US Aerospace Inc could halt the KC-X tanker competition after filing a protest with the US Government Accountability Office. The California-based company says in a new regulatory filing that the US Air Force has tossed the company out of the competition for submitting a late bid. The fact that the bid is based on a twin-jet powered version of the Antonov An-70 apparently did not factor into the USAF's decision. Here's an excerpt from the US Aerospace filing with the US Securities Exchange Commission today:
Department of the Air Force
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Outcome: Not Decided
Status: Case Currently Open
Our proposal was hand delivered on July 9, 2010. The messenger arrived at the government installation, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, well before 1:30 pm, more than half an hour before the 2:00 pm deadline. Air Force personnel initially denied the messenger entry to the base, then gave incorrect directions to 1755 Eleventh Street Building 570, and finally instructed the messenger to wait where he was for Air Force personnel to come and get him. He at all times complied with the instructions of Air Force personnel, from the time he arrived at the installation until the proposal was taken by Air Force personnel at the program building. Although the proposal was arbitrarily marked received at 2:05 pm, it was under Air Force control before the bid deadline.Update: The GAO web site confirms that US Aerospace filed a protest on 2 August. I copied and pasted the text below from the GAO's bid protest docket web site.
Department of the Air Force
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Outcome: Not Decided
Status: Case Currently Open| Filed Date: | August 2, 2010 |
| Due: | November 10, 2010 |
| Case Type: | Bid Protest |
| GAO Attorney: | |
| File Number: | 403464.1 |
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