conference in october

Another conference is coming up, this one is in October in London. Bpost is beginning to think the only real business opportunity vis a vis Iraq are in organizing these conferences. The conference registration fee is £1,099.00 but you can get a one day pass for £699.00. For another £2,097.00 you can even get a pdf file of the event proceedings on CD-ROM complete with audio. Cha-ching cha-ching.

Reconstructing Iraq

Medium term projects supporting energy and infrastructure
27th & 28th October 2003
One Whitehall Place, Whitehall, London

Highlight: Live interactive video link up with Jay Brandes, Director, Iraq Reconstruction Task Force, US Department of Commerce

Followed by two Executive Briefings:
Preparing for Tendering in Iraq
Gaining Construction Contracts in Iraq
29th October 2003
One Whitehall Place, Whitehall, London

Registration: Book via website or call Andrew Gibbons at: +44 (0) 20 7827 6156 or email: agibbons@smi-online.co.uk

Sponsored & supported by: Applied Satellite Technology, Jones Day, Norton Rose, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, Ernst & Young, Middle East Association, BCCB, Willis & Olive Security

 

economics

Economic Recovery, Reform and Sustained Growth in Iraq

FedBizOpps has posted the synopsis for the Economic Recovery, Reform and Sustained Growth in Iraq.

The U.S. Agency for International Development intends to award a contract for the Economic Recovery, Reform, and Sustained Growth in Iraq. The Agency will be conducting a limited competition for this effort pursuant to the USAID Acquisition Regulations (AIDAR) 706.302-70(b)(3)(ii), Impairment of Foreign Assistance Objectives. The firms invited to bid on this effort are Abt Asociates; Bearing Point; Booz Allen, Hamilton; Carana Corporation; Chemonics; Deloitte Touche; Development Alternatives Inc.; Financial Markets International; IBM Business Consulting Services; and Nathan Associates. This notice is for informational purposes only. If you wish to view the Statement of Work for this effort, it will be available on our website (www.usaid.gov/iraq) on 6/9/03.

We're not really sure why the synopsis went out yesterday via the eps notifier.
 

job listing

Solicitation for U.S. Personnel Service Contractor (PSC) for Supervisory Financial Analyst in the Financial Management Office with duty located in Bagdad, Iraq.

USAID has posted a job listing at FedBizOps. It's in Baghdad and it's with money. We liked this part the best:

Introduction: USAID IRAQ is implementing a program of humanitarian assistance and reconstruction activities initially valued at nearly $1.5 billion, operating through large and complex contractual mechanisms and several large grants. USAID managed assistance to the IRAQ Reconstruction will take place during the 18 months after the conflict. Monthly expenditures across the portfolio are anticipated to be $140 million.

Gee, large and complex contractual mechanisms..... Check out the job listing. Here's the link.
 

inside

The Houston Chronicle carried an opinion piece today, The Pentagon has some explaining to do by Karen Kwiatkowski, a recently retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, that is worth the read. Lt. Colonel (Ret) Kwiatkowski was in the office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Near East South Asia and Special Plans (USDP/NESA and SP) in the Pentagon, during the build up to war in Iraq from May 2002 through February 2003. Her observations and concerns should not be dismissed.

I observed the environment in which decisions about post-war Iraq were made.

Those observations changed everything.

What I saw was aberrant, pervasive and contrary to good order and discipline. If one is seeking the answers to why peculiar bits of "intelligence" found sanctity in a presidential speech, or why the post-Saddam occupation has been distinguished by confusion and false steps, one need look no further than the process inside the Office of the Secretary of Defense. I can identify three prevailing themes.

Lt. Colonel (Ret) Kwiatkowski goes on to identify the prevailing themes as: 1. Functional isolation of the professional corps 2. Cross-agency cliques and 3. Groupthink.

Do read the article as it includes an inside look at the environment within which the Office of Special Plans was operating.