a billionaire

The Missoula Independent has a profile on Washington Group International who recently received an additional task order for $110 million dollars for work in Iraq.

Construction and railroad magnate Dennis R. Washington is Montana’s only homegrown billionaire. The Missoula resident also appears to be the city’s only initiate to a cabal of big government contractors whose political donations have been followed by lucrative government contracts as the Bush administration continues to throw billions at the rebuilding effort in Iraq.

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WGI announced on Oct. 3 that it had received a $110 million “task order” from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “to support ongoing efforts to repair electrical infrastructure in Iraq.”

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[WGI Vice President for Corporate Communications Jack] Herrmann affirms that campaign contributions secure access to elected officials, who set policy that affects the company’s ability to do business. In regards to the current policy in Iraq, which is obviously a boon for WGI, Herrmann won’t debate the merits of the president’s efforts in Iraq. “That’s one for the politicians to talk about,” says Herrmann.

A "task order" would mean the work was not competetively bid but was awarded to a company under an existing contract.