Process Trumps Outcome

I've worked with enough large organizations to be familiar with bureaucracies and their emphasis on policies and procedures, often to the detriment of organizational objectives. It is sometimes a source of frustration, and at other times a source of amusement. However, in this case, it is quite literally a matter of life and death.

Army won’t suspend contracts with Al Qaeda-tied companies

The U.S. Army is refusing to suspend contracts with dozens of companies and individuals tied to Al Qaeda and other extremist groups out of concern for their "due process rights," despite repeated pleas from the chief watchdog for Afghanistan reconstruction.

In a scathing passage of his latest report to Congress, Special Inspector General John Sopko said his office has urged the Army to suspend or debar 43 contractors over concerns about ties to the Afghanistan insurgency, "including supporters of the Taliban, the Haqqani network and al Qaeda."

Sopko wrote that the Army "rejected" every single case.

The Army claims that Sopko's office did not provide enough evidence to support its claims.

"The Army Procurement Fraud Branch did receive and review the 43 recommendations late last year, but the report did not include enough supporting evidence to initiate suspension and debarment proceedings under Federal Acquisition Regulations," an Army spokesman said in a written statement.

The Army further explained that it can't debar a contractor unless a "preponderance of the evidence" shows serious misconduct, and that the evidence the IG provided would not pass that test. However, the Army said it has already told the office it "stands ready to re-examine the 43 cases if all relevant unclassified and/or classified information is provided."

Sopko pointed out the apparent disconnect between one part of the Army that is killing insurgents and the other part that allegedly is doing business with them.

"I am deeply troubled that the U.S. military can pursue, attack, and even kill terrorists and their supporters, but that some in the U.S. government believe we cannot prevent these same people from receiving a government contract," he wrote in a letter attached to the report.

In other words, the Army is doing business with enemies of our country -- people who are doing their best to kill and maim U.S. service members and civilians -- because the rules say so!?!

Why not follow the example of obama and the congresscritters and just ignore or change the rules when they don't like them.

Idiots...