Homeland Security

The Washington Post carried a front page story the next day reporting that one no-bid, $2,000,000 contract awarded by the Department of Homeland Security in 2003 ballooned up to $124 million by July of this year. In December of 2004, Department lawyers said payments to Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the largest federal contractors, to provide consultants had gone "grossly beyond the scope" of the original contract. The lawyers advised the Department to allow other companies to compete. At that point, payments had reached $30 million. The competition did not take place for more than a year. During that time payments, under a no-bid arrangement, went to $73 million. Then, DHS broke it up into five contracts totaling $51 million. Shock of all shocks, Booz Allen Hamilton won "competition" for all five contracts, thus adding up to $124 million so far. The Department of Homeland Security has apparently turned into a very lucrative gravy train for some people.