McCaskill Presses Army, Air Force, Bureau of Prisons on Accountability for Troubled Contractor

Senator questions qualifications of contractor Glocoms after poor performance and debarment, requests contracting information from each agency

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is questioning why the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Bureau of Prisons hired a contractor, Glocoms, despite its history of poor contract performance for the U.S. and foreign governments and its debarment by the World Bank.

“I write regarding the qualifications and present responsibility of the contractor Glocoms Inc., and its history of poor contract performance for both the U.S. and other foreign governments,” wrote McCaskill, a former Missouri State Auditor and senior member of the Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees, to the Secretaries of the Air Force and Army, and the Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. “Glocoms, which holds several [Air Force, Army & Bureau of Prisons] contracts, was debarred by the World Bank after misstating its qualifications during numerous contract bids in several countries. Glocoms also had several performance deficiencies on a contract with the Mongolian government.”

The letter continues: “The debarment, which extends to March 2018, includes Glocom’s chief executive officer, Maurence Anguh… a simple Google search on “Glocoms” would have revealed a negative contracting history for the company.”

McCaskill is a longtime advocate for reining in wasteful contracting practices and for reforming the military’s acquisition process. Last month she questioned the Department of Energy’s use of management and operating contracts over other alternatives, after a report from the government’s top watchdog found that those contracts made up nearly three-quarters of the Department’s annual spending and are often awarded with little to no competition. And she has repeatedly raised concerns about contractor Jorge Scientific/Imperatis following the company’s misconduct in Afghanistan, about which federal agencies ignored concerns and re-hired the firm, which then defaulted on its IT contract.

Last year McCaskill questioned top Department of Defense officials on how the Pentagon can improve its acquisition process, focusing on the lack of continuity and expertise for contracting officers when personnel are often relocated after a short tenure.

During her first term in the Senate, McCaskill waged a successful six-year battle to rein in wasteful wartime contracting practices in Iraq and Afghanistan, and ultimately passed into law the most expansive reforms to wartime contracting practices since World War II.

Find full text of the letters HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/accountability to read more about McCaskill’s fight for stronger accountability in Washington.

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