In a February 23 article in the Air & Space Forces Magazine titled USSF’s Top Buyer to Industry: Stop Low-Bidding Now, writer Greg Hadley, reports on comments made by Frank Calvelli, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration.
Mr. Cavelli spoke at the 2024 Air & Space Forces Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado. The Space force’s acquisition boss called on industry to stop low bidding on their contracts. He also called on government to realistically assess proposals because otherwise we “rob our future to pay for the past.” He also warned that he may be forced to cancel over-budget projects or start over. His advice to contractors: “Don’t low bid me and think we’re going to award it and then fix it later.” He went on to say that “I’m at the point where I can’t afford to keep paying for poorly awarded contracts in the past. I’d rather cancel stuff and start over. And so, I need industry to get out of the mode of low bidding. I need the government to get in the mode of awarding realistic proposals that we can actually execute."
The full article is available here.