FAA rejects appeals of outsourcing decision

[The Straight Story]

FAA rejects appeals of outsourcing decision

By Amelia Gruber
[e-mail]
The Federal Aviation Administration late Wednesday rejected two challenges of its February decision to outsource about 2,500 federal flight service jobs.

The bid protests alleged procedural errors in the FAA's decision to award the work to Lockheed Martin Corp. They were filed in March at the agency's Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition by James Washington, the official representing the team that vied to keep the work in house, and National Association of Air Traffic Specialists President Kate Breen.

The challenges claimed that FAA officials who selected Lockheed as the winner of a public-private job competition penalized the in-house team for circumstances beyond its control and did not dock the contractor for such alleged shortcomings as a failure to certify equipment that would be introduced. These potential errors could have been substantial enough to reverse the decision, Washington and Breen argued.

But an independent judge recommended that FAA Administrator Marion Blakey deny the protests. In keeping with that advice - issued by Judge Edwin Neill of the General Services Administration Board of Contract Appeals in a decision that was more than 100 pages long - Blakey denied the appeals, said Greg Martin, an FAA spokesman.

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0705/072005a1.htm

[WhiteTara]

1. OMG I have to fly so often

I don't think I'll be able to do it without really good drugs. I'm not afraid of terrorists, just the way the system is run (poorly)
:scared: