The Air Force Friday directed Sierra Nevada Defense Corp. (SNC) to re-start work on the $427.5 million Light Air Support (LAS) program despite a protest by losing bidder Beechcraft.
Beechcraft on March 8 filed protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) over the Air Force’s decision to award the LAS contract to SNC, which is teaming with Brazilian manufacturer Embraer [ERJ] to supply its A-29 Super Tucanos. SNC won the previous LAS award from the Air Force, which Beechcraft also protested before the Air Force threw out the contract and re-competed the deal over legal issues. The LAS deal is to supply 20 light attack aircraft to Afghanistan’s nascent air force.
The Air Force cited honoring a “critical and time-sensitive” U.S. commitment to provide air support capability to Afghanistan. Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said Friday in a statement the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA) provides for such actions, which she called overrides, when it is determined to be in the best interests of the United States or when unusual or compelling circumstances will not permit waiting for GAO’s decision.
Stefanek said work was previously stopped March 11 in response to Beechcraft’s protest and that the override does not affect the 100-day period GAO has to render its decision on the LAS protest. GAO said it expects to make its decision by June 17 (Defense Daily, March 11).
“The Air Force is fully committed to supporting the protest process,” Stefanek said.
Beechcraft on Friday in a statement criticized the Air Force, chiding the service for concluding that the nation’s “best interests” rest on the shoulders of Brazil.
“This decision is very misguided,” Beechcraft spokeswoman Nicole Alexander said in a statement. “It will lead to the loss of American jobs and substantially higher costs to American taxpayers.”
Beechcraft also criticized the Air Force’s decision to override the protest, saying bypassing the normal GAO review process deprives the American taxpayer of transparent answers to legitimate and well-documented questions to what has been a “very opaque” LAS acquisition.
It offered its AT-6 in a deal that it said would have cost between $306 and $427 million. The company said it is reviewing its options.
SNC did not respond to requests for comment by press time.