Defense experts agreed – the digital slicing and dicing simply didn’t make sense. An Aerospace Daily & Defense Report analysis of data from the National Institute of Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR) showed the number-one Pentagon expense for 2006 was for “architecture and engineering services” – some $70 billion worth, nearly four times the amount spent for the next biggest bill for fixed-wing costs. Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute echoed the concern that the expenses likely included items not normally associated with architecture and engineering services. “Honestly, I don’t know what to make of that,” he said. “It doesn’t match up with any budget planning.” Indeed it didn’t. And it matched up even less under further investigation.
The number one contractor for such services – for about 30 listed contracts or modifications worth about $69 billion of those $70 billion was a small Pittsburgh-based company called Earth Savers Inc., the records showed.
And the records showed the statistic revolves around one contract worth about 99 percent of the total.
Turns out the records were wrong.
Apparently, NICAR says, someone at DOD inadvertently moved a decimal point over a few places, making a contract with tens of billions instead of single-digit millions.
Defense Department spokespeople say the Pentagon doesn’t keep track of such data in this manner and won’t comment on the analysis.
And at Earth Savers, folks say they have no deals with the Pentagon worth anywhere near that amount, although a spokesperson indicated they wouldn't mind.
--Michael Fabey
EDITOR'S NOTE: For more slicing and dicing of Defense Department contracts, contractors and other budget-geek items, please check out Aviation Week's recent Aerospace Daily editions.
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