Pentagon says mapping agency's outsourcing plan is legal

A controversial outsourcing plan at the National Imaging and Mapping Agency is legally sound, according to a recent letter from the Pentagon's general counsel. Sen. Jean Carnahan, D-Mo., called for a review of the outsourcing project during the April confirmation hearing of William Haynes, the Defense Department's general counsel. NIMA plans to directly convert 600 information technology and service jobs at its Washington, D.C., and St. Louis offices to the private sector without competition. In a June 11 letter to Carnahan, Haynes said the project is legal under federal outsourcing rules. NIMA is outsourcing the IT work to a joint venture of two Alaskan Native-owned corporations, Chenega Technology Services and Arctic Slope Regional Communications. Agencies may skip the public-private competition process and award noncompetitive, sole-source contracts to firms with majority ownership by Alaskan native tribes, according to Haynes. "A cost comparison under Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 is not required, nor is the analysis required under Section 8014 of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2001," he said. The joint venture could earn $2 billion over the life of the proposed 15-year contract, according to NIMA. The agency expects to make a final decision on the contract by Sept. 15, Haynes said. Carnahan is exploring other options that would allow NIMA employees to compete for their jobs, according to spokesman Tony Wyche. "Employees at the facility in St. Louis . . . are supposed to be able to organize and put in a bid to compete in a meaningful way," he said. "That opportunity has not been afforded them." In a May 4 letter, Carnahan and 10 other lawmakers urged Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to review NIMA's decision to bypass public-private competition on the project. Carnahan has yet to receive a reply, Wyche said.