Missteps found in awarding Katrina deals

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Missteps found in awarding Katrina deals

By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer
15 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has shown little progress
— and in some cases backtracked — on its pledge to do a better job
in awarding contracts to small, Gulf Coast businesses for Hurricane
Katrina work, a congressional analysis shows.

The review of federal contracts from five government agencies,
conducted by the House Small Business Committee, is the latest to
document missteps in the award of billions of dollars of lucrative
government work since the 2005 storm.

The findings were provided Wednesday to The Associated Press in
advance of a hearing by the committee Thursday at which officials
from the five agencies were to testify about the contract awarding
system.

The committee's review found that small businesses in Louisiana had
an overall net loss of $8.9 million in contracting dollars since April,
when the agencies reaffirmed their commitment to give smaller
companies a share of the work. The loss was due in part to a
decision at the Homeland Security Department to modify several
existing agreements instead of awarding significant new contracts.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070802/ap_on_go_co/katrina_contracts

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Alternate AP headline: Gov't Said Misdirecting Katrina Work

[MADem]

1. OK, who's SHOCKED, now? Surprised? Taken aback? Anyone? Hmmmm?

The Bush Crony Awards System--that's how they handed out contracts in the vicinity of the Arabian Gulf, why change their Modus Operandi for the American Gulf?

[ixion]

2. pathetic...on so many levels, and totally expected. It's the only way BushCo does business

Really, people should be outraged. :argh:

[aquart]

3. Most corrupt administration in American history.

Democrats give with one hand and steal with the other. Republicans steal with both hands.

[salin]

4. BAH! This makes me so angry.... a little more

from the article:

In addition, the review found the five agencies — Homeland Security, General Services Administration, Defense, Veterans Affairs and Small Business Administration — had claimed falsely that 259 contracts were awarded to small businesses when in fact they went to large companies or ineligible recipients. That created the false impression that more than $95 million in contracts was awarded to small companies, when they actually went elsewhere.

snip

FEMA ultimately rebid only portions of the work. Government investigators later found FEMA did not take adequate legal steps to ensure that the new companies were small and locally operated, resulting in a questionable contract award to a large company with ties to the Republican Party

and there are more nuggets in the story - shows how deeply entrenched the moles have been placed throughout the federal agencies in the Bush administration

[donkeyotay]

5. "Missteps"? Is that the new euphemism? nt