Court thwarts Boeing’s tanker maintenance contract
Published 11:37 am Wednesday, October 1, 2008
A federal court has set aside Boeing’s win of the U.S. Air Force’s KC-135 tanker maintenance contract after Alabama Aircraft Industries challenged the award.
The Air Force had given Boeing the $1.1 billion contract to provide maintenance services on its KC-135 tanker fleet. Boeing originally supplied the Air Force with the KC-135 tankers. Boeing has been trying to win a $35 billion contract to replace the KC-135 fleet with new tankers. But that prolonged tanker competition recently was delayed until next year.
Alabama Aircraft (formerly Pemco) protested Boeing’s win of the maintenance contract, initially to the GAO, and then in federal court, claiming the Air Force’s award was “significantly flawed.” The court agreed.
“We could not be more pleased that the Court has given this matter a thorough and fair hearing, as we have requested from the beginning. The deficiencies in the award obviously have been recognized and finally addressed, with the potential to restore integrity to the procurement process for the KC-135 PDM,” said Ron Aramini, president of Alabama Aircraft, in a statement. “We look forward to working with the United States Air Force and participating in the new KC-135 competition.”
The GAO initially sided with Alabama Aircraft on its first protest of the contract but not on the aerospace company’s second protest. That’s when Alabama Aircraft filed its lawsuit to get the Air Force to rebid the maintenance competition.
