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Army drops 3-bases
contract, saving
200-plus civilian jobs

The Hawaii workers got help from
Abercrombie, claiming bid irregularity

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By Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-Bulletin

The Army has reversed a decision that would have cost more than 200 civilian workers their jobs at Fort Shafter, Schofield Barracks and the Big Island's Pohakuloa Training Area.

In an attempt to privatize civilian maintenance, supply and transportation operations at the three Army posts, the Army on Oct. 35 awarded a $59 million contract to BAE Systems of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

However, the civilian employees protested, saying the Army's in-house bid was more than $1 million less than BAE's. They also maintained that changes were made to the proposal after it was submitted, which increased costs.

"That's fantastic," said Wayne Fukumoto, one of the 251 affected civilian workers. "Everybody has been in limbo since the announcement was made ... There has been a lot of doubt ... not knowing what will happen next."

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie said the U.S. Army Pacific's administrative appeals board found that "errors in cost calculations had artificially inflated the estimated costs of retaining the current civil service work force and that the cost of keeping the work in-house was about $1.3 million less than BAE's bid."

Fukumoto and other civilian workers had asked Abercrombie for help, pointing out that the sealed in-house proposal had been changed after it was submitted Aug. 8.

"We were concerned that the proper procedures weren't followed," Fukumoto said.

BAE can appeal the Army's decision to the General Accounting Office, according to Abercrombie's spokesman, Mike Slackman.

Initially, 278 civilian workers would have been affected. However, since October, about 78 workers retired or found other jobs, the Army said.