At the risk of violating the Mark Twain adage about ink in barrels:

Government competitive bidding is typically a long and complicated process, measured in months, for issuance of an RFP, receipt and evaluation of bids, and award of a contract. Under FEMA rules, PREPA was not required to award emergency reconstruction contracts by competitive bid in order to qualify for federal reimbursement. Few would argue that PR's island-wide lack of electrical power was / is not an emergency.

Maria hit Peurto Rico on September 20. A Whitefish principal flew to Puerto Rico on September 26 to meet with PREPA officials to discuss how and when electricity could be restored. I am not aware of reports that representatives of any other company did so.

Most news outlets have reported that there were only two potential contractors interested in the PREPA contract, Power Secure and Whitefish. That is not surprising, given that in July 2017, PREPA, with $9B in debt, filed for bankruptcy. Power Secure reportedly demanded $25M in up-front mobilization expenses. Whitefish asked for $3.7M in up-front payments.

When a pipe bursts, the water is rising and there is a plumber at the door with tools in hand, most folks would not start shopping around for an alternative. PREPA entered into a no-bid-required emergency services contract with the only company in the room, at the lowest up-front cost. Whitefish started work a week later, now has had its contract cancelled, and will pull out after completing work currently underway.

No one knows how long it will be before a new "right" contract is entered into, with another company and at what price, or how long it will take that company to mobilize and complete the work.