EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Abe Hamadeh calls on Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to investigate Accenture’s DOD contracts
THE LOWDOWN:
Rep. Abe Hamadeh called on Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to investigate two Department of Defense (DOD) contracts with consulting giant Accenture.
In his letter, exclusively obtained by the Washington Reporter, Hamadeh congratulated Driscoll on his confirmation to lead the Army and noted that “there are myriad issues interfering with that mission — inherited from the Biden administration.”
Hamadeh set his sights on two contracts currently under the Army purview: the Enterprise Business Systems Convergence and Military OneSource programs.
Hamadeh’s letter comes as the symphony of government streamlining continues through the Department of Government Efficiency.
Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R., Ariz.) called on Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to investigate two Department of Defense (DOD) contracts with consulting giant Accenture. Hamadeh is a former U.S. Army intelligence officer and is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
In Hamadeh’s letter, exclusively obtained by the Washington Reporter, Hamadeh congratulated Driscoll on his confirmation to lead the Army and noted that “there are myriad issues interfering with that mission — inherited from the Biden administration.”
“Systemic waste, fraud, and corruption under poor stewardship of taxpayer resources now places us in a position of having to make difficult choices about our posture and readiness,” Hamadeh wrote. “This is why President Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, to root out corruption, increase efficiency, and restore accountability.”
“I would like to draw your attention to two contracting issues that emerged at the very end of the Biden administration, that are the embodiment of what DOGE and the DoD must be investigating,” he continued. “Both issues tie back to a single contracting behemoth.”
The first of Accenture’s contracts Hamadeh, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, brought to Driscoll’s attention was the $1 billion “‘Enterprise Business Systems Convergence,’ or EBS-C” contract with Accenture Federal Services. Hamadeh noted that the Government Service Administration (GSA) “target list” includes Accenture Federal and that “agencies have been directed to scrutinize the use of Accenture Federal.”
“Given the context and political taint of this award of taxpayer dollars, it is in your control to evaluate whether this recent award appropriately followed protocols—or is the fruit of a corrupt process,” Hamadeh wrote.
Hamadeh cited “an alarming court filing by a finalist for the EBS-C procurement,” which alleged that the Army “awarded Accenture, in spite of its non-eligibility for the award;” that “Accenture fabricated the demonstrations that were determinative in the award process;” and that “the Army manipulated the award criteria to award the longtime monopoly incumbent, Accenture.”
The second Accenture contract Hamadeh highlighted was the “Military OneSource (MOS) program” that “is valued between $600 and $700 million and provides critical resources and support to over 4.7 million active and retired military personnel and their families.” Hamadeh also noted the “incumbent contractor for the past 10 years is Carelon Behavioral Health.”
“The recompete process for the MOS contract, initiated in October 2023, has been plagued by what appear to be significant procurement violations,” Hamadeh wrote. “A key point of contention was the new requirement for bidders to possess a Facility Clearance (FCL) at the time of bidding.”
“This requirement was protested because it unduly limited the pool of eligible bidders, as prospective offerors without a pre-existing FCL were automatically disqualified, and there is typically no mechanism for contractors to obtain an FCL without already holding a government contract requiring one.”
Hamadeh’s letter comes as the symphony of government streamlining continues through DOGE.
The Army told the Reporter that, as “with all congressional correspondence, we will respond directly to the author.”
Accenture did not immediately respond to the Reporter’s comment request.