U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Procurement of Pumping Systems for the New Orleans Drainage Canals

Abstract

The Corps' decisions to acquire the 34 hydraulic pumping systems were focused on satisfying its commitment to have pumping capacity on the drainage canals in place by June 1, 2006 the start of the 2006 hurricane season. In order to increase the likelihood that pumping capacity would be in place when needed, the Corps utilized several tools to expedite and streamline the acquisition process. The Corps appears to have had a valid reason for each of the iterative decisions it made at each stage of the procurement process. The cumulative effect of these decisions resulted in one supplier--Moving Water Industries Corporation being in the strongest competitive position to receive the contract for the pumping systems. Factory testing of the pumps occurred from March through May 2006, and revealed several problems with specific components of the pumping systems. As a result of the concerns identified during factory testing, the Corps had no assurance that the pumping systems would operate to capacity when needed. Nevertheless, the pumping systems were installed as planned because the Corps believed that it was better to have some pumping capacity along the drainage canals during the 2006 hurricane season rather than none. The Corps also believed that many of the problems identified during factory testing could be resolved after installation. Since June 1, 2006, the Corps has continued to take steps to correct known performance problems with the pumping systems, including uninstalling them to make some repairs. Specific problems that have been addressed include replacing some components that were undersized, such as springs and motors; rewelding of some critical structural welds; and revising certain start-up procedures.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 23, 2007
Accession Number
ADA475140

Entities

People

  • Anu K. Mittal

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

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  • Engineered Resilient Systems

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  • Acquisition
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  • Procurement
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