The Katrina Disaster in Retrospect
By James McNair
Contract Administration and Management- Bus 330
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James McNair
The problem with the contracting out in the aftermath of the Katrina disaster is that the Government neglected small business. In Katrina’s aftermath the government first decided to start doing the work their selves. Eventually they contracted a no-bid contract when there were plenty of local companies. When they decided to give bids to large companies they were going against the Stafford Act which requires officials to give preference to state and local companies and individuals in awarding federal contracts. It is recorded that about 6 percent of the Army and 2 percent of FEMA’s contract has gone to local and state companies. They still decided to outsource to major companies. Many other situations need to be looked at such as unfair wages, corruption, bribery, conflict of interest and suspect bidding. It is fair to say that FEMA the US Army and government officials not only did a terrible job but also had ulterior motives. In order to change the situation it is necessary for the government to have looked at the situation objectively. It was important for the government officials to abide by the Stafford Act. FEMA has to look back on their policies and be willing to change. Not only were they blatantly wrong in their choices, even the President did a good job of discouraging what was fair for both those affected by Katrina and Small Disadvantaged Businesses.
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James McNair
According to defense official they were not just sitting on their hands waiting for the disaster to hit; instead they were being proactive about the situation, according to McHale “The Pentagon took prudent risks by deploying personnel and resources to regions affected by the hurricane before the Federal Emergency Management Agency requested these assets.” (govexec) It’s important to have oversight in these situations. Who allowed...