Editorial: Come clean on contract

Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004 | 9:07 a.m.

In its initial contracts with the U.S. government to provide services in Iraq, Dallas-based Halliburton Co. attracted investigations having to do with overcharges and kickbacks. Regarding its contract to provide services to U.S. troops, Halliburton agreed to repay the Pentagon $6.3 million after its own auditors uncovered a kickback scheme involving its employees. Regarding its contract to supply Iraqi citizens with gasoline, the company is being investigated by Pentagon auditors, who say taxpayers may have been overcharged $61 million.

The company's record demonstrates that its contracts should be open for public examination. The latest Halliburton contract, worth up to $1.2 billion and awarded last month, gives the company responsibility for restoring Iraq's oil economy. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stated that several government agencies agreed to award the contract to Halliburton, which was headed from 1995 to 2000 by Vice President Dick Cheney. After questions were raised by the Associated Press, however, the Corps admitted that only one person within its ranks, with no input from other agencies, made the choice. But that's all it's saying. The Corps is vowing to keep its evaluation process a secret.

In our view, the process of awarding a contract does not jeopardize national security or put troops at risk. Everything about the award of this latest Halliburton contract should be in the open.