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Halliburton’s no-bid work to revive Iraq’s oil industry is likely to last longer than originally estimated, the Army has acknowledged, and the cost to the government has more than doubled in the past month.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week backed off expectations that a fully competitive replacement contract would be awarded by August.
There will be no second contract if the project is completed before another company can take over, or if the Iraqis make arrangements for additional help, the corps said.
The government cost of the non-competitive work is ballooning. The total as of last week was $184.7 million, up from $76.7 million a month ago, shortly after the assigned work expanded significantly.
