» Task Force SAFE Ms Sparky

David Isenberg: DCMA and Contractor Oversight

April 14, 2010 — Ms Sparky

David Isenberg – Huffington Post
Author, Shadow Force: Private Security Contractors in Iraq (Praeger Security International)
Posted: April 14, 2010 11:41 AM

Let us start out by acknowledging that most federal government auditors and contracting officers charged with doing oversight on private contractors have a difficult job. As has been documented for years they are overburdened and until recently, under resourced. I am sure most of them try to do an enormously difficult job as professionally and competently as they can.

That said, they can only be as good as the agency they work for. When we think of private contractors working for the U.S. military that means places like the Defense Contract Auditing Agency and the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) . DCMA is the DOD Component that works directly with Defense suppliers to help ensure that DOD, Federal, and allied Government supplies and services are delivered on time, at projected cost, and meet all performance requirements. (Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Electrocutions/Shocks, GOV. CONTRACTORS, KBR Contract, LOGCAP III - KBR, Politics, Reports & Investigations, Ryan Maseth-US Army, Task Force POWER, Task Force SAFE. Tags: David Isenberg, DCMA, DoDIG, LOGCAP, SSG Ryan Maseth. No Comments »

Army decision to deny millions in bonuses to KBR is “Right call, but only fist step”

February 26, 2010 — Ms Sparky

American Chronicle – Congressional Desk
February 26, 2010

Former Task Force SAFE Electrical Subject Matter Expert James Childs testifies before the Senate Democratic Policy Committee about the shoddy electrical work performed by KBR. Cheryl Harris, SSG Ryan Maseth's mother, sheds a tear as she listens to why her son was electrocuted and died in his shower in Baghdad on January 2, 2008.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), who chaired Senate hearings on electrocutions of soldiers in Iraq resulting from shoddy contracting work by KBR, said Thursday the Army´s decision to deny million of dollars in bonuses to the firm for its 2008 work in Iraq “is the right call, but it is only a first step.”

Dorgan chaired two Senate Democratic Policy Committee (DPC) hearings in 2008 and 2009 on KBR´s shoddy electrical work in Iraq. The hearings revealed widespread problems with KBR´s electrical work there including countless electrical shocks including one that killed Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, and perhaps others, and injured dozens more on their own bases as they showered and engaged in other routine activities.

Following the hearings, Dorgan and Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) wrote the Army asking that it review KBR´s work and the electrocution death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth. They also asked the Army to re-evaluate the millions of dollars in bonuses it has routinely awarded KBR for supposedly excellent work, even when the Army´s own evidence made clear it was highly questionable.

The Army´s investigation of Maseth´s January 2008 death found that KBR´s work exposed soldiers to “unacceptable risk.” A theatre-wide safety review that resulted from the Dorgan-Casey request — Task Force SAFE — also found widespread problems with KBR´s electrical work that exposed soldiers to life threatening risks. (Read the rest of the story here…)

KBR loses $25M in award fee bonuses for poor performance in Iraq (updated)

February 24, 2010 — Ms Sparky

They didn’t just lose $25M….they got ZERO! This is a classic example of how one person can make a difference. I do believe KBR underestimated Cheryl Harris’ tenacity. I applaud you Cheryl!

Contractor linked to Iraq death loses $25M in fees

By KIMBERLY HEFLING
Associated Press Writer
Feb 24, 10:42 PM EST

Cheryl Harris with her son Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth. Ryan, 24, was electrocuted in his shower in Iraq on Jan. 2, 2008. Cheryl has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against KBR. That suit is currently sitting in the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals awaiting a decision.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Military contractor KBR has lost about $25 million in bonuses from the government because of “failed” worked done in Iraq during the time a Green Beret was electrocuted in a barracks shower it was responsible for maintaining.

The U.S. Army Sustainment Command said in a statement released to The Associated Press Wednesday night that the Houston-based company failed to meet a level deserving of an award fee payment for work it did during the first four months of 2008. Award fees are written into contracts as an incentive for the contractors to do quality work.

The Army statement did not specifically mention the January 2008 death of 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth of Pittsburgh in the statement but said a task force that has extensively reviewed electrical work in Iraq was consulted in making the decision as was the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, which investigated Maseth’s death, but did not press charges against KBR.

Dan Carlson, a spokesman for the Army Sustainment Command, said in an e-mail that “multiple factors” led to the decision. (Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Cheryl Harris vs KBR, Electrocutions/Shocks, GOV. CONTRACTORS, KBR Contract, KBR Investigations, KBR's CAR's, LOGCAP III - KBR, Ryan Maseth-US Army, Senate & House Committee Hearings, Senate DPC Hearings, Task Force SAFE. Tags: Army CID, Army Sustainment Command, Award Fee, Cheryl Harris, SEC, SSG Ryan Maseth, Task Force SAFE. 9 Comments »

Ms Sparky – wrapping up 2009

January 3, 2010 — Ms Sparky

Before I give you all the “Mosts for 2009″ I want to share some 2009 “MsSparky.com” stats with you . I realize these stats would be considered a failure for blogs such as the Huffington Post, but MsSparky.com has come a long way since I started keeping stats in June 2008 and I am very proud of that. It is “MsSparky.com” readers, commentors and guest writers (THANK YOU Forseti) who have contributed to these stats which ultimately results in getting the word out about KBR and contractor fraud in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait!

My goal for 2010 is to have numbers at least 5 times greater than 2009!

Month/Year	Unique Visitors	Total # of Visits	Total # of Pages Viewed	Hits
June 2008	171	520	3,538	7,133
January 2009	4,728	9,155	29,391	144,978
December 2009	23,014	48,392	558,638	1,691,847
Total for 2009	112,963	245,021	1,295,953	4,722,183

Technorati.com is a blog tracking and rating site. I tried to find the official number of blogs they tracked in 2009 and didn’t find it. But in 2008 it was over 113 million just English speaking blogs. I am expecting 2009 to be in the 100′s of millions of English speaking blogs. My Technorati Authority (rating) is 135. That puts MsSparky.com in the top 20,000 blogs that Technorati tracks. Yes….the Huffington Post is #1. (Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Combat Support Ass. (CSA), GOV. CONTRACTORS, LOGCAP III - KBR, LOGCAP-Dyncorp, LOGCAP-Fluor, Stanley Baker Hill (SBH), Task Force SAFE. Tags: Combat Support Ass. (CSA), DynCorp, SBH, Task Force SAFE, Wrapping up 2009. 2 Comments »

Janine Hermanson still seeks answers in Adams electrocution death

December 13, 2009 — Ms Sparky

Nearly four months later, Janine Hermanson still searches for answers regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of her husband Adam Hermanson who was electrocuted and died in his shower. This happened at Triple Canopy’s Camp Olympia in the Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq on September 1, 2009.

(For some reason I am having problems with this video viewing properly in FireFox. Internet Explorer seems to be viewing it OK. If you are just seeing a big black box click HERE to go the NBC site to watch the video there. I will get it fixed ASAP….I hope.) (Read the rest of the story here…)