Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions wants the Air Force to release pricing information on Boeing’s aerial refueling tanker. And Sessions is introducing legislation to force the Air Force’s hand.
Sessions’ state would be home to the final assembly line of Northrop Grumman and partner EADS’ tanker, should the pair win the Air Force’s $35 billion tanker contest.
Northrop recently complained that the Air Force had given Boeing pricing information on its tanker during the previous, ill-fated competition.
“This issue goes directly to the fundamental fairness of the tanker competition,” Sessions said, in a statement. “How can we expect the playing field to be level if one company was given sensitive information about the other’s bid? If that is the case, the best way to rectify the situation is to demand that information be shared in both directions. I applaud the willingness of the Northrop Grumman/EADS team to bring this issue to the Pentagon’s attention.”
Sessions’ amendment would block the expenditure of federal funds on the recapitalization program “until the Secretary of the Air Force releases comparable pricing data to both offerors” from the last competition.
Here’s the Press-Register’s report on Sessions’ effort.
Boeing has said the Air Force’s release of Northrop pricing offers “no competitive disadvantage.”
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