Boeing Screws Taxpayer

[EconomyClass]

Boeing overcharged the U.S. Army up to 177,000 percent on helicopter spare parts -- $71.01 for a metal pin worth 4 cents that the Pentagon already had plenty of in storage -- according to an audit by the Department of Defense's inspector general and obtained by the Project on Government Oversight. The audit focused on the Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command's transactions with Boeing to supply the Corpus Christi Army Depot in Texas.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0...usaolp00000008

More astounding than this is an article that electronics from U.S. weapons are being outsourced to, no beep, CHINA! Gee couldn't we get Iran to make them?

[justLOT787]

Hahaha lol funny and the answer for all this is UNIONS my friends. Automotive sector aka the car dealer does the same thing. It sucks but it is what it is, people let it happen!!

[guamainiac]

This has all the trapping of the classic ... half a story.

Did the so called .04 cent "straight pin" have a MIL-SPEC #

Did the expensive $71.01 so called "straight pin" have a MIL-SPEC #

Were they the same?

You can have any number of 4" straight pins but is there a difference in the shear or tensile properties or corrosion or ... if it goes in a bird that my ass is going up in it better be exactly to spec.

This is half a story. Stuff happens for certain with government SNAFUS but this smells like old fish.

[EconomyClass]

Douglas Adams still is best explaining reactions one gets on this board. Especially this concept:

http://www.hhgproject.org/entries/pe...unglasses.html

[brianw999]

The B52 bomber had a clip each side of the cockpit to secure pens/pencils. Exactly the same clip as that fitted to buses, inspectors' clipboards etc. Actual unit cost to manufacture was around 50 cents.

Cost to the US Air Force ?

Rumoured to be in the region of $100.....each !

....and there's f**k all mil spec needed in a pen clip !!!


Much the same as medical equipment. Back in the early days of my career I had a plastic case that I bought from Woolworths store for £9.99p to carry my paramedic kit in.
My employer bought EXACTLY the same case (same manufacturer, same unit ID code etc.) from an approved NHS supplier at a unit cost of £112 each. This included a bulk buy discount !!

The taxpayer gets screwed like this every day.

[guamainiac]

Just for the record, I made a living by looking in the dark and weird places and doing some odd things.

When it comes to government, I am one of the most, as a former employee, actually one of the last persons to be in denial.

And Brian will know how true this is, bought a lot of my own gear out of pocket (laser measure thinge), was the last.

I have never had blinders on though I have seen others make a career of wearing them. But I have been on so many scenes and then while reading the press account later was scratching my head wondering at the creative writing.

Believe the government and you are a fool.

Believe the press? See above. What is left of the "legitimate press" is a pity. It is a shambles. I do have a front seat frequently and many papers have only a handful of reporters to actually look, interview and investigate. Many are operating off the wire or just pulling from blogs.

A few of our local papers have now resorted to "Volunteer Journalists" to cover their community. All pap and politics of the worst kind. The press is dead.

[Highkeas]

This has all the trapping of the classic ... half a story.

Did the so called .04 cent "straight pin" have a MIL-SPEC #

Did the expensive $71.01 so called "straight pin" have a MIL-SPEC #

Were they the same?

You can have any number of 4" straight pins but is there a difference in the shear or tensile properties or corrosion or ... if it goes in a bird that my ass is going up in it better be exactly to spec.

This is half a story. Stuff happens for certain with government SNAFUS but this smells like old fish.

I agee with you.
One needs to see the whole story on matters such as this. I have worked dozens of contracts with the DOD and believe me they do an extensive review before every purchase. Plus they often open the competition to qualified source. I outbid Boeing and McDonnell Douglas several times on B-52 and KC-135 parts (but my company had a smaller overhead than Boeing and no development costs to amortize other than tooling).
Every DOD procurement and award is listed in CBD:
http://www.cbd-net.com/index.php/doc/internet

[Alessandro]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0...usaolp00000008

More astounding than this is an article that electronics from U.S. weapons are being outsourced to, no beep, CHINA! Gee couldn't we get Iran to make them?

Well, China is paying for it anyways so why shouldnt they get something out of it?

[Highkeas]

It appears that Boeing is screwing Wichita where some of its most dedicated employees are located.

The New York Times (1/19, Sulzberger, Subscription Publication) has a very critical feature story on Boeing's planned departure from Wichita, Kansas "after eight decades as one of its biggest employers and most prestigious brands" in a "trail of broken promises and bitter recriminations." After Boeing won "one of the largest military contracts in history" last year, the company vowed that "thousands of the resulting jobs...would be headed" to Wichita. The Times says for some residents, the "sudden reversal of fortune" adds "to the feeling of betrayal."
The CBS Evening News (1/18, story 7, 2:40, Pelley, 6.1M) reported, "Folks in Wichita say Boeing double-crossed them when it suddenly announced plans to shut down" the factory. According to CBS, In 2008, Boeing "asked Kansas officials to help win a $3.5 billion contract for 18 Air Force tankers. ... The Kansas congressional delegation lobbied the Pentagon hard," and, "in return, Boeing promised the tanker work would be kept in Wichita, saving 2,100 jobs, and creating 7,500 more."
Bloomberg News (1/19, Mildenberg) reports Sedgwick County, Kansas Commissioner Dave Unruh defended "using $43 million in taxpayer money to build a training center for aerospace workers" even though Boeing is leaving Wichita. Unruh "favors putting up as much as $100 million more as a 'closing fund' to draw new employers." But Bloomberg News says Boeing's exit shows the "peril of offering tax dollars for growth."