Whitefish, Redfish, Swampfish, Deadfish

[Birdjaguar]

Have the folks at PREPA made a public statement on why they choose Whitefish? Or are they running scared?

 

[BvBPL]

PREPA selected Whitefish because Whitefish didn't request a deposit for the contract. Puerto Rico couldn't afford the initial outlay for a deposit that most mainland contractors wanted.
The contract was no bid and hurried along because that's the protocol in emergency situations-the agency skips the bidding process to expedite the start of work.

 

[timtofly]

Perhaps PR was unaware of any connections, and declined the offer, after the ties to the current administration were revealed. Something to good to be true, sometimes turns out to be more of a hassle than it is worth.

 

[FriendlyFire]

PREPA selected Whitefish because Whitefish didn't request a deposit for the contract. Puerto Rico couldn't afford the initial outlay for a deposit that most mainland contractors wanted.
The contract was no bid and hurried along because that's the protocol in emergency situations-the agency skips the bidding process to expedite the start of work.

There also the issue that PREPA is bankrupt and under control of US Federal bankrupcy court, and the contract for work wasnt issued through FEMA
FEMA required the US Corp of Engineering to put up a BOND to guarentteer infrastructure repairs, unlike the White fish contract meaning that theres zero consquences for any scew ups like sub standard work resulting in death(s)

This deal stinks

 

[Lexicus]

PREPA selected Whitefish because Whitefish didn't request a deposit for the contract. Puerto Rico couldn't afford the initial outlay for a deposit that most mainland contractors wanted.
The contract was no bid and hurried along because that's the protocol in emergency situations-the agency skips the bidding process to expedite the start of work.

Your attempts to portray the contract as somehow normal are simply bizarre. It included provisions preventing any government body from auditing the "cost and profit" elements of the contract, as well as a clause forbidding any consequences for delayed completion of the work. All the experts I've seen speak on the issue are saying this thing is fishy and abnormal even for an emergency situation. People aren't so concerned about the "no-bid" aspect of this, it's the provisions in the contract that appear to prevent any accountability for the contractor that people seem to be taking issue with. Certainly that's the case for me, though I'd prefer zero no-bid contracts I understand that isn't always possible or practical.

 

[BvBPL]

Your attempts to portray the contract as somehow normal are simply bizarre.

If those attempts strike you as bizarre, perhaps it is because they do not exist. Those attempts only exist in your mind. They are illusory. Nothing more than the distant rumblings of your subconscious, rebounding within your brainpan. The echoes of neurons that have fired off despite lacking reason to do so. Idle ephemera that should have burned away like the morning dew.

There is nothing normal about the situation Puerto Rico finds itself in. In which Puerto Rico finds itself.

 

[Lexicus]

There is nothing normal about the situation Puerto Rico finds itself in. In which Puerto Rico finds itself.

I only wish I could say there is nothing normal about your evasion of the actual argument in favor of a willful misinterpretation of my point, but alas! I cannot.

 

[BvBPL]

Oh woe! I’m the subject of Lexicus’s righteous indignation because I evaded an argument. I should have remembered that asking questions and providing facts is ever insufficient here in the hallowed halls of OT. The forum demands strong opinions and spurious arguments, not something as petty and insubstantial as verities. How could I have ever confused myself into thinking that the mere acquisition and distribution of information would be sufficient? Oh knowledge, you have spurned me for the final time! I see now that the light of truth, the lamp of learning is but a shadow that hides before argumentation.

 

[metalhead]

PREPA selected Whitefish because Whitefish didn't request a deposit for the contract. Puerto Rico couldn't afford the initial outlay for a deposit that most mainland contractors wanted.
The contract was no bid and hurried along because that's the protocol in emergency situations-the agency skips the bidding process to expedite the start of work.

This isn't true, PR actually did have the funds. They could have chosen any of a number of suitable alternatives, including invoking emergency reciprocity pacts with some states in the U.S. to send crews down to help out - a step they will now be taking, very belatedly, after the blowback over this contract. They also had guarantees of FEMA reimbursement, should they have needed credit to pay for restoring electricity.

This deal is extraordinarily fishy. It's unclear what prompted PR officials to contract with Whitefish instead of choosing a much better equipped partner to restore power more quickly, but the money argument does not hold water. Now they're canceling that contract to go with one of the much better equipped options, but there are a lot of questions to answer. Starting with, how the hell did they end up choosing Whitefish in the first place ahead of established choices that were equipped to actually do the job they were bidding on?

 

[Lexicus]

Oh woe! I’m the subject of Lexicus’s righteous indignation because I evaded an argument. I should have remembered that asking questions and providing facts is ever insufficient here in the hallowed halls of OT. The forum demands strong opinions and spurious arguments, not something as petty and insubstantial as verities. How could I have ever confused myself into thinking that the mere acquisition and distribution of information would be sufficient? Oh knowledge, you have spurned me for the final time! I see now that the light of truth, the lamp of learning is but a shadow that hides before argumentation.

You haven't provided any facts, though. You couldn't possibly know whether PREPA contracted with Whitefish for the reason you gave and as metalhead has now explained that reason is actually false. In reality, you are engaged in an attempt to defend the awarding of the contract to whitefish and trying to dispel the idea that corruption may have played a role. That was, pretty clearly, what I meant by 'normal' in post #25 but rather than engaging with that point in good faith you decided to troll and spout a couple of paragraphs of poorly-written nonsense.

 

[BvBPL]

This deal is extraordinarily fishy.

Yeah, it sure make me fill itchy. Even with Puerto Rico underwater in debt, you’d think they’d be able to make it work. After all, one would hope they’d be up to their gills in help right now. Although I suppose it makes sense that mainland contractors wouldn’t want to do this work for scale; this isn’t something you can just give a fin to a guy and ask him to do it.

You couldn't possibly know whether PREPA contracted with Whitefish for the reason you gave and as metalhead has now explained that reason is actually false.

Ah, but I can read the news.

Puerto Rico officials say Whitefish won the contract because it didn’t require a deposit the island couldn’t afford.

In reality, you are engaged in an attempt to defend the awarding of the contract to whitefish and trying to dispel the idea that corruption may have played a role.

No, I did not.

 

[metalhead]

"Puerto Rico officials say Whitefish won the contract because it didn’t require a deposit the island couldn’t afford."

But they may have been lying. I unfortunately can't find a written source at the moment, but I did hear on the radio this morning that Puerto Rico does have a reserve fund to the tune of $500 million, that could have been tapped to deal with any up front costs associated with bringing in crews to assist in repairing the grid. They also were likely eligible for FEMA to reimburse those costs.

If what I heard is right, then there is a lot of 'splainin' to do, because the "we couldn't afford other options" dog won't hunt.