Dirty Deals In Afghanistan Contracts

Well, well, well…what a complete and total shocker, eh? It seems there has been some underhanded & financial misdeeds going on in the Afghan National Police (ANP) contract; according to a report by the Department of Defense Inspector General a neat little contract was not awarded in accordance with DoD guidelines – and millions of dollars seem to have been wasted with no accountability or repercussions for those involved in this mess. It has been ‘recommended’ that no further expense or money-costing changes be made to the contract without approval…

Uh-huh. I see. A contract is illegally awarded to a private security firm, upgrades and additional changes are made just 2 months later resulting in millions of dollars being spent above and beyond what was in the initial contract…and the only recommendation being made is that various department heads of military and foreign coalitions just please ask next time before they pull more money from taxpayers? Suhweet deal, isn’t it? I do hope you appreciate a nice screwing without the foreplay or lube because that is exactly what we’ve gotten out of this latest fiasco in our effort to ‘rebuild’ Afghanistan.

Afghan national policemen demonstrate their tactical maneuvers at the Helmand Police Training Centre, Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Jan. 28, 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Oh! That the name DynCorp is involved in the contract and ended up pulling quite a tidy profit from the job should come as no real surprise, should it? Just business as usual folks, nothing to see here a’tall…(Emphasis throughout the report excerpts is mine.)

Full Report on PDF Available Here – “Army contracting officials at Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) did not appropriately award and administer the ANP contract in accordance with Federal and DoD guidance. Combined Security Transition CommandAfghanistan (CSTC-A) personnel made substantial changes to the statement of work immediately after contract award and the contractor more than doubled the size and cost of its program management office. CSTC-A, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, and Army contracting officials did not adequately define contract requirements or identify that the contractor omitted key program office positions from its proposal during the source selection process. As a result, the cost of the ANP contract increased by $145.3 million in the first 4 months of the contractor’s performance and contractor officials still had not reached the staffing levels required in the contract at the time of our review…”

The Afghan national police commander marches to greet distinguished visitors at the graduation of Afghan National Police Academy cadets. Upon graduating the three year course, cadets become ANP officers and earn a degree in criminal justice. The academy trains men and women from more than 34 provinces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brian Ybarbo/RELEASED) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The report goes on to state -

“The increased costs of $16.1 million for additional program management personnel may have resulted in the Government not receiving the best value. Several offerors were found to be technically capable of filling the ANP contract requirements, and as a result, the contract was awarded based on the lowest proposed cost. In modification 005 to the contract, the contractor added 44 personnel to their program management office. The contract specialist stated that some of these positions were because the Government did not clearly define the requirements at contract award, and other increases were because the contractor “underbid” on the contract. When including the substantial statement of work changes with the increases in program management costs, Army contracting officials may have violated the Competition in Contracting Act, which may result in additional cost increases to the ANP contract in the future. The PCO should perform a thorough cost analysis before negotiating and modifying the ANP contract for any additional changes that increase costs to this contract…”

And then we get to the real honey-pot part of the DynCorp Deal -

“The DCMA-Afghanistan ACO inappropriately authorized the prime contractor to award a subcontract for a power plant upgrade at a regional training center, and the power plant upgrade was outside the scope of the work of the prime contract. The ANP life support statement of work required DynCorp to provide life support services at the Helmand RTC, located in Lashkar Gah, Helmand, Afghanistan. According to the ANP life support statement of work, 

CSTC-A requires contracted life support services, to include training facility force protection (in
some locations), dining facility services, MWR [Morale, Welfare and Recreation] facility services,
communications support, operations and maintenance (in some locations), black and grey water
disposal, solid waste removal (in some locations), and medical support services… These efforts
directly support the US and NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] missions to develop a
trained and professional Afghan police force, enhancing public security, and supporting the rule of
law in Afghanistan. Facilities covered under this requirement support various aspects of the
training of the ANP, including providing life support for Afghans and mentors and trainers of the
Afghan government, USFOR-A [U.S. Forces-Afghanistan], and Coalition Forces who support the
training of the ANP.

According to the DCMA-Afghanistan ACO, the Helmand RTC had an influx of contractor personnel, military, and Afghan students because of an increased training mission. As a result, the DCMA-Afghanistan ACO explained in a memorandum that many facilities at Helmand RTC lacked the “proper tools” to provide adequate support and that the electrical grid and generators were among the areas that required improvements. The DCMA-Afghanistan ACO stated that the upgrade needed for the power plant was a life and safety issue and needed to be completed…”

Read The Full Report Here

Captain Amandullah graduates from the Afghan National Police Academy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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