Reconstruction of Iraq contractors

Expect also a flourishing business in war profiteering consultancies to grease the way for obtaining business opportunities in Iraq, for instance, (Bush's) New Bridge Strategies and (Ahmad Chalabi's) Iraqi International Law Group.

A team of investigative reporters in Iraq have found a pattern of waste, fraud and abuse among U.S. companies receiving multi-million-dollar reconstruction contracts in the country, including massive over-charges for projects; shoddy work or a failure to complete tasks; and ignoring local experts who contend they could do the job better and cheaper. The in-depth report by CorpWatch's Pratap Chatterjee and Focus on the Global South's Herbert Docena, published in the latest issue of Southern Exposure magazine, is an on-the-ground account of how U.S. taxpayer money given to Bechtel, Halliburton and other companies is being spent. 

The Web of Reconstruction
See the "Web of Reconstruction" Diagram posted online by GovExec.com.

Reconstruction of Iraq contractors and subcontractors
Contractors and subcontractors include the following:


 * Abt Associates, Inc.
 * Adam Smith International (UK)
 * AICI (American International Contractors, Inc.)/Syska Hennessy/Archirodon LLC - Arlington, Virginia
 * Air Force Augmentation Program (AFCAP)
 * Al Abrag Co. (Iraq)
 * Al-Ardh Al-Khadhara'a Co. (Iraq)
 * Al-Bahar & Bardawil (Kuwait)
 * Al-Bunnia (Iraq)
 * Al Dohan (Kuwait)
 * Al Duboony (Iraq)
 * Al-Ebadi (Iraq)
 * Al Kalij (Iraq)
 * Al-Maleky Bureau (Iraq)
 * Al-Marwa Co. Ltd. (Iraq)
 * Al-Mulia (Kuwait)
 * Al Nejoom (Iraq)
 * Al Rehada (Iraq)
 * Al-Sabah General Co. (Iraq)
 * Al Sakhra Bureau (Iraq)
 * Al-Sultan General Contracts (Iraq)
 * Al Takaful General Contracts Ltd. (Iraq)
 * Al Wahaf Group of Companies (Iraq)
 * Algosaibi Services (Saudi Arabia)
 * ALI Capital Partners
 * American Islamic Congress
 * American Manufacturers Export Group (AMEG)
 * American University
 * Applied Control Systems
 * ArmorGroup
 * Baghdad Company Ltd. (Iraq)
 * BearingPoint, Inc.
 * Bechtel
 * Boots & Coots International Well Control, Inc.
 * Chemonics International
 * CH2M Hill/Dragados/Soluziona (joint venture) - Englewood, Colorado
 * Contrack International, Inc. (Arlington, Virginia)
 * Creative Associates International, Inc.
 * Crown Agents (UK)
 * Dalya-Sat Telecom (Iraq)
 * DevTech Systems, Inc.
 * DynCorp (CSC DynCorp International)
 * Electoral Reform International Services (ERIS) (UK)
 * ELS Land Solutions (UK)
 * ESS Support Services (Cyprus)
 * Fluor Intercontinental, Inc. (Charlotte, North Carolina)
 * Globecomm Systems
 * Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co.
 * Gulf Telecom (Kuwait)
 * Halcrow Group (UK)
 * Halliburton Company
 * Health Services Engineering (HSE)
 * HR First International (US/Egypt)
 * Huffman and Carpenter
 * IATA
 * International Medical Corps (IMC)
 * International Resources Group
 * Iraq Forum for Reconstruction and Development LLC
 * The Iraq Foundation
 * Iraq Projects Company (Iraq)
 * Iraqi Consultants & Construction Bureau (Iraq)
 * Iraqi Trade Corp.
 * Kellogg Brown and Root
 * Lockheed Martin
 * Logenix International L.L.C.
 * Motorola
 * National Catering Company (Saudi Arabia)
 * Northrop Grumman Corporation
 * Odebrect-Austin (joint venture) (Coral Gables, Florida)
 * Olive Security (UK)
 * QED Group
 * Panalpina
 * Parsons Delaware Inc. (Pasadena, California)
 * Perini Corporation (Framingham, MA)
 * ProLinks (Bechtel) (Kuwait)
 * The QED Group
 * Rayba Pest Control (Kuwait)
 * RTI International
 * Riyadh Geotechnique (Saudi Arabia)
 * Saida (Iraq)
 * Shaw CENTCOM Services, LLC
 * Skylink Air & Logistics Support
 * Snafee Co. (Iraq)
 * Stevedoring Services of America
 * Tamimi Global Company Ltd. TAFGA (Saudi Arabia)
 * Tawf Construction (Iraq)
 * Titan Maritime
 * TransCentury
 * Verestar Inc.
 * Vinnell Corporation
 * Voxiva
 * Wajdi Technical (Iraq)
 * Washington Group International
 * Washington International/Black & Veatch Joint Venture (Boise, Idaho)
 * Wild Well Control, Inc.


 * Also see:
 * There is a lengthy list, other than those already listed above, of Iraqi companies that are under subcontract to Bechtel.
 * Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF) Major Project Contractors List (pdf) posted on White House website.
 * IIRTF FY2004 Reconstruction Contracts & Grants.

According to the September 30, 2003, New York Times:

"As part of the administration's postwar work in Iraq, the government has awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to American businesses. Those contracts, some without competitive bidding, have included more than $500 million to support troops and extinguish oil field fires for Kellogg, Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton, which Vice President Dick Cheney led from 1995 until 2000.

"Of the $3.9 billion a month that the administration is spending on military operations in Iraq, up to one-third may go to contractors who provide food, housing and other services, some military budget experts said. A spokesman for the Pentagon said today that the military could not provide an estimate of the breakdown.

"Administration officials, including L. Paul Bremer III, the top American official in Iraq, have said all future contracts will be issued only as a result of competitive bidding. Already, the Web site for the Coalition Provisional Authority, http:// cpa-iraq.org/, lists 36 recent solicitations, including those for contractors who might sell new AK-47 assault rifles, nine-millimeter ammunition and other goods for new army and security forces."

As of September 12, 2003, according to the government's web site at www.export.gov/iraq/contracts, "The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) are the primary agencies granting contracts. In addition, the Department of State has awarded a contract in law enforcement support. To date, USAID has awarded nine ten contracts [sic] and four grants. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded one contract for Iraqi oil infrastructure planning and three contracts in anticipation of potential contingency contract requirements in U.S. Central Command's area of operations.

"Each of the awarded contracts may require subcontract work or the hiring of additional employees. Prime contractors select their own subcontractors or employees."

SourceWatch Resources

 * Coalition Provisional Authority
 * Defense contractors
 * Federal contractors
 * Homeland Security contractors
 * Military-industrial complex
 * Post-war Iraq
 * Private Military Corporations
 * Reconstruction of Iraq funding
 * Vision for Post-Conflict Iraq

Undated

 * Reconstruction of Iraq.com website.
 * Rebuilding Iraq -- The Contractors, OpenSecrets.org, no date.
 * Iraq Reconstruction, MasterBuildersOnline.com (UK), no date. Re UK contract awards.
 * Corporate Contracts and Reconstruction, GlobalPolicy.org, current.
 * Rebuilding Iraq: Creating a Competitive Economy, Reason Public Policy Institute/Reason Foundation, no date.
 * Security Companies Doing Business in Iraq - GlobalSecurity.org

Articles & Commentary

 * Randall Frost, Post-War Booty Call. Five companies with GOP ties vie for lucrative reconstruction contracts, TowardFreedom online magazine, Spring 2003.
 * Danny Penman and agencies, US firms set for postwar contracts, Guardian UK, March 11, 2003.
 * Sherie Winston and Mary B. Powers, DOD Seeks Potential Oil Fire Contractors for Post-War Iraq, McGraw Hill Construction, March 13, 2003.
 * Korean Contractors Hope For A Windfall In Postwar Iraq. Source: New York Times.
 * US says Bulgaria will be among preferred contractors to rebuild Iraq, BNN, April 4, 2003.
 * The New Iraq, PBS OnlineNewsHour, April 30, 2003.
 * Romulo says GMA to market RP potential for outsourced labor in post-war Iraq, Phillipine Government, May 4, 2003. Also see RP to help rebuild post-war Iraq, according to Phillipine Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople.
 * USAID, Iraq Reconstruction Contracts and Grants Awarded As of September 12, 2003. Includes awards by DOD and Department of State, as well as listing of NGOs and subcontractors.
 * Bechtel: U.S. Government's Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction Program, with August 19, 2003 Project Update and List of Awarded Subcontracts (since April 25, 2003) for USAID Contract EEE-C-00-03-00018-00.
 * Neil King, Jr., For One Small Education Company, Iraqi Schools Are a Huge Challenge. Firm Gets $62 Million Pact to Rebuild System Set Up to Honor Saddam Hussein, Wall Street Journal, April 14, 2003: "American Manufacturers Export Group, a Texas-based company ...owned by women, will supply millions of student book bags, pencils, pads of paper -- even shoes for needy children. Research Triangle Institute of North Carolina will work as a subcontractor to help form educational policy within the Iraqi Ministry of Education. The institute, a nonprofit with 2,100 world-wide employees, has also been picked by AID as the prime contractor to identify local leaders and prepare for local elections in Iraq's 180 municipalities. Creative Associates will be a subcontractor, in turn, on the institute's contract, valued at $162 million in the first year."
 * Paul Krugman, Who's Sordid Now?, New York Times, September 30, 2003: "Cronyism is an important factor in our Iraqi debacle. It's not just that reconstruction is much more expensive than it should be. The really important thing is that cronyism is warping policy: by treating contracts as prizes to be handed to their friends, administration officials are delaying Iraq's recovery, with potentially catastrophic consequences."
 * Edmund L. Andrews and Neela Banerjee, Bidders for reconstruction are racing the clock, New York Times, October 20, 2003.
 * The Center for Public Integrity, Winning Contractors. U.S. Contractors Reap the Windfalls of Post-war Reconstruction, New York Post, October 30, 2003.
 * Oliver Morgan, Non-US firms frozen out of Iraq, Guardian UK, November 9, 2003.
 * Sue Pleming, U.S. Holds Conferences on New Iraq Contracts, Reuters, November 10, 2003: "Anxious to appear fair in doling out nearly $20 billion in work in Iraq, the U.S.-led authority there is holding conferences in Washington and London next week for prospective contractors. ... Called CPA Industry Days, the Coalition Provisional Authority's Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction Office (IIRO) is set to draw thousands of participants at its meetings in Washington on Nov. 19 and in London two days later. ... 'The conferences will allow both small and large industry to see where we are going and it will enhance the transparency of the contracting process,' a U.S. defense official said on Monday, adding that no new contracts would be announced."
 * US to allow British firms to bid for Iraq contracts: report, AFP, November 15, 2003: "Washington is to give British firms the right to bid for multi-million dollar reconstruction contracts in Iraq as a reward for Prime Minister Tony Blair's loyalty over the war, The Times newspaper said."
 * Karim El-Gawhary, Bechtel Fails Reconstruction of Iraq's Schools, corpwatch, December 2, 2003.
 * Doublas Jehl, Pentagon Bars Three Nations From Iraq Bids, New York Times, December 10, 2003: On December 5, 2003, deputy defense secretary Paul Dundes Wolfowitz issued a directive barring "French, German and Russian companies from competing for $18.6 billion in contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq, saying [the Pentagon] was acting to protect 'the essential security interests of the United States.' ... [representing] the most substantive retaliation to date by the Bush administration against American allies who opposed its decision to go to war in Iraq."
 * Now can we call it imperialism?, Alternet.org, December 10, 2003: "The memo, signed by Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz, says that 'for the protection of the essential security interests of the United States,' only companies from the United States, Iraq and the countries that joined the coalition against Saddam Hussein will be allowed to bid on the 26 contracts to be announced soon." See Coalition Provisional Authority's Iraq Program Management Office web site.
 * "Windfalls of War", Center for Public Integrity, January 25, 2004. See "Contracts and Reports."
 * Julian Borger and David Pallister, "Corruption: the 'second insurgency' costing $4bn a year. One third of rebuilding contracts under criminal investigation," Guardian Unlimited (UK), December 2, 2006.