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Roberts: Tanker fight not over yet

BY MOLLY MCMILLIN

The Wichita Eagle

The Air Force ran a "shoddy, if not shaded" procurement process that awarded a multibillion-dollar aerial refueling contract to Northrop Grumman and Airbus, U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts said Monday.

"I detect a very unpleasant smell of politics here," Roberts said.

The decision was "skewed in favor of one bidder, and that is wrong," Roberts said.

Roberts was in Wichita on Monday for a tour of Boeing and to meet with general aviation executives. He was in town after a trip Sunday to Greensburg for President George W. Bush's visit.

Boeing has appealed the Air Force's decision to award a $35 billion contract to Northrop Grumman, which will use Airbus planes as aerial refueling tankers.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office is expected to make a decision on the appeal by June 19.

Roberts said he is optimistic the GAO will overturn the decision, and the bidding will be reopened. If that happens, the rebidding process would take 12 to 18 months.

Boeing's tanker was better in terms of survivability, risk, efficiency, mission capability and cost, Roberts said.

"It matches precisely what the Air Force wanted," he said.

The Air Force changed the terms of the contract every time Airbus threatened to walk away from the deal, Roberts said.

That's because the Air Force wanted to make sure there was a competition for the contract, "even if the competition can't meet the competition," Roberts said.

Northrop Grumman, meanwhile, issued a statement Monday highlighting the reasons the Air Force selected its tanker, the KC-45. The Air Force found its bid superior to Boeing's in four out of five criteria, including its past performance, the company said.

"There was a notable difference," the statement said. "Northrop Grumman received a rating of 'Satisfactory Confidence,' while Boeing received a rating of 'Little Confidence.' "

Should the GAO decide the Air Force's decision should not be overturned, Roberts vowed to continue to fight.

There are several options, he said. But first, he said, "Let's let the system work."

Reach Molly McMillin at 316-269-6708 or mmcmillin@wichitaeagle.com.