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Return to Article: Legislators rip DHS contracting practices

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  Davis and Waxman aren't fooling anyone! Until two months ago Jim Williams headed US VISIT because Reps. Davis and Waxman approved Williams for that leadership post. All the problems Waxman and Davis cite with the program were their own doing! Williams answered to Davis and Waxman!

  As a reward for quashing competition in the US VISIT program to adhere to Davis and Waxman's special interest agenda, Davis and Waxman since have approved Jim Williams to head GSA FAS (merger of FTS and FSS) so that Williams will quash competition at the GSA as he did with US VISIT, taking over where David Safavian left off! I have a bottle of champagne in my refrigerator to be opened each time one of these three shady characters is indicted!

  Most importantly, the criticisms Waxman and Davis have of programs such as US VISIT were created by their own doings; they're the architects that fixed the DHS' programs so that the awards were made with little to no competition. The quotes in this article are crafty statements released into the press to detract from Davis and Waxman's own corruption! However, readers' memories aren't so short. Davis and Waxman installed Williams into US VISIT to carryout their special interest agenda and since it involved the releasing of incompetent technologies, Davis and Waxman moved Williams out of US VISIT to protect him, then assigned blame to people who hadn't anything to do with the shortcomings. The blame should be assigned where it is due: Davis and Waxman!

  Dawn Posted August 3, 2006 1:20 PM
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  Wow, let the contractors write the SOW and tell the government what they need. What is wrong with that? Everything. The government writes a SOW to let industry know what we need. You can comply with it or not bid. Negotiations are expected of course but the government not the contractor decides if the SOW is being met. It seems that the contracting out of all government has now gotten to the point that industry runs the show. Just because DHS is full of incompetents doesn't mean we give the government away. We need to fix DHS from the top down not give responsibility away to contractors.

  GovExec.com reader Posted August 1, 2006 1:23 PM
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  I strongly disagree with Congressman Waxman. DHS is asking industry to propose solutions to the problem and the implementation cost. DHS then has the opportunity to evaluate the various responses, negotiate with prospective contractors, score the proposals and pick the one that is most effective. There are several advantages to this approach. First, this method ensures effective competition. Next, since the SOW is essentially written by the contractor, a fixed price contract can be used putting the bulk of the risk on the contractor. Finally, the Statement of Work is owned by the contractor so, if some aspect doesn't work, it is the contractor's responsibility to fix it within the contract amount. What is wrong with that approach, congressman?

  Bud Hemphill Posted July 28, 2006 8:30 AM
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  And this sad saga of waste and more waste at DHS goes on and on and on. Just a few short months ago we read about $100 extension cord rentals and crazy money spent at TSA to hire ex-convicts. TSA management spending millions on their own awards parties.

  FEMA is wasting millions and millions of dollars on unused trailers while the numbers of homeless in the United States continue to rise.

  One contract after another deemed wasteful at DHS while the rest of the government suffers a shortage of resources that is truly criminal.

  Please end our suffering and take DHS apart. This department is so managerial inept no amount of band-aides is going to fix it. It was incredibly harmful what was done to the Customs Service and having a financially weak CBP, ICE and CIS all fighting each other for resources is shameful.

  And while you are at it and considering saving money, please consider dismantling the Commerce Department as well. There is no logical reason for NOAA, NIST, PTO and Census to have to report to the former CEO of the Kellogg Company!!! The Commerce Department does more damage to these agencies than people even realize.

  HR Specialist

  GovExec.com reader Posted July 28, 2006 7:55 AM