Feral Jundi

Friday, February 19, 2010

Haiti: Private Industry To The Rescue!

Filed under: Disaster Response,Haiti — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 1:09 PM

“If Scahill and Klein have the resources, the capabilities, the equipment, to go in and do it themselves then more power to them.” -Doug Brooks, IPOA 

*****

     Your damn right, and good on Doug for calling it like it is. I read through these two articles below, thinking that the authors were actually going to present a convincing argument that what the IPOA and private industry is doing is a bad thing. In fact, I read through both of these articles and thought, ‘ private industry to the rescue’!  So thanks to Anthony Fenton and Jeremy Gantz for actually writing two articles that were inspirational to me, and did the exact opposite of what they intended to do. Critics are funny that way.

   I will explain.  You see all of these critics of the industry continue to complain that private industry is actually doing something about the rebuilding of Haiti.  At face value, that is just ridiculous. Who are they to say that the IPOA or GIS can’t help? Can they help if they are wearing a Che Guevera t-shirt?  Can they only help if they donate their entire savings to the Haitian government, and live on the streets of Vancouver BC begging for money for the rest of their lives?

    To me, the critics have actually taken a pretty immoral stance in my opinion.  If I am the public and reading this stuff, I am thinking ‘where the hell is the money supposed to go anyways’ and ‘who cares if private industry wants to help’?  The public wants action, and they want to make sure that Haiti is getting a good value for the dollar. The donations are supposed to be used for rebuilding and helping Haiti, not for paying aid agency salaries or for aid agency ad campaigns so they can make even more money.  Put that money to work, and lets get going on the rebuild.

   Also, all of these IPOA companies are specialists in rebuilding in the worst kind of disaster zones.  Namely, war.  They provide the specialists, and they also hire local Haitians, and get projects built.  Private industry will be helping government, but they will also be helping other private groups.  Who are the critics to say that private industry cannot participate in that process?  This is how the real world works, and I just shake my head every time I read this stuff.

   Klein is classic though.  The biggest disaster capitalists on this planet, are the media and aid agencies, and yet private industry is the bad guy here?  Pfffft. If anything, Klein lacks the courage to criticize the media or aid agencies, partly because most of her cheerleaders come from those two groups. Not to mention that the media and aid agencies both depend upon my industry to go on their little disaster crusades around the world.

    Naomi is also living in a fairy tale if she thinks that private industry can’t help, or that their ‘cookie cutter’ responses in Iraq or Afghanistan are not helpful to Haiti.  I am still trying to figure out what she means by cookie cutter response, because I have yet to see anything of the sort from any of the companies over in Iraq or Afghanistan.  Actually, they all do things quite differently and approach problems based on their personal experience and capability.  Most are pretty innovative and can certainly get things done.  They have to, if they want to survive in a war zone and be competitive in this market.

   Any way, I wanted to give kudos to the IPOA and GIS for putting the critics in their place, and for all the hard work they have done.  I also want to thank these two journalists for providing examples of what happens when criticism backfires. Especially when they are trying to attack those that are taking action to help Haiti. –Matt

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HAITI:Private Contractors ‘Like Vultures Coming to Grab the Loot’ 

Anthony Fenton

VANCOUVER, Canada, Feb 19 (IPS) – Critics are concerned that private military contractors are positioning themselves at the centre of an emerging “shock doctrine” for earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

Next month, a prominent umbrella organisation for private military and logistic corporations, the International Peace Operations Association (IPOA), is co-organising a “Haiti summit” which aims to bring together “leading officials” for “private consultations with attending contractors and investors” in Miami, Florida.

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Industry Talk: IPOA/GIS Conference On Haiti– Resources For Reconstruction And Humanitarian Assistance

Filed under: Afghanistan,Haiti,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 11:34 AM

   A couple things on this particular conference.  It sounds like past conferences have been extremely successful in matching private industry with the various government needs of countries around the world. Their last conference was on Afghanistan, and it was so successful that they have decided to do more of them.  And usually these things take a little time to put together, but because Haiti just popped up on the scene, they have decided to put together a special conference just for that disaster.

   They are also donating the proceeds made at the conference to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, and that is awesome.  Bravo guys and I hope the conference is a success.  I know Haiti needs action and not just words, and when the dust settles and all of the media and celebrities have packed up and gone home, there will still be a Haiti that needs to rebuild.  And because most of the companies that the IPOA deals with, have extensive experience in rebuilding in that other disaster called ‘war’, I think Haiti will be well served. Haiti also has all the power right now.  They can pick and choose what they want, and they can fire who they don’t want helping them.  The big one here is that they have some operating capital, thanks to all the donations world wide, and they will have plenty of assistance on how to properly spend that money to get the most bang for the buck.

    Private industry will answer the call, and the IPOA and GIS will be an excellent catalyst for that process. –Matt

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Global Investment Summits

The United Nations has labelled the devastating January 2010 Haiti earthquake and its aftermath as one of the world’s ‘worst humanitarian crises in decades’.

International organisations, aid agencies and governments mobilised a massive emergency relief effort in its aftermath, bringing immediate assistance to millions of victims. The critical emergency relief phase now remains to be followed by a second phase of recovery and rebuilding, the outcomes of which will be essential to assuring the long-term infrastructural and economic rehabilitation of the country and the wellbeing of millions of Haitians. World leaders and international bodies have envisioned the need for a minimum 10-year reconstruction period. The UN and other organisations such as the World Bank will carry out post-disaster needs assessments to gauge the extent of the damage and needs in all fields in the following weeks.

The private sector will play a pivotal role in long term reconstruction projects in Haiti. The significance of including the private sector in reconstruction operations has been acknowledged by the Reconstruction Principles set out at the recent international summit on Haiti in Montreal, Canada. The private sector is undoubtedly essential to ensure that maximum amounts of aid can be delivered and distributed and that reconstruction projects operate successfully and beneficially.

This not-for-profit event constitutes a partnership between Global Investment Summits and the IPOA. Jointly, we plan to bring relevant international organisations and aid agencies together with key players from the private sector. The discussion and meeting-oriented format of the summit will allow the parties involved to begin addressing the vast efforts required to reconstruct Haitian infrastructure and rehabilitate the country’s economy and society. Most significantly, all profits from the event will be donated to leading Haitian relief funds.

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Thursday, February 18, 2010

Industry Talk: Independent Contractor Or Employee? Something Companies Better Get Squared Away

Filed under: Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:47 PM

   I wanted to get this out there, because in this industry, independent contractors are what companies use to fill out their work force overseas.  But doom on the company that has improperly classified their workforce as independent contractors.  If you are a small business owner, or even one of the larger companies, it looks to me like the government is now on the war path to square this stuff away and get some revenue.  What will be interesting is to see how the IRS is able to re-interpret gray areas, to get that revenue.  Hopefully companies have done their homework and are squared away, but just a heads up, they are on the hunt.

    Of course actions like this will impact business and their ability to hire more folks.  And in a climate where jobs are a premium, I wonder if this is kind of a form of robbing peter to pay paul again?  But all in all, I like the fact that the government is trying to clamp down on these practices, because at least this will force companies to pay into government systems that were designed to support folks when they retire. (medicare, social security, etc.)  That’s if these companies are using folks more like employees, and less like IC’s.  We will see if this turns into a which hunt, or they actually do catch folks who are cheats.

   On the flip side, you now have another tool in your kit to get back at companies that are screwing you over.  Especially if you are a 1099 guy.  If your company is not playing by the rules, and has been playing some unethical games with you, then I am sure the IRS would love to hear what you know. Of course do it anonymously to protect yourself, and mention any intentional misclassification actions that your unscrupulous company is performing.  lol

   And hey, for those CEO’s and managers that are reading this, or even those contractors that think I am anti-PMC or something stupid like that, think about this.  I want companies to do things right and treat their people with respect.  I also want companies to be successful and profitable.  But I do not want companies to break the law or get unethical in the way they do business, all because they think they have to do that in order to succeed. Not to mention that when you get caught, then the industry gets another black eye because of your actions.-Matt

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Obama Cracks Down on Use of Contractors

The IRS plans to audit 6,000 companies over the next three years in a bid to crack down on companies that erroneously classify employees as independent contractors.

By Courtney Rubin | Feb 18, 2010

President Barack Obama’s proposed 2011 budget suggests tough times ahead for employers who rely heavily on independent contractors in order to keep down labor costs.If the budget is approved, the Internal Revenue Service will add 100 new enforcement personnel as part of a $25 million plan to crack down the misclassification of workers as independent contractors. Though it’s a mere drop in the $3.8 trillion spending plan, it’s expected to more than pay for itself: Obama claims stronger misclassification enforcement will add $7 billion to the federal bank account over 10 years. (more…)

Quotes: Norm Augustine’s Prediction For 2010–Industry More Competitor With Government

Filed under: Industry Talk,Quotes — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:03 AM

   The way he worded this quote and the points brought up are certainly compelling.  That private industry is a competitor with government, over the ninety percent of assets out there that are privately owned.  Think about it this way, would you rather have the TSA guarding your business, or a company like Triple Canopy?  If you have the money, and you are really concerned about who you want to use for security services, do you ‘hope’ the government can protect you, or do you go for the sure thing and go with private security? And can you even depend upon what limited resources the government has, to be everywhere at once?  How about for oil companies or refineries?   Or how about information technology or internet giants like Google?  Who do these folks turn to for protection, the government or private industry?

     My favorite one is the media.  Did they beg the government to protect them as they gallop across the world, reporting on disasters or events related to our military and the war?  Maybe for the embeds they are able to depend upon the military, but for the most part, they just hire former Special Forces guys to protect them.  You won’t hear about the media contracting with the big companies, because they have to have someone to take a giant crap on with sensational stories.  So they turn to individuals or small teams to get their high dollar security.

      Either way, interesting words coming from the former CEO of Lockheed Martin. Check it out. –Matt

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Norm Augustine

Industry More Competitor with Government (From ExecutiveBiz)

Norm Augustine’s 2010 Prediction:

“The issues facing the nation and the world increasingly transcend the ability of either government or industry to solve alone. For example, the government clearly has overall responsibility for homeland security, yet 90 percent of the assets to be protected currently reside in the private sector.

“At the same time, as the federal debt grows along with the non-discretionary part of the federal budget, heightening fiscal pressures will be placed on the procurement process. As a consequence, industry is unfortunately likely to find itself more and more a competitor with government than a partner … with proven bad ideas rising from the ashes yet another time (e.g., fixed price research and development contracting).  The problem will be exacerbated by the inability/unwillingness of qualified individuals with industry experience to serve terms in government.

“As one who has spent a significant part of his professional life in each government and industry, I truly hope the above is wrong but that would not be how I would bet.”

(Norm Augustine is retired Chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corp.)

 

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Afghanistan: Contractors Under Control In Afghanistan, Says Senator McCaskill

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 4:34 PM

   It’s nice to hear that she is pleased with the job of the folks in Afghanistan.  No word though on if the 600 positions for monitoring contracts have been filled yet, and I am speculating that it has not happened because of the problems going on in Iraq.  Fill the positions, and then get back to us about how well the accounting is going in Afghanistan or Iraq.  Until then, you guys have no one to blame but yourselves if companies are not doing what you want them to do. –Matt

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Contractors under control in Afghanistan, senator says

But Iraq has a way to go to tame its wild west image

By Matthew Weigelt

Feb 16, 2010

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said today U.S. military forces based in Afghanistan are doing a much better job of tracking contracts and purchases than they did in Iraq.

Military officers and officials from other agencies are coming together regularly to look at their auditing work, McCaskill said. Members of what are considered auditing committees are checking their audits to make sure they were done correctly. The committees are hunting for gaps in auditing oversight, but also avoiding the duplication of each other’s work, she said in a conference call from New Delhi, India.

In Iraq, however, contracting oversight has been essentially nonexistent, McCaskill added.

“It was the wild west,” McCaskill said about what she found on a trip to Iraq in 2007. She said she was unsure military officers realized they had a problem with overseeing their contracts.

Today though, the military has improved slightly regarding audits and contracting oversight, according to McCaskill. The military has structures in place and they are now making an effort to track what they buy and keep account of that equipment, she said.

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