CMAA Condemns Hill Study on Iraq Reconstruction

CMAA strongly condemned a May 18 study released by the minority staff of the House Government Reform Committee and the Senate Democratic Policy Committee that criticized the Iraq reconstruction effort.

In letters to Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA), and Congressman John Dingell (D-MI), CMAA challenged the conclusions made in the study that conflicts of interest exist in specific program management contracts awarded by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq.  Specifically, CMAA stated that “the conclusion that it does not make sense for one major contractor to oversee another and that such a relationship is improper when the firms have a business relationship on another project do not reflect the long-established processes used to manage and construct complex construction projects around the world.”

The study contends that project oversight is typically a government function and that private firms should not have oversight over another firm on one project, but a partnership with that same firm on another project.  Assertions are also made that there is no independent oversight over the construction contractors or project management firms working on the Iraq reconstruction contracts that were named in the study.  CMAA outlined the value of utilizing private firms for construction management services and highlighted the code of ethics that guides all professional construction and project managers.  CMAA believes that the study fails to understand the nature of construction management contracts and that “the contributions of the private sector firms working to rebuild Iraq should be commended, not unfairly criticized.”