GAO: Security contracts don't violate ban on quasi-military forces (Iraq)

[The Straight Story]

GAO: Security contracts don't violate ban on quasi-military forces

By Jenny Mandel
[e-mail]

The Government Accountability Office ruled last week that two Army solicitations for cargo transportation and security services in Iraq do not run afoul of governmentwide restrictions on the use of quasi-military armed forces for hire.

The agency denied bid protests filed in response to two Army requests for proposals issued in May and June. One required the contractor to provide security escorts for cargo convoys, with specifications for the number of armed escort vehicles to be provided per truck escorted.

The other asked the contractor to propose labor, weapons and equipment for internal security operations at the Victory Base Complex in Iraq, including providing armed escorts for Iraqi laborers. It also specified that the contractor would "repel and control" destructive activity targeting the base.

The protests were brought by Brian Scott, an individual who said he could have provided the specified services if the contested portions of the RFPs were not included. Scott argued that some aspects of the proposal requests would require contractor personnel to engage in combat operations, and would thus violate the 1892 Anti-Pinkerton Act and Defense Department regulations.

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