Infrastructure Defense Technologies, LLC today announced its submission of a Bid Protest with the Government Accountability Office, in response to the award of a government contract for critical military force protection equipment by the Defense Logistics Agency to a foreign company.

The contract was the result of an 18 month competitive bidding process conducted by the DLA for “Expeditionary Earth Filled Protective Barriers”, which provide perimeter security against likely threats such as bullets, RPGs IEDs and VBIEDs at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bidding documents specified that Technical Factors (Protection Requirements, Expeditionary Characteristics, Past Performance, Production Capability/Surge, Socioeconomic Program Support, JWOD Entity Support) were “Significantly more important than cost or price”. However, despite IDT’s higher technical rating, the DLA awarded the contract to a foreign company which offered a lower price.
The contract, valued at approximately $100,000,000 per year, would have created hundreds of manufacturing jobs in the economically depressed Midwest, and would have provided U.S. Warfighters with the best protective equipment available.

IDT published an open letter to President Obama, Vice President Biden, the U.S. Congress and Defense Secretary Gates in today’s edition of the Washington Times (Page A3), asking that the president and his administration “look into this unjust contract award, which will deprive our troops of the best equipment available, and prevent the creation of hundreds of American jobs”.

Infrastructure Defense Technologies (IDT) is a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of physical security products designed to meet the threats of the 21st Century. The company maintains its headquarters and manufacturing operations in Belvidere, Illinois and a Government Projects Office in Washington, D.C.

Here is a copy of the letter sent out by IDT:

To Our Distinguished Leaders:

If you were a soldier deployed in a combat zone tonight, would you rather have the best protective equipment, or the cheapest?

THE DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY JUST CHOSE THE CHEAPEST.

Infrastructure Defense Technologies, LLC (“IDT”) of Belvidere, Illinois manufactures critical force protection equipment (in this case, protective barriers), designed to protect deployed troops against the most likely and deadly threats from enemy forces – threats such as bullets, Rocket Propelled Grenades, Improvised Explosive Devices and truck bombs.

The Defense Logistics Agency (“DLA”) recently conducted a competitive solicitation for protective barriers, after spending many years and billions of dollars purchasing a single product manufactured by a FOREIGN ENTITY ON A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT. The purpose of the competitive solicitation was to develop alternatives to the sole‐sourced product, find products which last longer and meet weapons threats specifically seen in Iraq and Afghanistan. The solicitation stated that technical factors were “Significantly more important than cost or price”.

Seven companies submitted proposals, and IDT’S PRODUCT RECEIVED THE BEST TECHNICAL RATING, BOTH OVERALL AND IN TERMS OF PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS. Our price was determined by DLA to be “Fair and Reasonable”. However, THE DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY AWARDED THE CONTRACT TO THE SAME FOREIGN COMPANY.

A successful award of this contract would have created hundreds of new jobs at IDT, in a region where the unemployment rate exceeds 15%. Our estimated steel purchases would have been in excess of 80 million pounds per year, and would have created or saved hundreds of steel production, distribution and trucking jobs in places like Pennsylvania, Indiana and Ohio. Further, an award of this contract would have benefitted not only other small businesses, but also would have established subcontractor relationships with non‐profit agencies for the blind and severely disabled. We had planned on hiring combat veterans for key positions in our company.

INFRASTRUCTURE DEFENSE TECHNOLOGIES IS PROTESTING THIS OUTRAGEOUS DECISION WITH THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE.

Mr. President, the cornerstone of your economic plan has been the creation and retention of jobs in America, and we present to you a prime opportunity to do so. As citizens, taxpayers and constituents in your home state, we ask that your Administration immediately look into this unjust contract award, which will deprive our troops of the best equipment available, and prevent the creation of hundreds of American jobs.

And to the United States Congress, we ask that you freeze the funding for this contract, and demand an explanation from the DLA as to why they are choosing to stick it to the American Soldier, American Worker, American Business and the American Taxpayer in one fell swoop.

IN A TIME OF WAR, AMERICAS WARFIGHTERS DESERVE THE BEST PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT…NOT THE CHEAPEST.

IN THIS TIME OF ECONOMIC CRISIS, AMERICANS NEED JOBS…..IN AMERICA, NOT OVERSEAS.

Infrastructure Defense Technologies has received no government grants, no bailouts, no TARP money or stimulus cash. We never asked for any. We want only one thing: The opportunity to fulfill our mission of protecting America’s deployed troops, and creating good paying jobs with benefits in a desperate time. We thank you in advance for your assistance.

Now, I understand that IDT is upset mainly because they lost a lucrative contract. But, my concern is similar to theirs in that we’re going to give a FOREIGN NATION hundreds of millions of dollars to build “force protection” equipment to keep our troops alive. I can’t fathom how, in an economy shedding more than 200,000 jobs per month or more, our government is 1) shipping jobs overseas when they are needed here and 2) entrusted our security to foreign nations. I don’t know the specifics of the cost difference between the foreign contracts and what IDT or other companies were charging, but I believe only Americans truly have American security in their best interests.