WP: Army to End Expansive, Exclusive Halliburton Deal

[kskiska]

Logistics Contract to Be Open for Bidding

Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A01

The Army is discontinuing a controversial multibillion-dollar deal with oil services giant Halliburton Co. to provide logistical support to U.S. troops worldwide, a decision that could cut deeply into the firm's dominance of government contracting in Iraq.

The choice comes after several years of attacks from critics who saw the contract as a symbol of politically connected corporations profiteering on the war.

Under the deal, Halliburton had exclusive rights to provide the military with a wide range of work that included keeping soldiers around the world fed, sheltered and in communication with friends and family back home. Government audits turned up more than $1 billion in questionable costs. Whistle-blowers told how the company charged $45 per case of soda, double-billed on meals and allowed troops to bathe in contaminated water.

Halliburton officials have denied the allegations strenuously. Army officials yesterday defended the company's performance but also acknowledged that reliance on a single contractor left the government vulnerable. The Pentagon's new plan will split the work among three companies, to be chosen this fall, with a fourth firm hired to help monitor the performance of the other three. Halliburton will be eligible to bid on the work.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101459.html

[Kagemusha]

1. As I recall Halliburton literally wrote the book on contracting guidelines

for US troop logistical support. Surprise surprise, only Halliburton fit the bill. Wonder if they changed the standards, or if they'll simply fail to find other companies that fill them.

[acmavm]

2. I don't care what they do, with Dick Cheney in office, Halliburton or

some subsidiary will still be making the big bucks while ripping us off.

This is just all election year bullshit.

[EFerrari]

7. Exactly. Paper tigers galore and incoming ships. n/t

[Up2Late]

8. I bet you're right!

Total BS:banghead:

[underpants]

18. Exactly don't give them the benefit of the doubt

it is all politics to them.

[wellst0nev0ter]

3. After How Many Billions Spent On That Toilet?

Gee, you'd never know there was an election around the corner :eyes:

[rodeodance]

4. the ceo's (and cheney) have made their millions--so now ok. damm!

[Psephos]

5. Meanwhile, Dairy Queen announces snow-cone kiosk to open in Hell

$45 soda is what you get when you have one supplier. Reminds me of those $10 airport burritos.

The Army wised up after only five years? A new record.

Peace.

[OneBlueSky]

6. aw . . . now they'll probably cut Cheney's bonus this year . . .

if we knew the whole truth about Cheney, Halliburton, and government contracts, Dickie and his brethren would all be spending their remaining years in the cooler . . .

[Demeter]

9. Army to End Expansive, Exclusive Halliburton Deal--WaPo

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101459.html?referrer=email


Army to End Expansive, Exclusive Halliburton Deal
Logistics Contract to Be Open for Bidding

By Griff Witte
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A01



The Army is discontinuing a controversial multibillion-dollar deal with oil services giant Halliburton Co. to provide logistical support to U.S. troops worldwide, a decision that could cut deeply into the firm's dominance of government contracting in Iraq.

The choice comes after several years of attacks from critics who saw the contract as a symbol of politically connected corporations profiteering on the war.

Under the deal, Halliburton had exclusive rights to provide the military with a wide range of work that included keeping soldiers around the world fed, sheltered and in communication with friends and family back home. Government audits turned up more than $1 billion in questionable costs. Whistle-blowers told how the company charged $45 per case of soda, double-billed on meals and allowed troops to bathe in contaminated water.

Halliburton officials have denied the allegations strenuously. Army officials yesterday defended the company's performance but also acknowledged that reliance on a single contractor left the government vulnerable. The Pentagon's new plan will split the work among three companies, to be chosen this fall, with a fourth firm hired to help monitor the performance of the other three. Halliburton will be eligible to bid on the work.

VERY INFORMATIVE, AND FOR BUSINESS NEWS, READABLE REPORT ON IRAQ AND HALLIBURTON

[brooklynite]

10. iIs there a 90-day return policy on the work they've done already?

[ret5hd]

11. The way it looks to me is...

Now that they (haliburton) might be expected to actually perform, they (haliburton) are cutting and running.

[grilled onions]

12. Honeymoon Over?

Or will they just change the name and continue the same?

[WePurrsevere]

16. That's my suspicion. In an intricately woven web of illusion....

many of these big corps, that up close look like separate strands, are in actuality a part of a single larger web where whatever is snagged by any one of these trickles back to the same brown recluse spiders.

[Debau2005]

13. I am wondering

if this means our time in Iraq is coming to a close. Cheney will no longer have a finacial reason to stay! He has made his money, on the backs of the American troops and the Iraqi people.

[Rose Siding]

14. "The Iraq reconstruction is winding down"

mission accomplished

[papau]

15. What happened to "Only Halliburton capable of doing the job"?

And really what will change?

3 military industrial super giant companies will split up the contract rather than one having the contract which it sub-contracts to the others.

"A fourth firm hired to help monitor the performance" really means the GAO reports will be even more ignored as we defer to a GOP client company auditing firm.

BUT OUR MEDIA SPINS THIS AS A RETURN TO ACCOUNTABILITY!

"reliance on a single contractor left the government vulnerable"? ... the players never change - just the cover story.

What bull.

[saigon68]

22. Thank GOD for Whistle blowers

[RangerSmith]

17. While I never liked the original set-up,

I could "take" Halliburton having the exclusive on this for the first year... the reality was they could do it and risking that wasn't an option, IMHO.

BUT, extending this past the one year cemented the fact that this was purely the stuff of political cronyism. Over the course of that 1st year an infrastructure could have been implemented that allowed a workable system where hundreds of contractors could have been used to do what Haliburton did.

[derby378]

19. Too little, too late

Logistic support for our military needs to be nationalized.

[mbperrin]

20. Lessee, they cured FEMA by dropping the F, so here the cure is

Alliburton, Alliburto, Lliburto, and Lliburt will be the new companies, and everything will be great, great, yeah, that's the ticket!!!........

[bearfan454]

21. Halla-fucking-leujah !

No more raiding the treasury.

[rocktivity]

24. Maybe Halliburton's leaving

because there's no treasury left to raid.

:(
rocknation

[karlrschneider]

23. Let's all keep a sharp eye out for new HAL/KBR "acquisitions"

:eyes: