Vermont Congressional Delegation
Defends Vermont Stone Industry, Urges VA
To Continue Using Superior Vermont Stone And Craftsmanship
At The Nation’s Veterans Cemeteries
(THURSDAY, Oct. 19) -- Vermont’s Congressional Delegation is asking the
Department of Veterans Affairs to reverse a decision to stop using
Vermont marble and Vermont craftsmen in the creation of thousands of
memorials placed at the nation’s veterans cemeteries.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Sen. James
Jeffords (I-Vt.) and Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took the action
after Barre-based Granite Industries of Vermont (GIV) informed them that
GIV had lost a VA contract to a Mississippi firm despite being the low
bidder, having 16 years of experience as a provider of stone memorials
to the VA, and having never had a stone rejected due to quality during
the past decade.
Jeffrey Martell, president of GIV, asked
for the Vermont Congressional Delegation’s assistance after filing a
formal protest with the VA in late September. The VA will now review
the protest, including the letter sent by Leahy, Jeffords and Sanders,
and determine if the contract was awarded fairly. GIV currently
produces approximately 20,000 memorials annually for the VA.
[The text of the Delegation’s letter
follows.]
October 18, 2006
The
Honorable R. James Nicholson
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Ave NW
Washington, DC 20420
Dear Secretary Nicholson:
We are writing in support of a protest
concerning Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Contract Award Number
VA786-P-0158 awarded on September 26, 2006, in response to Solicitation
No. VA-786-06-RP-0118. A current VA contractor and respondent to the
solicitation, Granite Industries of Vermont (GIV), has brought its
protest concerning this headstone contract to our attention.
It is our understanding that for the past
16 years GIV has provided first-class headstones to the VA without a
single defect or poor quality stone for more than a decade. It is
currently performing under contract #V786-P-575, providing the VA with
20,000 marble headstones annually. The management and workforce of GIV
take pride in their ability to provide the VA and the families of
thousands of veterans with stones unmatched in quality. GIV has also
taken great efforts to provide professional, courteous and expedited
service to the VA in fulfilling its contracts. Vermont is known
globally as home to some of the strongest and most beautiful granite and
marble in the world. Vermont has supplied headstones for America’s
soldiers since the Battle of Gettysburg.
When GIV was not awarded contract
VA786-P-0158, GIV management was rightfully concerned considering it had
underbid the contract awardee by $30 a headstone, or $90,000 over the
life of the contract. We understand that GIV was told by the
contracting officer that GIV was not chosen based on past performance.
Given the 16-year near-perfect track record GIV has with the VA, it is
hard to believe that awarding this contract to a company at a higher
price with equal or poorer past performance standards could possibly be
in the best interest of the VA or the American tax payer.
Our concern about this contract award was
only heightened when we learned that the contracting officer would not
expound upon the claim that the past performance of GIV contributed to
its failure to secure this contract. If GIV has never delivered a stone
of poor quality to the VA, and if GIV has met or exceeded its
competition’s service and delivery standards, we are at a loss to
understand why the VA would choose to discontinue such a business
relationship.
As Vermont’s Congressional Delegation and
as concerned lawmakers, we write in support of GIV’s protest under the
Federal Acquisition Regulations concerning this contract. We also
request that the VA offer a full and immediate explanation concerning
the contracting officer’s claim relating to unacceptable past
performance from GIV.
Should you have any questions concerning
our requests, please feel free to contact Daniel Ginsberg of the office
of Senator Leahy at (202) 224-4242, Laurie Schultz-Heim of the office of
Senator Jeffords at (202) 224-5141 or Warren Gunnels of the office of
Congressman Sanders at (202) 225-4115. Thank you for your assistance
and cooperation.
Sincerely,
PATRICK
LEAHY
United States Senate
JAMES JEFFORDS
United States Senate
BERNIE SANDERS
U.S. House of Representatives
