The Defense Department said it’s pressing Rockford-based Sundstrand Corp. to negotiate lower prices on about 2,400 aircraft spare parts it will buy from the firm without competitive bidding.
The negotiations, scheduled to end April 3, were launched after an inspector general report on rising spare parts prices, the department said.
The inspector general reported the Pentagon paid roughly $4.5 million extra to Sundstrand for pistons, gears, bearings, bolts and other items between 1994 and 1996.
The negotiations come as spare parts prices are receiving fresh congressional scrutiny, in an echo of hearings 15 years ago that highlighted overpriced hammers, wrenches and toilet seats.
Sundstrand is one of the world’s largest suppliers of commercial and military spare parts, with $1 billion in revenue last year.
Sundstrand general counsel Ken Martin wouldn’t discuss the negotiations, saying that last year’s contract “applies commercial prices and practices to the particular needs and requirements” of the Defense Department.
