WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- A new report from the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction says another police headquarters re-build has gone awry.
This one, a provincial police headquarters complex of 13 buildings in Ninevah province, was contracted out to an unnamed Iraqi firm for just under $1 million.
Half the money was paid in advane to the Iraqi firm in August 2005 with the last half due upon completion. The Iraqi firm completed the work in March 2006, at the same time a new set of Army Corps of Engineers' officials were assigned to oversee the contract.
What the offials found was sloppy work, poorly carried out, and well below the standard agreed to in the original contract. For instance, the contract called for a new bathroom, with 10 showers, 12 toilets, 10 sinks, 10 urinals and a changing room. The contractor merely painted over the existing single bathroom with one shower and one toilet. The contractor also extended the roof by building it around an existing tree and painting the tree trunk the same color as the plaster walls, rather than cutting down the tree. Tiles were not grouted but plastered over and broken faucets were not replaced but capped off. The contractor installed fewer than 60 of the required 134 air conditioning units in the complex and installed window units designed for external use in interior rooms, which then blew hot air into the rooms not being directly cooled by the unit.
The Army Corps of Engineers declined to make the final payment and cancelled the contract. However, the inspector general reports that no U.S. government official conducted quality control or adequate oversight on the reconstruction project as it was proceeding.
Last month, the inspector general reported on a Baghdad Police Academy building with similar construction problems. The contractor was the American company Parsons, which was paid more than $70 million for the entire project.
