Inspector general: Early Pentagon contracts in Iraq were badly handled

[RamboLiberal]

In awarding the first contracts in Iraq, the Pentagon "cut corners," couldn't show that it got "fair and reasonable" prices and didn't follow up to see if the work was done properly, a new Defense Department inspector general's report says.

Experts on contracting said Wednesday that the Pentagon report shows a disturbing, but not surprising, institutional problem with spending in Iraq that's probably far worse than the Department of Defense indicates.

The 68-page report shows that "no one's minding the store," said Steven Schooner, the co-director of the government procurement law program at George Washington University's law school. "The equivalent of this is to (hire contractors to) renovate my bathroom and say, `I'll be back in a month.'"

The March 18 report, which reviewed 24 contracts worth nearly $123 million — a small percentage of the tens of billions of dollars being spent in Iraq — found:

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"This is the tip of the iceberg," Singer said. "If this is as bad as this is looking in a small number of noncontroversial contracts, it really worries me about the rest."

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=21206

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. Oh really now. Say it ain't so.

[indepat]

2. No s**t and there's probably gambling going on in the saloon