When Boeing was preparing the tanker bid for the U.S. Air Force we did a phenomenal amount of communicating. We talked constantly to the customer, to our Boeing colleagues in Commercial Airplanes and Integrated Defense Systems, to our employees, to the media and to our local, state and federal political representatives. We believe that was a valuable use of our time and the right thing to do.

Now that we’re protesting the tanker contract award, though, some people are questioning our right to speak out. They said we had our chance during the proposal process and that our behavior now is just “sour grapes.” So why are we still talking about it? Because we disagree with that opinion. We actually believe it’s not only our right but our responsibility to ensure we get answers to our significant concerns. We plan to keep communicating until we feel our concerns have been addressed.

So how have we been communicating our position in the month since we filed the protest? I’ve met with some editorial boards – the Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the two daily papers in Seattle – and plan to do more. My counterpart in Integrated Defense Systems, Mark McGraw, also met with several editorial boards. He also has done numerous radio, TV, and print interviews. We’ve communicated through many blog entries, both to external audiences and internally with our employees.

The intent behind these public communications is to provide all stakeholders with an opportunity to understand the facts and to understand the importance of getting the acquisition process right, not only for this competition but also for future competitions. Our service men and women, the citizens of the United States, our employees and our partners expect us to have high expectations of the procurement process and to be able to trust in that process. It is our right and our responsibility.

Beverly Wyse