Tuesday, March 25, 2003
In the midst of war, it's good to see priorities being straightened out. The United States today awarded a $US4.8 million contract to manage the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr, recently seized and tenuously-held by invading US and British troops.
The US Agency for International Development said the contract, the second to be awarded after Washington sought contracts from a select group of US firms was awarded to the Seattle, Washington-based Stevedoring Services of America (SSA). [...]
The deal is the second of eight civilian contracts for the postwar reconstruction of Iraq tendered by USAID on January 31 that are reportedly valued at more than 900 million dollars.
The process has been criticised by some because of its secrecy and the small number of firms involved. No foreign companies were invited to tender.
posted by James Russell |
2:40 PM
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