Clean contract bidding needed for the military

Published: March 18, 2010

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For the third time, the Air Force has issued bid specifications for the largest military procurement program in history - at least 179 aerial refueling tankers.

The planes are badly needed. They will replace two types of tankers. One model, based on the Boeing 707, was ordered during the Eisenhower administration. The other, based on the MD-11, dates to the late 1960s.

The effort to replace the fleet has been beset by scandal and controversy. Boeing won the contract in 2004 but it was revoked to ethical transgressions regarding the contract award. Then the contract was awarded to a consortium of Northrup-Grumman and Boeing's European rival, Airbus, even though the design clearly did not match the contract specifications. That contract, too, was revoked.

The Airbus design was based on the Airbus 330, which is substantially larger than the contract specification, while Boeing is based on the 767.

Bids now are due within a couple of months, and a flurry of lobbying and congressional interference has been unleashed.

This time, Defense Secretary Robert Gates should ensure that the process is clean and based on the Air Force's needs, rather than the agendas of either competitor's legislative patrons.

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1 posted comments

FYI - there is no longer a tanker bid competition, Boeing rival Northrop Grumman and its partner EADS dropped out of the competition last week citing the updated RFP made their product uncompetitive
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AF Member,  03/18/10 9:23