And NASA management doesn't seem to give a shit.
"According to Safety and Mission Assurance officials at NASA and DCMA officials at Michoud, Boeing’s quality control issues are largely caused by its workforce having insufficient aerospace production experience," the report states. "The lack of a trained and qualified workforce increases the risk that the contractor will continue to manufacture parts and components that do not adhere to NASA requirements and industry standards."
This lack of a qualified workforce has resulted in significant program delays and increased costs. According to the new report, "unsatisfactory" welding operations resulted in propellant tanks that did not meet specifications, which directly led to a seven-month delay in the program.
NASA's inspector general was concerned enough with quality control to recommend that the space agency institute financial penalties for Boeing’s noncompliance. However, in a response to the report, NASA's deputy associate administrator, Catherine Koerner, declined to do so. "NASA interprets this recommendation to be directing NASA to institute penalties outside the bounds of the contract," she replied. "There are already authorities in the contract, such as award fee provisions, which enable financial ramifications for noncompliance with quality control standards."
That's NASA-doubletalk for "We don't care and you can't make us." Each year, Boeing slips another year behind schedule. Which means that, at the current rate, the Heat Death of the Universe will occur before Boeing fulfils its contract.
The Biden Administtation seems to care not and neither does Gym Jordan and his crack-pack of investigators.
Boeing has to have some serious juice. And yes, it is as corrupt AF.
4 comments:
Aerospace= military, if you want to make a buck. There is the juice.
When the failure rate has a human life behind it its manditory it be good.
Being as they are not doing well with jets... says it all.
Eck!
Seems like the cost cutting they did ended up costing them more money. Somebody should look into that...
-Doug in Sugar Pine
They appear to have a government owned contractor operated (GOCO) plant with Boeing as the prime. At least it is a cost type contract or at least has a big cost type component, apparently, and not one of those stupid fixed-price development contracts that end up being fixed-price plus huge claim. With a cost type contract the contractor is supposed to tell the government what the costs will be for the planned whatever it is they are doing and then report on the actual costs using an audited accounting system. No guarantee of anything but makes it a little harder to play any games. NASA gets $s from Congress and Louisiana gets a largely (all but one) Republican delegation featuring Steve Scalise and the current Speaker Mike Johnson. Nuff said? Look into the costs all you want, it will be auditable and you will not find anything.
It's a cost plus contract. They have no incentive to produce quality on time.
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