Pentagon officials spent millions of tax dollars fixing brand new facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan after they ignored repeated calls to step up oversight of their contingency contractors.
Poor quality assurance, unclear guidance to contractors, repeated acceptance of substandard construction and inadequate contract requirements result in recurring problems that have “contributed to an increased risk to personnel life and safety” from poorly built facilities, said Department of Defense Inspector General Jon Rymer in a report made public Friday.
Rymer’s office and the Air Force Audit Agency issued 11 reports between 2008 and 2014 on such “contingency contracting” in Iraq and Afghanistan and laid out 77 recommendations for improving the practice. The contracts reviewed in those reports cost the U.S. government $738 million.
While 70 of the recommendations were resolved by November 2014, seven remain open, according to the latest report. “Given the nature of a contingency environment, it is important to take corrective action as quickly as possible,” it said.
Contingency construction involves building temporary military facilities for troops operating outside the U.S. In Afghanistan and Iraq, including construction of fielded barracks, dining facilities, airport terminals and offices, among others. Construction in such environments places greater demands than facilities erected in non-combat areas.
The fact Pentagon officials too often relied on the expertise of their contractors instead of personally managing the projects accounted for 42 of the recommendations being addressed to problems with quality assurance.
In addition, DOD officials did not hold contractors “accountable for unsatisfactory performance” and often lacked project documentation. For example, shifting oversight responsibility to contractors kept DOD from catching significant construction flaws “that led to increased hazards to the life and safety of coalition forces who occupied the facilities” built as part of four Air Force projects that together cost $36.9 million, the report said.
In another instance, the lack of government oversight allowed contractors to place exposed wires around living quarters and live wires on a rooftop, presenting an “immediate danger to personnel,” the report said.
At the Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, contracting officials accepted facilities that “required extensive rework by the contractor to be useable by U.S. troops.” Poor quality assurance practices also forced the Pentagon to spend more than $3.4 million to bring new buildings up to minimum standards.
Other issues arose when Pentagon officials failed to follow their own policies. A detention facility in Parwan, Afghanistan, ended up with an “inoperable sewage system,” shoddy cell doors, “electrical systems built to British standards” and even more problems after contracting officers with Army Corps of Engineers did not follow internal oversight guidelines.
“The recurring weaknesses indicate that there is an opportunity to apply lessons” from flawed contingency contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan to future operations, the IG said.
Go here to read the full IG report.
