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(instinctively, I dislike this politically correct trend of contracting out military support services, primarly because there is no guarantee we can count on the civilian contractors during hostilities - I mean no offence or slight to the large number of ex-military personnel who have or will take their release from the Forces in order to be paid more by a civilian contractor to do the same job they were doing in uniform - I simply would prefer to have critical maintenance and support tasks performed by somebody who has sworn the same oath of allegiance as the troops, and who, in a pinch, have been trained as soldiers. In addition, I am leery of having essential support tasks performed by an organisation dedicated to profit-making, as opposed to an internal military service support structure dedicated to ensuring the troops going into the field are equipped and supported to the best of our collective abilities ...
I am also concerned that excessive contracting out will cripple our military's ability to respond quickly during a crisis.
Finally, I suggest we revisit the reasons for contracting out - if we are to believe the spin doctors claim that it is being done in order to "free up" troops, then perhaps an alternative solution might be to simply recruit more troops ... ?)
Here's the article:
DND kept $1.7-B chopper deal quiet
News of contract comes on heels of report criticizing 'culture of secrecy'
a journalist
The Ottawa Citizen
The Canadian Press / Maintenance spending could be higher than the $1.7-billion estimate if the Cormorant, above, turns out less reliable than the military expects it to be.
The government has quietly awarded a contract potentially worth $1.7 billion as part of a controversial plan to privatize military maintenance jobs for its new search-and-rescue helicopters.
The Department of National Defence awarded the contract several months ago to the IMP Group of Halifax to provide maintenance services as well as spare parts and other components for its new Cormorant helicopter, but it issued no news release about the massive deal. The initial contract is valued at $184 million with the overall cost to taxpayers to total about $1.7 billion over the 25-year life of the chopper.
Defence Department officials kept quiet about the contract award, prompting military analysts to suggest the department wanted to keep the deal low-key to avoid scrutiny of the program. Other analysts have suggested the Defence Department was reluctant to announce spending on big-ticket military items in the lead-up to a federal election focused on issues such as social programs and health care. News about the contract also comes on the heels of the Auditor General's report that accused the Defence Department of operating in a "culture of secrecy."
"In this case, it appears that it was either an administrative error or someone didn't want it getting out for fear of drawing attention to the contract," said Martin Shadwick, a military analyst at York University in Toronto.
Air force maintenance personnel who previously worked on the Labrador search-and-rescue helicopter will be reassigned to new jobs as IMP Group employees move in to service the Cormorant. Other military maintenance staff will retire from the Forces. The number of employees affected is not immediately known.
The privatization plan has sparked criticism from defence analysts.
It has also caused concern to those inside the Canadian Forces who worry the scheme won't save much money in the long run and question whether the military can rely on civilian contractors to do the job.
The absence of an announcement by military officials about the mega-contract is in sharp contrast to how the Defence Department has been handling much smaller awards in the last several months. In the last four months, it has issued 13 contract announcements, all under $11 million each, for items such as repairs to buildings at various bases.
Mr. Shadwick said scrutiny about privatizing military and Defence Department jobs has been lacking in the media and the House of Commons. "Someone should be watching this issue because of the large amount of money at play," he added.
The Defence Department plans to spend more than $400 million on a scheme to contract out air combat support services and another estimated $1 billion on a plan to privatize its supply system. Both contracts are expected to run over a 10-year period.
The extent of the money involved in the search-and-rescue helicopter service contract was revealed in the latest issue of Jane's Defence Weekly magazine.
Defence Department spokesman Shane Diaczuk said there was "nothing sinister" about the decision not to announce the contract. He said department officials decided not to issue a news release since the IMP Group had sent out one of its own in late July. "Nobody (at the Defence Department) saw a need for it," he added.
Mr. Diaczuk also pointed out that Defence officials were willing to talk about the program if anyone had requested further information at the time and that a story based on IMP's release of information was produced for the The Canadian Press news wire service.
But the IMP news release, and a subsequent brief news story, mentions neither the $1.7 billion nor the $184 million figure. It refers only to a contract of $40 million.
IMP Group chief executive officer Kenneth Rowe said that $40 million is the value of the initial contract to his company for providing maintenance crews and other services for the Cormorant. But the bulk of the money associated with the initial $184-million contract and the overall figure of $1.7 billion will be spent on spare parts as well as repair and overhaul of the choppers during their estimated 25-year life, he added.
Mr. Rowe said the IMP Group has extensive experience in maintenance on the Canadian Forces Sea King helicopters and Aurora patrol aircraft, as well as on the U.S. military's Sea Kings. This contract, however, marks a departure for the Canadian Forces in that a private company is taking over the entire maintenance responsibility for the search-and-rescue helicopter.
Susan Dell, project manager for the Canadian Forces search-and-rescue helicopter, said that the initial $184-million contract, which covers a seven-year period, as well as the overall $1.7-billion figure are only estimates of what the Defence Department could spend in maintenance and other support for the chopper.
The spending could be higher if a helicopter crashes or the Cormorant turns out not to be as reliable as first thought. But Ms. Dell added that the helicopter is seen as an extremely reliable aircraft.
If the IMP Group manages the maintenance and service contract without a hitch, at the end of the seven-year period it will have the deal renewed without competition. "It's a bit of an incentive," Ms. Dell said.
The use of private contractors is becoming more common in the Canadian Forces. In some cases, it is designed to save money while in others it is to free up military personnel to do other jobs.
But some in the military worry civilian contractors can't be trusted to deliver the same quality service as provided by military personnel or Defence Department employees. At Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay, military operations came to a standstill last year when employees of a private contractor hired to run the non-military aspects of the installation went on strike for five weeks.
Others point out that privatizing military jobs is ultimately weakening the Armed Forces in that military personnel involved in non-combat support roles can be called upon to fight or do other defence-related jobs if necessary. Such flexibility does not exist with private contractors, they warn.
Caught in the middle in the privatization debate are Defence Department civilian employees and those in uniform whose jobs could be on the line.
Anxiety about the program was front and centre in 1998 when a Commons committee travelled the country and examined living conditions in the Canadian Forces. A decision to use private contractors to provide support services in Bosnia starting last month has prompted heated letters in the Canadian Forces Maple Leaf newspaper.
Some soldiers commenting on the issue have likened the contractors to mercenaries.
I am also concerned that excessive contracting out will cripple our military's ability to respond quickly during a crisis.
Finally, I suggest we revisit the reasons for contracting out - if we are to believe the spin doctors claim that it is being done in order to "free up" troops, then perhaps an alternative solution might be to simply recruit more troops ... ?)
Here's the article:
DND kept $1.7-B chopper deal quiet
News of contract comes on heels of report criticizing 'culture of secrecy'
a journalist
The Ottawa Citizen
The Canadian Press / Maintenance spending could be higher than the $1.7-billion estimate if the Cormorant, above, turns out less reliable than the military expects it to be.
The government has quietly awarded a contract potentially worth $1.7 billion as part of a controversial plan to privatize military maintenance jobs for its new search-and-rescue helicopters.
The Department of National Defence awarded the contract several months ago to the IMP Group of Halifax to provide maintenance services as well as spare parts and other components for its new Cormorant helicopter, but it issued no news release about the massive deal. The initial contract is valued at $184 million with the overall cost to taxpayers to total about $1.7 billion over the 25-year life of the chopper.
Defence Department officials kept quiet about the contract award, prompting military analysts to suggest the department wanted to keep the deal low-key to avoid scrutiny of the program. Other analysts have suggested the Defence Department was reluctant to announce spending on big-ticket military items in the lead-up to a federal election focused on issues such as social programs and health care. News about the contract also comes on the heels of the Auditor General's report that accused the Defence Department of operating in a "culture of secrecy."
"In this case, it appears that it was either an administrative error or someone didn't want it getting out for fear of drawing attention to the contract," said Martin Shadwick, a military analyst at York University in Toronto.
Air force maintenance personnel who previously worked on the Labrador search-and-rescue helicopter will be reassigned to new jobs as IMP Group employees move in to service the Cormorant. Other military maintenance staff will retire from the Forces. The number of employees affected is not immediately known.
The privatization plan has sparked criticism from defence analysts.
It has also caused concern to those inside the Canadian Forces who worry the scheme won't save much money in the long run and question whether the military can rely on civilian contractors to do the job.
The absence of an announcement by military officials about the mega-contract is in sharp contrast to how the Defence Department has been handling much smaller awards in the last several months. In the last four months, it has issued 13 contract announcements, all under $11 million each, for items such as repairs to buildings at various bases.
Mr. Shadwick said scrutiny about privatizing military and Defence Department jobs has been lacking in the media and the House of Commons. "Someone should be watching this issue because of the large amount of money at play," he added.
The Defence Department plans to spend more than $400 million on a scheme to contract out air combat support services and another estimated $1 billion on a plan to privatize its supply system. Both contracts are expected to run over a 10-year period.
The extent of the money involved in the search-and-rescue helicopter service contract was revealed in the latest issue of Jane's Defence Weekly magazine.
Defence Department spokesman Shane Diaczuk said there was "nothing sinister" about the decision not to announce the contract. He said department officials decided not to issue a news release since the IMP Group had sent out one of its own in late July. "Nobody (at the Defence Department) saw a need for it," he added.
Mr. Diaczuk also pointed out that Defence officials were willing to talk about the program if anyone had requested further information at the time and that a story based on IMP's release of information was produced for the The Canadian Press news wire service.
But the IMP news release, and a subsequent brief news story, mentions neither the $1.7 billion nor the $184 million figure. It refers only to a contract of $40 million.
IMP Group chief executive officer Kenneth Rowe said that $40 million is the value of the initial contract to his company for providing maintenance crews and other services for the Cormorant. But the bulk of the money associated with the initial $184-million contract and the overall figure of $1.7 billion will be spent on spare parts as well as repair and overhaul of the choppers during their estimated 25-year life, he added.
Mr. Rowe said the IMP Group has extensive experience in maintenance on the Canadian Forces Sea King helicopters and Aurora patrol aircraft, as well as on the U.S. military's Sea Kings. This contract, however, marks a departure for the Canadian Forces in that a private company is taking over the entire maintenance responsibility for the search-and-rescue helicopter.
Susan Dell, project manager for the Canadian Forces search-and-rescue helicopter, said that the initial $184-million contract, which covers a seven-year period, as well as the overall $1.7-billion figure are only estimates of what the Defence Department could spend in maintenance and other support for the chopper.
The spending could be higher if a helicopter crashes or the Cormorant turns out not to be as reliable as first thought. But Ms. Dell added that the helicopter is seen as an extremely reliable aircraft.
If the IMP Group manages the maintenance and service contract without a hitch, at the end of the seven-year period it will have the deal renewed without competition. "It's a bit of an incentive," Ms. Dell said.
The use of private contractors is becoming more common in the Canadian Forces. In some cases, it is designed to save money while in others it is to free up military personnel to do other jobs.
But some in the military worry civilian contractors can't be trusted to deliver the same quality service as provided by military personnel or Defence Department employees. At Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay, military operations came to a standstill last year when employees of a private contractor hired to run the non-military aspects of the installation went on strike for five weeks.
Others point out that privatizing military jobs is ultimately weakening the Armed Forces in that military personnel involved in non-combat support roles can be called upon to fight or do other defence-related jobs if necessary. Such flexibility does not exist with private contractors, they warn.
Caught in the middle in the privatization debate are Defence Department civilian employees and those in uniform whose jobs could be on the line.
Anxiety about the program was front and centre in 1998 when a Commons committee travelled the country and examined living conditions in the Canadian Forces. A decision to use private contractors to provide support services in Bosnia starting last month has prompted heated letters in the Canadian Forces Maple Leaf newspaper.
Some soldiers commenting on the issue have likened the contractors to mercenaries.
