Lowest-Priced Security not Good Enough for War-Zone Embassies. Special Report on Embassy Security Contracts

摘要

Unlike other federal agencies, the U.S. Department of State is forbidden by law to select anything but the lowest price and 'technically acceptable' offer when awarding contracts to protect its overseas buildings-even if this means passing up offers from firms offering higher quality and better experience. In contingency operations like those in Iraq and Afghanistan, this prohibition can have negative consequences for security, wartime mission objectives, and America's image. The Commission recommends removing this lowest-price restriction so that State Department contracting officers can-like their counterparts in other government agencies-use their professional judgment to select from the entire continuum of 'best value' criteria and make appropriate trade-offs between cost or price and other relevant factors. When American lives and American interests are at stake, quality and experience must be considered along with price.