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PR aid flights from US
#147449
10/26/2017 09:22 AM
10/26/2017 09:22 AM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,228 Somewhere out there
kneafseym
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OP
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,228
Somewhere out there
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Been interesting watching aid aircraft. Daily Russian/Ukranian AN-124 and IL-76 have been making flights in from various US airports, usually Jacksonville. The AN-124 is the 2nd largest aircraft in the world.
As I type this 2 AN-124 and 1 IL-76 are in the air, heading to the old Roosevelt Roads airfield. Someone is flying A LOT of cargo in. Not really possible to link, but if you are a plane geek, you can go to Flightaware and search by type A124 or IL76
Mike
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Re: PR aid flights from US
[Re: Twanger]
#147451
10/31/2017 11:17 PM
10/31/2017 11:17 PM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,228 Somewhere out there
kneafseym
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Doing research into these flights. It has been Whitefish bringing in massive amounts of equipment to restore the power. The contract has been cancelled but runs until Dec 1 when they will rebid the contract. Just a guess, but the new bids will delay work by a few months but perhaps they can buy equipment from Whitefish cheap once Fema pays them for it. I don't know the good or bad of the contract, but the political BS on cancelling it will probably cost PR more time and money in the long run.
Mike
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Re: PR aid flights from US
[Re: Carol_Hill]
#147453
11/01/2017 10:43 AM
11/01/2017 10:43 AM
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 304 Rockford, Michigan
aarpskier
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Posts: 304
Rockford, Michigan
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Carol_Hill said: Contract should never have been given to Whitefish to begin with.. Perhaps. But it might be a tad early to make that call. Maybe we should wait a year, after the current hullabaloo dies down and Washington gets involved, and compare the actual project completion date and total cost to the cancelled Whitefish contract schedule and $300M.
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Re: PR aid flights from US
[Re: aarpskier]
#147454
11/01/2017 11:14 AM
11/01/2017 11:14 AM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,726 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
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Everything about the way that contract was done was wrong. No bidding, obviously no due diligence done by the PR government in vetting the company.
Carol Hill
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Re: PR aid flights from US
[Re: Carol_Hill]
#147455
11/01/2017 07:48 PM
11/01/2017 07:48 PM
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,215 JAX
jphart
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Posts: 1,215
JAX
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Carol_Hill said: Contract should never have been given to Whitefish to begin with.. . Oh Carol, "No Politics"?? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />
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Re: PR aid flights from US
[Re: Carol_Hill]
#147457
11/01/2017 10:53 PM
11/01/2017 10:53 PM
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 304 Rockford, Michigan
aarpskier
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Posts: 304
Rockford, Michigan
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Carol_Hill said: Everything about the way that contract was done was wrong. No bidding, obviously no due diligence done by the PR government in vetting the company. 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.
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Re: PR aid flights from US
[Re: aarpskier]
#147458
11/02/2017 08:05 AM
11/02/2017 08:05 AM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,228 Somewhere out there
kneafseym
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Posts: 3,228
Somewhere out there
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Aarpskier, you are dead on, the details of how the got the contract seem to have been lost to most people.
Are they the best/worst choice? Was there politics involved, who knows?
But are they getting the job done?
I have heard that doing a new contract will add 2 to 3 months, I'm sure the people without power will be willing to wait.
Mike
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Re: PR aid flights from US
[Re: sail445]
#147461
11/14/2017 03:48 PM
11/14/2017 03:48 PM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,130 Vieques, PR
amurphy08
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,130
Vieques, PR
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The fault for all the power issues PRE & POST hurricanes falls squarely on the slippery shoulders of PREPA. No upkeep, no due diligence , no preparations or contingency plans. Not surprising.
Last edited by amurphy08; 11/14/2017 05:08 PM.
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