Quote:
Originally Posted by The Reaper
Not if he is disbarred from bidding.
TR
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Just found this on AIM POINTS this morning. Thought you all might like to hear this!!!
Air Force recommends debarment for Pinnacle armor
BY: Jen DiMascio, Defense Daily
07/03/2007
An Air Force proposal has placed Pinnacle Armor, the maker of Dragon Skin body armor, on a list of contractors forbidden to take talking with the Defense Department about proceeding with an independent test of the armor.
On June 21, the Air Force general counsel upheld an Air Force Materiel Command recommendation and sent a proposal for debarment to Pinnacle for claiming its body armor was certified by the National Institute of Justice before certification came through.
An actual decision regarding debarment could take time, said Air Force spokesman Capt. Tom Wenz. Pinnacle has at least 30 days to respond to the Air Force's notification, after which a government debarment official has at least another month to make a formal decision about the case. In the meantime, Pinnacle remains on the list of debarred contractors and is not eligible to win new government contracts, Wenz said.
The issue came to light during a June 6 House Armed Services Committee (HASC) hearing that was called in response to an NBC News story. The story detailed the results of a test showing Dragon Skin body armor performed better than the Interceptor Body Armor used by the Army and other services. The news story contradicted an earlier test conducted by the Army showing that Dragon Skin had failed on a number of counts.
During the hearing, Army Lt. Gen. Ross Thompson, the military deputy to the civilian acquisition chief, spoke in support of the Army's initial tests. He added that the service was planning to look for new sources of body armor that might improve protection soldiers are currently receiving (Defense Daily, June 7).
On June 22, Acting Army Secretary Pete Geren wrote letters to the leaders of the House and Senate armed services committees endorsing that plan for a new body armor competition and inviting Pinnacle to participate.
The solicitation for enhanced small arms protective inserts officially closed June 27, but according to Geren's letter the service will accept responses for 30 additional days.
"As part of the evaluation process, the Army will test all body armor products that are submitted, including any products submitted by Pinnacle Armor," the letter said.
But because Pinnacle is on the debarment list, the company cannot participate in that competition.
That leaves the question of testing up in the air.
The Army could agree to test Pinnacle if it finds a "compelling reason" to override the debarment issue, according to Loren Dealy, a HASC spokeswoman. She added that no independent test is scheduled.
Regardless, members of the House and Senate think Dragon Skin should undergo another round of tests, said Josh Holly, a spokesman for HASC Republicans.
New tests would serve two purposes, he said. It would settle any lingering doubts generated by the news story, and if Dragon Skin turns out to be an excellent product, it would prevent the Army from missing out on the technology, Holly said.