Defense Lobby Tries to Erode Powers of Pentagon's Pricing Director

So it looks like the defense department's Pricing Director is ruffling some feathers:

This article discusses a little know official by the name Shay Assad.

Full Story At Politico

Some of the nation’s leading defense companies are declaring war on a powerful enemy — an obscure Pentagon official named Shay Assad who has helped cut more than $500 million from military contracts with his aggressive scrutiny of their costs.

The industry’s tactics include blanketing congressional committees with proposals that would make it harder for Assad and his contracting officers to get detailed breakdowns of the companies' expenses, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. But Assad, the Pentagon's pricing director for the past five years, refuses to back down, saying: "We are going to be relentless in pursuing getting the good deal for the taxpayers."

“That's the way it is,” said Assad, a 65-year-old Bostonian with the heavy accent to match. “If companies don't like it, people have an objection to it, we're not apologizing for it."

Basically his job, is to make sure that tax payers aren't overpaying for military contracts to the private sector. He's been very successful at that. Now it seems that the defense industry is upset because they are loosing dollars they should not have had in the first place.

And the quote that really really peeves me is this one:

IT Alliance Senior Vice President Trey Hodgkins, who helped form the proposals, said current Pentagon rules "erode" access to the defense market. "I think there's broad agreement in Congress that we have to find ways to lessen the burden and make this market more attractive,” he said.

Yeah because it's not a monopoly all ready. You bunch of scathing liars. More competition would result in lower priced contracts anyway!

I've always been a fan of cutting defense spending where appropriate and we have a massive spending issue in America with the Military Industrial Complex.

Over the last five years, he contends, the top five defense companies' stock prices "have gone up anywhere from 67 percent to 180 percent for those five companies. Record cash flows, record profits, record return on invested capital." It is an assessment backed up by industry analysts.

"We're not after their profitability, we're after paying less," Assad said. "And if we can pay less and they're doing well financially, what's wrong with that? If you look at what had been happening in the past, year over year, we always paid more. ... That doesn't happen anymore. Year over year we're paying less."

Let's hope this man doesn't have a bunch of legislation passed that ties his hands further, putting more money into the hands of a few corporations vs saving some for tax payers.

~Tenth

a reply to: tothetenthpower

A story of a public official doing their job correctly...refreshing...

Nice to see something like this for a change.

And I like having a bolstered military.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

There is an attempt to overhaul the entire contract process, that was started in the office of the SecDef. It doesn't go far enough, but complete overhaul will have to come through Congress.

Some of the purchases I seen while in the military made me want to punch the supply officer. Everything seemed to be ridiculously marked up and I mean everything. I had to bold it because it still doesn't live up to the word to describe it.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: tothetenthpower

There is an attempt to overhaul the entire contract process, that was started in the office of the SecDef. It doesn't go far enough, but complete overhaul will have to come through Congress.

I heard rumor they wanted to move to more off-the-shelf technology, is there any truth to that?

Someone needs to hire many people like this one. Would pay the additions salary through the savings they find.

a reply to: amicktd

They're moving to off the shelf, and technology maturation before official procurement starts. It worked wonders for the B-21.

a reply to: Zaphod58

What is off the shelf tech
that you are talking about?

a reply to: GraffikPleasure

Technology developed for other programs. When the F-117 was designed it used the engines and landing gear of the F-18, the navigation system from the B-52, and several other parts that were developed for other aircraft.

By doing that they're only buying the physical parts. They're not paying to develop technology, which is one reason that program costs go so high.

a reply to: GraffikPleasure

It's refreshing eh?

And I like how of course, everybody else is mad at him cause he does do his job.

~Tenth

a reply to: Zaphod58

Cool thanks!
That makes sense.

a reply to: tothetenthpower

He's a business man that is wheeling and dealing! I can't believe the government is smart enough to hire someone for this. I

f only there were more...hhhmmmm

originally posted by: Terminal1
Someone needs to hire many people like this one. Would pay the additions salary through the savings they find.

They should make a law that all government departments that spend over x amount of dollars must hire a person like this.