Contact Your Legislators
| Dear friends of AmericasTanker.com,Yesterday, Department of Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the decision to reopen bidding on the contract to supply the U.S. military with its fleet of next generation aerial refueling tankers. Citing “significant issues pointed out by the Government Accountability Office,” Secretary Gates explained that the contract will now be managed by the Pentagon in an effort to conduct a more fair and transparent bidding process.
The Pentagon’s announcement serves as yet another confirmation that this contract’s selection process has been fatally flawed from the beginning and that the Air Force erred in selecting the French Airbus tanker.
The GAO report illustrates just how unsuitable the Airbus tanker is for American servicemen and women and how “unawardable” it was for the contract. In fact, the Airbus tanker should have been deemed ineligible. Specifically, the GAO found that the Airbus KC-30 was ineligible on at least three fronts.
If the Airbus tanker is ineligible for award of the contract, why is the Department of Defense continuing with this process? Why is the Department of Defense planning to repeat the same unfair process? Simply re-bidding the competition isn’t enough. The new bidding process must result in the selection of a tanker that can provide flexibility to the military, efficiency to the taxpayer and support the American jobs that make up our nation’s vital military industrial base. Above all, as Secretary Gates explained yesterday, it is imperative that the new process be open, transparent and fair. American taxpayers deserve better from our government. We must keep the pressure on our leaders in Washington. Log on to the updated Tanker action site on AmericasTanker.com and send a letter to your Members of Congress encouraging them to stand behind an open and transparent rebid process. Contact your Members of Congress now.
Yours in Freedom,
 Jeff Mazzella Lee ADDS: If one bidder cannot perform in accordance with the bid and another can, why will there be a new bidding process?
Will altering the price to be charged to meet specifications, what is the impact on the amount bid? Why no ask both of those questions and determine the impact before doing anything?
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