How Far Would You Drive for Billions?

The Technology Acquisition Center at the Veterans Affairs Department held an industry day for its planned $12 billion Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology (T4) procurement at a hotel near its headquarters in Eatontown, N.J. -- a trip some potential bidders found a wee bit too far.

Google maps tells me the journey amounts to about a 243-mile, four-hour-and-15-minute drive from the furthest reaches of contractor land -- Reston, Va. -- based on legal speed limits. (And we know all federal contractors strictly adhere to the speed limit.)

But at least two vendors found the trip more than a bit inconvenient, according to written questions and answers posted on the T4 website.

One vendor invoked the environmental costs of holding an industry day in far off New Jersey, rather than, I assume, a convenient place such as Tysons Corner, Va. The vendor complained:

Why is this meeting being held here vs the DC area. A quick check of the parking lot indicated 90 percent of the carts were from MD & CA. With over 700 attendees, the cost and ecological impact (read green) would be much less if one van from TAC [Technology Acquisition Center] drove to DC vs 600 cars driving to Eatontown.

I find it telling that this unnamed contractor did not come up with the idea of having 700 vendors pile into 70, ecologically correct, 10-passenger vans for the trip to Eatontown. I guess only government employees should do the van thing.

And I wonder how thrilled this individual would have been with an industry day in Metro-friendly (and green) downtown DC?

The T4 request for proposals is due out June 11 and will require no driving -- just a lot of downloading.