PMC / Mercenaries in Iraq (catch all)

[LawVol]

I disagree...I would not fault SOC-SMG. In essense they are doing the best job they can with the money they are given. They are a private for profit company and as such need to show a profit. However, they are the lowest bidder, and therefore the government gives them the contract. They government cannot afford to pay expats 15,000/month to man internal security, so they have forced companies like SOC-SMG (EODT, Sabre and a couple other companies also do this work on other bases) to find ways of cutting their overhead...paying a TCN 1000/month is a way of doing that.

So the question is...who is at fault...the Private COmpany that was awarded the contract, or the governemnet for chosing the lowest bidder?

This really isn't a proper view of the contracting process. The government isn't "forcing" anyone to do anything. The government identifies a need and puts out an invitation for bids (IFB) or request for proposals (RFP), depending on the need. Companies that can meet that need then review the requirements as set forth in the IFB or RFP and, if they can meet them, submit a bid or proposal. If they determine that they cannot make a profit, then they shouldn't bid. Indeed, I know of no companies that would bid if they didn;t see a profit. They may cut overhead by hiring TCNs or something like that, but they must still meet the requirements.

Now the rub is whether the government is properly overseeing the contract. This falls into the hands of the contracting officer or his representative. He is responsible for ensuring that the terms of the contract are satisfied. Hopefully, Gnaeus reported his findings up the chain.

Just because the government selects the lowest bidder does not mean it is at fault. Sure, the lowest bidder is usually selected for contract award, but price is never the only consideration. The bidder must be responsive and responsible. This basically means that the bidder must demonstrate an ability to perform the contract and to meet the terms of the contract. A term in use for some contracts is "lowest price technically acceptable." If you look at it in these terms then you see that the government is using the ocntracting process to ensure that any awardee is capable of meeting the contract requirements. Of course, capable and actually doing it are two different things and this is where the contracting officer comes in. As Stan and Old Eagle indicate, oversight is key.

[Gnaeus]

Hopefully, Gnaeus reported his findings up the chain.

Although I never did anything official, I did speak to a few of my senior officers about it. Partly, I was too busy to really focus my energy on griping about substandard security guards and partly becuase...I'm not sure who I would address this to. My command had no direct influence over these individuals or this organization. We were a unit that worked out of that FOB, but by no means "owned" it. I don't even know what government agency awarded the contract. I suspect it was either the DoD or DoS. Anyone have any advice to offer to help get this ball rolling? Now that I have some more free time (if you can call it that), I am interested in pursing this further.

Personally, I'm not too thrilled with their presence or the job they are doing. The guards were a little more than an annoyance and I fear that in a real attack they would do little good.

[LawVol]

Although I never did anything official, I did speak to a few of my senior officers about it. Partly, I was too busy to really focus my energy on griping about substandard security guards and partly becuase...I'm not sure who I would address this to. My command had no direct influence over these individuals or this organization. We were a unit that worked out of that FOB, but by no means "owned" it. I don't even know what government agency awarded the contract. I suspect it was either the DoD or DoS. Anyone have any advice to offer to help get this ball rolling? Now that I have some more free time (if you can call it that), I am interested in pursing this further.

Personally, I'm not too thrilled with their presence or the job they are doing. The guards were a little more than an annoyance and I fear that in a real attack they would do little good.

Everything runs through the contract, so the remedy is through that mechanism. There is likely a contracting office (or at least a contracting officer) at your FOB. That would be the first place I'd go. Even if they don't directly manage the contract, they can get in touch with the folks that do. If there isn't a contracting rep there, go talk to the JAG. They are likely involved in the contracting process (it's big business for us over there) and can get the ball rolling. If you run into a roadblock, PM me and I can might be able to inquire about other potential avenues. Stay safe.

Okay, I just noticed that you are now back at the Stumps. You can make your inquiries through the contracting office there. They should be able to track down who manages the contract. -john