I’m serious.
What happens when the BRAC process has a breakdown in communication and 13WMAZ, The Macon Telegraph, The 21st Century Partnership and Robins Air Force Base hides the truth? What remedies do the citizens have for getting the truth to the BRAC commission?
I have learned a new trick. It has to do with sending a certified complaint to the contracting officer complaining about a contract award. I know Congressman Jack Kingston has earmarked $3.5 million for a project at RAFB and since the base is getting very good at rewriting contracts to take them away from small businesses, and making their IT directorate go 8(a) set-aside, I will be very active in challenging the earmarked funding.
Why is 8(a) set-aside taking over all the IT directorate? Is it true from the rumor mill that this is because there’s a quota for 8(a) and there is too much of a risk to put 8(a) companies on mission critical work, so in order to fulfill that quota, they are put on IT projects. Now where would this rumor come from? Try the Small Business Administration themselves.
And another issue: Apparently, it’s acceptable practice to break Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) (Pay special attention to subpart 9.5). So why do we have them if they aren’t worth anything and the government can just claim immunity if they’re broken? It seems we could utilize the funding some place else instead of on updating FAR. Why not just yank that FAR site down? Who needs it anymore?
Why should contractors value FAR if Robins Air Force Base doesn’t? What a mess the General Accounting Office would have if everyone just decided they weren’t afraid of the consequences of violating FAR anymore.
I would like to challenge the usefulness of the organization set up as a non-profit organization who is supposed to be helping our community with BRAC issues. It doesn’t work if you allow the issues affecting small businesses to go unchecked and hidden from the BRAC commission. How many millions were spent by this organization? How many of those dollars received were by small business owners who were trusting to get a voice in the process?
How does BRAC work? Who actually sits down with the BRAC commission and gives an account to them on behalf of RAFB? What is said? Do the citizens have a voice?
Five years is a long time to hide the truth. Let’s get serious. I have three people who have the guts to call it like it is, and that would love to sit down with the BRAC commission. Shall we have tea and cookies?
