Contractors Feting Themselves

Last week, the information technology (IT) industry trade publication Government Computer News, held its annual Awards Gala at the Washington Hilton - known as the Academy Awards night for government contractors. This contractor-sponsored extravaganza honored government and industry partnering to achieve “excellence.” We’re not sure what that means exactly, but a number of reports from the dinner indicate that contractors feted themselves for landing large government contract awards, and for generally doing everything they can to permeate all facets of government agency operations, making the distinctions between public servants and their contractor “partners” ever more blurred. Particularly disturbing were the honors bestowed on current government executives, including General James Cartwright, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, and John Johnson, Assistant Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service at the General Services Administration. These government leaders may very well merit praise for their service on behalf of the public, but it is quite disconcerting to see that praise lavished upon them by contractors who receive billions of dollars a year in contract awards from the organizations these people run.

The sponsors of the event claim that over 1,000 people attended the black-tie reception and dinner in the main ballroom where they dined on scallops and prime rib.  It was reportedly an impressive sight, with a multimedia display, and videos of leading government and industry executives touting the benefits of “partnering.” As might be expected, the event was underwritten by “sponsors,” which included virtually every large and mid-sized government IT contractor, including Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, and Northrop-Grumman.

However, everyone I talked to said the evening’ highlight was clearly when Hall of Fame Inductee and contractor lobbyist, Steven Kelman spoke. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Mr. Kelman, he is widely credited as being the architect of our government’s current contracting system. Kelman, who as always was introduced as a Harvard Kennedy School professor and former OMB Office of Federal Procurement Policy Administrator (ignoring his role as industry lobbyist), addressed the crowd twice -- the first time through a short video sequence streamed on the large display screens in the banquet hall, and then again “live” when he was presented with his Hall of Fame award.

While we don’t have a transcript of Mr. Kelman’s comments, reports indicate that in his video presentation, he made a point of stating that transparency, small business interests, and accountability are not key issues in government contracting.  According to Mr. Kelman, the key issue is supporting the accomplishment of agency mission.  We don’t have a problem with supporting accomplishment of agency mission, but we think that transparency and accountability are pretty important too. In fact, if you are successfully accomplishing the agency’s mission, accountability shouldn't be that scary, should it? And speaking of mission accomplishment, we really wonder whether the contractor “partners” are focused on contributing to these goals in a cost effective manner.

Kelman continued with his usual theme of criticizing what he calls the “fear industry”, which this time he defined as including Inspectors General, some reporters and some elected officials. (It appears he doesn’t understand that these independent overseers are necessary because too many times, the very contracting officers Kelman thinks he is defending, like Bunny Greenhouse, tried to fix the system from the inside but were prevented at every step.) However, what took several people in the audience aback, along with those of us at POGO, was Kelman’s comparison of these “fear industry” mongers, as being akin to 19th century management in their attitude toward workers in the New England textile mills. One witness marveled that he even went so far as to compare the “fear industry” to -- get this -- slave-masters, and civil servants to slaves.

Really? Those who dare to question or even criticize the current contracting system are that bad? Look, we share Kelman’s loyalty to civil servants. However, the civil servants we hear from tell us their biggest concern is that contractors are increasingly influencing or even dictating government policies, making it harder for them to do their job protecting the public interest. The good news is some of the high rollers in the government contracting industry who were there to hear this craziness were themselves appalled. They are beginning to remember that they are taxpayers too, and they are quietly glad there are some people out there who are paying attention.

- Danielle Brian

Comments

[JH]

I was also at the contractor shindig and I have to say that I side slightly with KSBR’s take of the event than that of Danielle and Connie. It pains me to say that, but it is true. However, the most important point that people are overlooking is that Kelman was drunk on his own self importance, because he couldn’t have been drunk on those cheap drinks they served at the Hilton.
(Yes, Kelly was live via satellite so he actually didn’t experience the cheap drinks.)

[Axel]

Dear Readers, 11/5/2007

My sincere apologies for my impromptu and huuriedly written 3rd paragraph, Nov 1, 2007 post reply which has the words 'save face' and should read 'being more conscienceable' instead. Please accept my apologies as it is and was not my intent to offend and/or write what may be conscrued in an offensive manner.

Lets continue to hope our Legislatures will act as stated and appropriately and bring to a vote and overwhelmingly pass US Senate Bill S. 274 Whistleblower Protection and as overwhelmingly as our US Congressional Legeslatures have already accomplished in April, 2007.

How can you have a forthright and viable Democracy and Accountability if the facts are corrupted, subverted, innappropriately secret, frivilous and/or unavailable to be heard?? The answers is obvious!!

Thank you and all for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Axel

[Axel]

Dear Readers, November 1, 2007

I wrote a further response that POGO has not posted in reference to this POGO Article about a Social gathering in Washington, D.C. and my appreciation for the response that KSBR had taken the time to respond to this Article and the comments. My hope is that POGO will re-review my prior post and either call or contact me with their concerns and/or post my prior post on this Article. Redact whatever you prefer to redact, thats fine. I wrote the additional response quickley and not as complete as I would have preferred and as usual without a re-read and/or proof read as a neighbor requested my assistance.

As you know our Congressional Legislatures have again to vote on another yearly funding bill and it sure appears plausible to me that at least our Congressional legislatures will have some creditability if they also proceed with Impeachments proceedings and as clearly and capably described and as written in a 20 count indictment by our former US Attorney General, Ramsey Clark. I find it impossible that our Legislatures would again allocate Trillions of US Dollars with all the added corruption and illegalities without a SOCIAL alternative to save our Democracy and hopefully their Integrity. (especially to further fund clearly illegal, Unconstitutional, Criminal and henious torture programs and that is also from direct recent Testimony from Generals to our US Congressional Committee(s) Judiciary).

The adolescence, nonsensical, subverted, corrupt, manical, deranged, despotic and/or etc. behavior from our leaders and information sources seemingly appears to some extent to be despicably and ridiclously disgusting to further comment on without proper and forthright action which continues to appear non-existent. I am just trying to provide an opinion on how our Legislatures can socially find an avenue to save face should they prefer as they semmingly appear to have lost creditability on the most important issue and failed on many and/or all of the most important issues. Hopefully this website will allow this comment to be posted and with creditable
forthcomming replies.

Thank you and all for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Axel

[Connie the Contractor]

KSBR –

I like your analysis, and sure hope you’re correct, but I’m afraid you’re not. I think you overly discount Kelman’s influence and his use as a symbol for the contracting industry. If the Dems come back after the 2008 election, expect to hear more from Kelman and other “reinventers” (e.g., Stan Soloway, Colleen Preston, Jack Gansler et al.). We may not get Kelman per se, but I’m afraid his influence and the wreckage he has wrought will remain with us for a while longer.

Connie

[KSBR]

Danielle,

Your rapier was sharp on this one, but someone deaf to what was really going on. Yes, I know you were not there. But it wasn't the kind of bonfire of the vanities that you portray. The industry is full of rather flat, dull, sameless people. They might celebrate money well earned and their clients' successes, but not the (scant) influence over government policy, with the exception of defense hardware, where the war drums always beat loud.

Let Kelman be Kelman. He actually has next to no influence on anyone or any issue. Try to name one in the last ten years--it is hard. He does no real harm. While his hyperbole, possibly alco-fed as Connie surmises, his positions on other matters are equally bizzarre. Cong. Waxman has many more solutions than he does, even if you throw out the ones that are half-baked. All herr dokter Kelman does is pour gasoline on the smoldering fires. If a drum is beaten and no one does anything, was the drum beaten at all?

Dr. K has no solutions other than wipe out the representatives of the taxpayers (Congress), the people's eyes and ears (the media), and the watchdogs (IGs). With all those gone, one might approximate the political situation in Germany by the mid-thirties. If you thought that our fine President was trying to sieze power and quash opposing views, Kelman would be a fine fit for the White House, except for his teary cries for the govies.

Where did this balderdash come from Kelman's experience? Connie's not the only one worried about his state of mind, on or off the sauce. Does the K School dean and his colleagues know?

He is living in a dream world. He has so much sympathy for the civil servants, but I think that covers his not insubstantial remuneration from contractors these days. A Harvard prof who can't pull in a cool half a mil by consulting is a piker.

Government savants and industry officials who are not in denial about their own problems will be the ones who build a new day for acquisition, not the straphangers in Cambridge.

KSBR

[Truthteller]

It is sad that POGO is simply incapable of recognizing that amidst the occasional horror story the reality is that many government contractors do indeed perform exceptional service for the country. It is sad as well that POGO is so blinded by its complete abhorrence of the private sector that it cannot recognize that what we have entered is indeed a period in which well intentioned people are pilloried for honest mistakes or for innovation that doesn't fully comport with POGO's self-defined mission as the protector of the people. And it is even sadder that POGO has little interest in actually trying to understand what Dr. Kelman had to say at the dinner, but chooses instead to assault him, question his integrity, and ignore his admirable willingness to tell it like he sees it. When POGO opts to simply cast Kelman as one who is a tool of the private sector, POGO proves once again that it lacks any balance, intellectual integrity, or interest in finding a balanced way forward. Sad indeed.

[Axel]

Dear Readers, 10/30/2007

Please allow me to be clear within my above comment reply (my continued apologies for the numerous mis-spellings) that the todays DemocracyNow.org Radio/podcast broadcast specifically stated and implied that our US Companies have requested and/or demand requested foreign Government waviers from these foreign companies from the above mentioned atrocities that I mentioned in my prior posting earlier today on this page.

Also and additionally, please note that there has been to my recollection recent direct and/or indirect Testimony in our US Congressional Committees from Individuals as to the (coerced and/or under alleged false pretence?) hiring of Iraq's by our US Government and/or US Contractors that have not been seen or paid or accounted for since there employment by our US Government and/or US Contractors in Iraq.

Thank you and all for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Axel

[Mike Z]

Man, Kelman is off the deep end...

[Robert Guerra]

I am not one to pay too much attention to the Blogsphere. Maybe it's because it is laden with nothing more than opinions based mostly on egos, and personal preferences rather than fact.
As to this Blog, I must have been at a different banquet that these "authors." The one I was at honored some real professional government executives who deserved the "feting" for their hard work, dedication and sacrifices in doing their jobs with a vision to making things in our country better for the citizens. None of theses Bloggers mentions Kevin Carroll's comments on the importance of open communications between industry and government, and the threats some pose to that openness. I guess these Bloggers think that industry should offer blind solutions to real problems and not be bothered with a real understanding of what the government customers need.
As to Steve Kelman, Yep!!! Steve and Shelley were both government Civil Servants just like the other awardees. Steve is a friend of mine. When he was at OFPP, if I called him during the workday, he'd call back at 10:00 at night apologizng for calling so late because he had just come home from work. What Steve was talking about (had these Bloggers taken the time to understand his comments) was that all the great things he did as Administrator of OFPP are being threatened by certain people in political positions with an axe to grind.
Then there was General Cartwright. I guess we should just ignore his comments about the reason we all do what we do is to make things better. In his case, his job is to make them better for people who put their lives on the line so we can do what we did last week.
On the point that industry spent a ot of money. I agree. The folks at Dell, Lockheed, Northrop Grumman, and so on spent a lot of money recognizing their customers. In the private sector we used to spend a lot more money taking the CIO's, CTO's and CEOs and their spouses skiing at Killington, or golfing at Pebble Beach. We did that because those folks spent money with us, and we wanted them to spend more. If anyone thinks Lockheed expects some contract award because they were a major sponsor of the 1105 event they insult the executives we all recognized that night. They insult every civiian, military and contractor employee who work so hard, in often awful environments at minimal pay because they believe they can make a difference.

It was a terrific event, honoring some incredibly hard working people who deserved every bit of that recognition. I guess if you want to find something wrong, or are jealous of the success of others, you'll find something wrong and write a blog about it. It's great that in these blogs you don't have to worry about the facts.

[Axel]

Dear Readers, 10/30/2007

I was not going to write any further replies to POGO's articles, although the final psrsgraph and final sentence of Ms. Brian's Article and from the todays disclosures on the DemocracyNow.org daily broadcast appears compleeling enough for something further to be mentioned.

What? Is this Article implying that the possibility of corruption and a serious breach of our US Laws and our US Democracy has and is deliberately, intentionally and willfully taking place in Washington, DC. Am I supposed to mention sarcastically,horrifiedly and sadly 'Who would have guessed !?.' Am I supposed to say that our Legislatures and those Individuals iin our US Executive Branch and Judicial Branch of our US Government have acted in a manner and some in a ubris manner that would be consistent as a direct and most serious violation of our US Constitution and Laws and a clear violation of our US Democracy with Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

The disclosure from the DemocracyNow.org Radio/Podcast broadcast was that it was disclosed and implied that many and/or most all of our major US Companies have seemingly deliberately negoiated with many Foriegn Companies to have a Labor Waiver applied so that our US Companies could purchase the goods and/or I imagine Services at well below minimal cost and/or no cost and subject the workers/laborers to the most severe and harsh conditions imaginable that are also in direct violations to all Labor, Civil and Humanity Laws and are a and the most serious violations towards Humanity and all the US and International Laws that cover these Humanity and Human Rights Laws and Issues. As you readers may recall that our Major News Media has for decades broadcast with implications that these conditions where at the responsibility and business ethics of the Foriegn Country and never to my recollection was there a mention that these conditions where at the direct request and/or mandate request of a waiver application from any of our US Companies and/or US Government.

The corruption is despicable and the manical, deranged and despotic manner ih which it is applied appears to be beyond any respect and regard to anyone or anything.

I hope you readers have read my previous replies that where allowed to be posted on this website and my other replies on the GAP website.

Thank you and all for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Axel

[Connie the Contractor]

Hi Danielle –

I was at the dinner and indeed, I think you are understating Kelman’s words during his acceptance speech. While he waxed on rhapsodically about the career civil service (even claiming to be a civil servant), he actually stated that the “fear industry”, as he calls it, has the same attitude toward management of the civil service as 19th century management had toward mill workers in New England, or “… frankly, that of slave masters to slaves”. He also told the audience to “Fight back”. I think some of us thought he had been taking too many nips at the libations offered that evening.

You ought to see whether you can get a hold of the video of the evening. There were certainly enough TV cameras around, so somewhere there should be a video of his bizarre remarks.

Connie