Tuesday, December 15, 2009
1:58 PM
Oshkosh delegation confident in military contract
Despite the U.S. Government Accountability Office's ruling that the Army must re-evaluate a $3 billion contract awarded to Oskosh Corp., the company's congressional represenatives expressed confidence that the contract would ultimately be upheld.
The decision -- sparked by complaints from two competitors who lost out on the Oshkosh contract for 23,000 military vehicles -- called for the Army to reconsider those other bids, but rejected complaints over the price quoted by Oshkosh Corp. to build the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles.
"I note that the GAO is not requiring a new competition and stated that it has rejected a number of the competitors' challenges, including the evaluation of Oshkosh's price, which is attractive to the Army," said U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, R-Fond du Lac, in a statement. "Given the company's years of experience and strong reputation, I look forward to the Army implementing the recommendation regarding the re-evaluation of current proposals and moving forward."
U.S. Sens. Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold issued a joint statement arguing, "Oshkosh Corporation continues to offer a strong, cost-effective proposal for the Army, has proven for decades to be a qualified producer of high-quality equipment for our armed forces, and would do so for the FMTV program."