Inspector general to audit massive FAA outsourcing effort

Inspector general to audit massive FAA outsourcing effort

By Jenny Mandel
jmandel@govexec.com

The Transportation Department inspector general soon will launch an audit of a contract awarded last year through the government's largest-ever public-private competition at a civilian agency, including a closer look at a $500 million drop in the contract's anticipated savings, department officials said this week.

In a memorandum issued on Monday, the inspector general's office announced the review to examine the transition from federal employee to contractor operations of 58 FAA flight service centers across the country. The centers employed roughly 2,500 federal workers at the time of the outsourcing decision. Lockheed Martin Corp., the winner of the contract, plans to consolidate operations into 20 facilities.

The audit will assess the plans for transition, whether the contract is achieving the anticipated savings, and the extent to which the needs of general aviation pilots using the flight service stations are being met, the IG office announced.

Explaining the impetus for the audit, IG spokesman David Barnes said, "While FAA has experience with outsourcing air traffic control services on a limited scale, this is significantly larger in scope."

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=34064&dcn=todaysnews

Does anyone remember 'homeland security'?

same damn thing! Almost ALL mandatory inspections are done OUT OF THE COUNTRY now!
I can tell you, it will be a BIG scandal when the first crash occurs!

My SO was a mgr in a new operation overseas with another company doing the heavy maintenance several years ago, and there were stringent requirements, per the company he works for and the FAA, who paid frequent visits.

for one of the majors. All the time I hear about the things that were missed, or repairs done wrong, and they (the few existing mechs of the Co.) have to fix the problems.

I hope I'm wrong about any crashes, and so do the mechs, but it's frightening to know many things are just not being done right.

are corners being cut, do you think? That's not acceptable for ANY airline!

My point is that in most instances, you get what you pay for, and with all this outsourcing of inspections to other countries, like India, and I forget the others I was told about, they don't have the job ethics that the company employees have. Think about it. If something isn't done quite right, what happens to them? NOTHING!

Believe it or not, the company employees, at least the mechanics, really do take pride in what they do, and they want their airline to be worry free. Hired help in a foreign country just don't feel that way.

Hong Kong. The Israelis were tough, but Hong Kong was not because their ethics were high, pricers were lower, and they had mechs all over the plane. And the reason they go overseas is because the price is lower. I can guarantee you that the highest standards were in place for the outsourced companies when my SO was involved.
My husband has been a mechanic, and he would never have forfeited safety for profit.
I don't know what's going on now, but they get more in other countries (providing the countries are honorable, and most know that's the only way to be) than what they're paying for in the US now. That's my secondhand experience.

too! I also know what you mean about a mech forfeiting safety for profit. I've met a lot of them, and NONE will sign off on anything they are't 100% comfortable with.

Besides, no one wants to be responsible for any accidents.
I spent a few weeks in Tel Aviv, my husband was there for about 5 months. Oy, the stories! They did their job, but kvetched about every cent, trying to negotiate a higher price when it wasn't warranted.
It became a game, sort of.
Different countries display different mindsets, ours assuredly!