Bunnatine H. Greenhouse
Mrs. Greenhouse’s acquisition career began as a Department of the Army Procurement Intern with the Directorate of Contracting, Fort Hood, Texas. Subsequently, Mrs. Greenhouse served in a number of positions and served until her demotion as the Procurement Executive and chief of civilian contracting for the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Mrs. Greenhouse and some government watchdog groups maintain the she was demoted in retaliation for publicizing reservations she had about the awarding no-bid contracts worth billions of dollars for work in Iraq to a Halliburton subsidiary, Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR). Both the company and the administration deny any wrongdoing.
Mrs. Greenhouse has testified in front of the Senate Democratic Policy Hearing Committee about contracting process. The Defense Department’s Inspector General have launched an investigation into the matter. Greenhouses’s attorney has asked for an independent investigation. In addition, several Democratic senators have called for Mrs. Greenhouse’s reinstatement.
Senate Democratic Policy Committee Hearing
“An Oversight Hearing on Whether the Army Corps of Engineers Retaliated
Against Whistleblowers Who Objected to Iraq Contracting Abuses”
Bunnatine Greenhouse
Former Top-Ranking Civilian Contracting Officer
United States Army Corps of Engineers
My name is Bunnatine H. Greenhouse, and I was the Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting (“PARC”) for the United States Army Corps of Engineers until I was removed from that position on August 27, 2005. I was removed because I steadfastly resisted and attempted to alter what can be described as casual and clubby contracting practices by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Commanders, and because I presented testimony before this body on June 27, 2005. At that time, I reported to this Committee that the worst contract abuse I witnessed during my entire professional career, which spans over twenty years, concerns contracts that were awarded to Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root (“KBR”). I further explained that the Restore Iraqi Oil (“RIO”) contract remained under the control of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, when the Army Corps of Engineers had been designated as the executive agency for that contract, and that the control by the Office of the Secretary of Defense was improper. Three days before I voluntarily appeared before this Committee, it was conveyed to me by the acting General Counsel of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that appearing before you would not be in my best interest. I left that meeting knowing that, if I went forward, I would be the recipient of retribution. The day I appeared, the Army Inspector General (“IG”) released to the Secretary of the Army, Dr. Francis Harvey, a memorandum prepared by the Commander of the Corps, Lt. General Stock, requesting that I be removed from my position as PARC and removed from the Senior Executive Service. The timing of this release is no coincidence. Three weeks after I appeared here, Secretary Harvey authorized my removal as PARC and from the Senior Executive Service. I would like to note that, however much I insisted that the Command comply with legal contracting requirements, I worked equally as hard ensuring that all Commanders were always able to timely and fully execute their mission to the full satisfaction of their customers.