowest cost and the highest technical score. According to the government bearucrat I heard interviewed this evening, the Defense Department had no say in awarding the contract.

[adios]

I've been involved working for a sub on many DOD contracts in my lifetime. I know the system fairly well. If anyone thinks that it's automatically a license to make money they are just plain wrong.

[Zeno]

Excellent point and very true.

-Zeno