Contractor's Plans Lie Among Ruins of Iraq

[spindrifter]

By T. Christian Miller, Times Staff Writer
April 29, 2006

WASHINGTON — Parsons Corp., the Pasadena engineering firm that won one of the largest rebuilding contracts in postwar Iraq, fell dramatically short of a number of goals, according to interviews and documents that cite shoddy work and negligent government oversight.

The firm was to have rebuilt Iraq's health and security infrastructure. However, an audit and interviews show it will finish only 20 of 150 planned health clinics, and nearly $70 million of medical equipment meant for the clinics sits unused.

<snip>

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to properly monitor Parsons' performance, stonewalled investigative efforts and exercised "poor cost controls" as Parsons spent $186 million on a contract to build the health clinics, according to a draft copy of an audit obtained by The Times. About $60 million of that was spent by Parsons on management and administration.

<snip>

In 2004, Parsons and its partners were competitively awarded contracts potentially worth more than $2 billion to rebuild Iraq's health, justice and oil infrastructures. Overnight, the employee-owned engineering firm became the second-biggest player in Iraq's restoration, behind Houston-based Halliburton Co.

<snip>

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-parsons29apr29,0,2341239.story?coll=la-home-headlines