Microsoft gets to keep $10 billion JEDI contract, says Pentagon

Following Amazon’s temporary injunction against Microsoft to prevent the company from working on its $10 billion JEDI contract with the Department of Defense (DoD), the DoD has announced that it stands by its decision to move forward with Microsoft as originally planned.

The controversy stems from the heated rhetoric of President Trump about Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, which indicated that the bidding process — which included Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM — has, according to Microsoft, “clear deficiencies, errors and unmistakable bias.”

Start — In a statement about the contract last October, the Pentagon stated, “All (offers) were treated fairly and evaluated consistently with the solicitation’s stated evaluation criteria. Prior to the award, the department conferred with the DOD Inspector General, which informed the decision to proceed.” And, after performing an internal investigation into the matter, the Pentagon has announced via press release that it “determined that Microsoft’s proposal continues to represent the best value to the government” but that the contract would “not begin immediately” due the injunction. The contract includes services for cloud storage, AI processing, machine learning, and other technological products to support the US military.

“The Department has completed its comprehensive re-evaluation of the JEDI Cloud proposals and determined that Microsoft’s proposal continues to represent the best value to the Government. The JEDI Cloud contract is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract that will make a full range of cloud computing services available to the DoD,” reads the statement by the DoD.

Clippy — “We appreciate that after careful review, the DoD confirmed that we offered the right technology and the best value,” Microsoft told TechCrunch. “We’re ready to get to work and make sure that those who serve our country have access to this much needed technology.”

Prime — Meanwhile, over on its public sector blog, Amazon is having a meltdown reaction to this latest development. Their post regarding the news reads as follows:

“We strongly disagree with the DoD’s flawed evaluation and believe it’s critical for our country that the government and its elected leaders administer procurements objectively and in a manner that is free from political influence. The question we continue to ask ourselves is whether the President of the United States should be allowed to use the budget of the Department of Defense to pursue his own personal and political ends? Throughout our protest, we’ve been clear that we won’t allow blatant political interference, or inferior technology, to become an acceptable standard. Although these are not easy decisions to make, and we do not take them lightly, we will not back down in the face of targeted political cronyism or illusory corrective actions, and we will continue pursuing a fair, objective, and impartial review.”

Add or Remove Programs — It’s important to remember that none of these companies or government bodies are “the good guys” until the U.S. stops entering unnecessary violent global conflict and ends its Forever Wars.