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In Darfur, Lockheed is Late and Poor Performer, UN
Admits of No-Bid Contract
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
July 16 -- Lockheed Martin in
Darfur is "far behind schedule and has not performed as expected,"
the UN's Ban Ki-moon admitted in a report released this week. This
comes eight
months after Ban awarded Lockheed's PAE subsidiary a no-bid $250
million contract
to build peacekeeper bases for the hybrid UN African Union Mission in
Darfur,
known as UNAMID. Faced with questions about why competition rules were
waived
and the aura of corruption, Ban insisted to Inner City Press that PAE
was the
only company that could do the job, as did the United States' special
envoy for
Sudan, Richard Williamson. Now Ban's July 7 report,
released to the public this
week, states
"37. A major support issue
that will have a significantly negative impact on UNAMID deployment
relates to
the commercial contractor which is constructing accommodations and
other
critical infrastructure for the Operation. The contractor is far behind
schedule and has not performed as expected. In order for it to meet its
obligations
and complete critical preparations for deployment, a major acceleration
of its
work will be required. Otherwise, there will be serious negative
consequences for
our deployment efforts, including a reduction in the Operation's
capacity to absorb
new military and police units, as well as civilian staff."
Lockheed's "poor performance" in "constructing
accommodations" was noted in another recent review of conditions for
those deployed along with UNAMID. Inner City Press' visit to UNAMID's
El Fasher base last month found rows of trailers, Internet barely
working, complaints everywhere.
June 2008 visit to Lockheed's El Fasher base,
poor performance not shown
PAE's
failure to deliver value for the money the UN has paid it could have
been and
was predicted. PAE previously overcharged the UN
for airfield
services in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, and for breakfasts in Darfur, click here
for that.
Both UN Peacekeeping
and its Procurement Division, as well as Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon, have
been under fire since
October 2007, when the no-bid
contact with Lockheed was announced. At first, the UN
Spokesperson said that Lockheed
had been selected through a competitive process, then retracted the
claim. It
was said that the contract would be made
public, but that has still not taken
place.
Inner
City Press obtained
and published letters
from Jane Holl Lute, whose husband is U.S. President
George W. Bush's
war czar for Iraq and Afghanistan, pushing for Lockheed to be given a
no-bid
contract each before the Security Council approved the Darfur mission
in July
2007. Further back, there were inquiries about the contract from
Condoleezza
Rice, click here
for that. These revelations were cited in the
General Assembly's budget committee in December when it called for
greater use
of local vendors and formally demanded an
investigation of the Lockheed
contract, which the UN Office of Internal Oversight
Services has still not completed. The report of poor performance on the
no-bid contract sure can't help.
Footnote: On
another Darfur issue, the suspension of deployment of peacekeepers,
Inner City Press asked the UN Spokesperson's Office on July 11 and July
15 to confirm what Australian defense minister Joel Fitzgibbon told
Inner City Press and a few other reporters on July 11, that nine
military officers would not be going to Darfur, pursuant to UN policy.
On July 11, associate spokesperson Farhan Haq told Inner City Press he
would prefer not to answer, since the head of Peacekeeping Jean-Marie
Guehenno who be takin questions at the
stakeout. But Guehenno's appearance was subsequently cancelled, as
Inner City Press reported.
On
July 15, Inner City Press asked deputy spokesperson Marie Okabe to
confirm the suspension of deployment. "If DPKO is listening, they
should answer you," she said. Apparently they weren't listening. Inner
City Press re-asked, but hours later was told to keep on waiting. Now
another reporter who interviewed Fitzgibbon has reported
it. And on July 16, again Guehenno's press availability was
cancelled, for another farewell lunch. It's said he will take questions
before he leaves and Alain Le Roy arrives. We'll be here. Watch
this site.
And this --
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