Defense contracting.

• Author: Collins, Don
• Position: Readers' Forum - Letter to the editor

In response to your article on contracting trends, (Defense Industry 2015, Dec. 30) I have strong opinions on this topic and believe these cuts need to happen. Rather than see cuts, I would prefer to see contract values reduced. Contracting houses are making too much, contractors are getting paid too much, and military service members are feeling most of the pain.

I have worked in the commercial sector, as a government contractor, and as a civilian employee so I have exposure to the issue about which I am writing.

I understand, justifiably so, that budget cuts are coming. What I don t understand is why I see on a daily basis the continued abuse of contract amounts that has little to no oversight from within the government agencies and definitely not from within Congress.

When I became a civilian employee I became grossly aware of three major issues within, and specific to, the culture and handling of the budget: stovepiping and redundancy of activities, no accountability; and everything that is done within the government culture is a reaction to an event, rarely, if ever, are activities conducted proactively.

What I don't understand is why we have contractors whose only clients are the federal government that can afford box seats at major sports arenas, have gatherings that clearly cost millions of dollars and all kinds of benefits that clearly cost a lot of money, but we are cutting our military forces' benefits so much that these men and women can barely live on their salary and benefits. It seems like our priorities and loyalties are a bit confused.

What would make more sense to me would be to make the contract rates within the federal government competitive with the commercial industry contracts. Currently, they are not even close. I constantly challenge contractors I work with to find a job in the commercial sector making as much as they do as a government contractor. They can't.

The dollars that are awarded for the government contracts aren't realistic in the commercial industry. Commercial companies are driven by profit and they wouldn't make any profit if they were paying the same amounts that the government pays...