A Defense Department depot that made a successful bid for $1.1 billion in work from another depot is awaiting an Air Force decision on what to do after a private firm won a protest against the contract award.
The Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, won a contract on Sept. 21 to perform depot maintenance work now performed at the Sacramento Air Logistics Center at McClellan Air Force Base, Calif. McClellan is closing in 2001. The contract includes maintenance for KC-135 aircraft and A-10 aircraft, along with upkeep of hydraulic equipment, electrical accessories and flight instruments.
The comptroller general last week ruled in favor of Pemco Aeroplex, Inc., a Birmingham, Ala. facility that performs depot maintenance for the KC-135. Pemco protested the bundling of the KC-135 work with other equipment maintenance. The bundling excluded the company from bidding on the work, Pemco argued.
"The Air Force has not shown that readiness requires bundling these workloads," the comptroller general ruled.
The Air Force contended that the bundling was necessary in order to spur competition for all the maintenance work. An Air Force spokeswoman said the Air Force has until Thursday to file a reconsideration of the comptroller general's ruling. She noted that the decision is not binding.
"We're still reviewing our options on this," the spokeswoman said.
Ogden, along with subcontractor Boeing, beat out Lockheed Martin in the competition for the nine-year contract. The 1,500 jobs necessary to perform the maintenance work would be split between Ogden and a Boeing facility in San Antonio, Texas. San Antonio's Kelly Air Force Base is also closing in 2001.
NEXT STORY: House to vote Thursday on impeachment inquiry