When the U.S. Army put in an order with Boeing for 50 ramp gate rollers for the Apache and Chinook helicopters, they got a bill for $81,324. And being the Army, an agency that need never fear for a lack of finances, it paid the bill no questions asked. But now that someone has come and checked the math on that bill and many others, it turns out that the price was off by, oh, about 16,000 percent. A new report by the U.S. Inspector General chronicles repeated overcharges by Boeing in selling spare aircraft parts to the Army.In the case of the rollers, the parts were purchased by sold to the Army for $1,678.61 apiece, even though the Defense Logistics Agency’s standard price is $7.71 each.For example:Other findings noted by the inspector general include overpayment for parts like sleeve bushings and the fact that “millions of already purchased spare parts in the [Department of Defense’s] inventory went unused.”There were up to $278 million worth of unused spare parts in the Army’s inventory, in fact, according to the report.All told, Boeing owes the Army $13 million.The reason for the discrepancies, according to the audit, is that “no one had taken responsibility” in checking the prices given by Boeing to the prices the Army normally pays.And why should they? Since when has the Army ever really had to worry about how much money it spends?Follow The Daily Weekly on Facebook and Twitter.
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