The members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation are demanding a meeting with Christine Wormuth, the Secretary of the Army, to explain the rejection of Stratford-based Sikorsky Aircraft”™s bid on a multimillion-dollar contract for the construction of long-range helicopters.
Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy were joined by Reps. Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jahana Hayes, Jim Himes and John Larson in a request for “detailed briefing” on the Army”™s decision-making process that resulted in awarding a $1.3 billion contract to Bell Textron, a Texas-based company.
“As you may be aware, there has been a considerable amount of confusion and valid criticism surrounding the award,” the lawmaker wrote. “It is our understanding that Sikorsky”™s bid for FLRAA was significantly superior in terms of cost, but that due to a subjective unsatisfactory evaluation on a single criteria, Sikorsky”™s bid was rejected and never fully evaluated.”
The Army’s decision could disrupt a pact between Sikorsky and Connecticut”™s state government that makes the company eligible for up to $75 million in tax credits if it can obtain two major military contracts to produce helicopters and other equipment.
Sikorsky and its parent company, Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), filed a formal protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office over the Army”™s decision. The members of the state’s congressional delegation said Army officials have refused to meet with because of the GAO review.
“The Department of the Army has cited no statutory basis for withholding information from Congress and the GAO has confirmed that no part of the pending protest prevents the Army from briefing Members of Congress,” the lawmakers stated in their letter.
