SPRINT OVERCHARGES THE GOVERNMENT

Government considers barring Sprint from federal contracts

The recommendation arose after Sprint acknowledged that it had overbilled
the Justice Department

By MATT HAMBLEN
AUGUST 05, 2003

Content Type: Story
Source: Computerworld

The U.S. inspector general is recommending agency hearings into whether
Sprint Corp. should be barred from new federal government contracts. The
decision stems from a $2.6 million overcharge to the U.S. Department of
Justice.
Sprint spokesman Steven Lunceford said in an interview today that the
carrier received notice of the inspector general's recommendation last week.
He called it "unprecedented and totally without merit," since the overcharge
was the result of a billing error. In June, Sprint reached a settlement with
the DOJ to pay it $5.2 million, twice the amount of the overcharge,
Lunceford said.

Even so, the inspector general asked for a debarment proceeding against
Sprint within the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) because of the
billing issue, Lunceford said. A spokesman for the GSA couldn't be reached
for comment this afternoon.

The overcharge resulted from billing the DOJ a market rate for a specific
fee, known as the presubscribed interexchange carrier charge, between 2000
and 2002, when Sprint was required to charge a lower rate under a multiyear
Federal Telecommunications Service contract awarded in 2001, Lunceford said.

If Sprint is eventually debarred, it would join WorldCom Inc. on a list of
companies not allowed to bid for new federal business. The GSA suspended new
contracts with WorldCom, now operating as MCI, last week (see story).

Some observers have likened Sprint's overcharge to the WorldCom scandal, but
Lunceford said it's "outrageous to link a simple billing dispute with
WorldCom's $11 billion accounting fraud.''

A spokeswoman at the GSA refused to confirm that a referral by the inspector
general had been made to the agency's debarment official.

---

› See More: SPRINT OVERCHARGES THE GOVERNMENT

This has nothing to do with Sprint PCS (PCS). It has to do with the LD
division (FON).

Bob

"HQ58" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Government considers barring Sprint from federal contracts
>
> The recommendation arose after Sprint acknowledged that it had overbilled
> the Justice Department
>
> By MATT HAMBLEN
> AUGUST 05, 2003
>
> Content Type: Story
> Source: Computerworld
>
> The U.S. inspector general is recommending agency hearings into whether
> Sprint Corp. should be barred from new federal government contracts. The
> decision stems from a $2.6 million overcharge to the U.S. Department of
> Justice.
> Sprint spokesman Steven Lunceford said in an interview today that the
> carrier received notice of the inspector general's recommendation last
week.
> He called it "unprecedented and totally without merit," since the
overcharge
> was the result of a billing error. In June, Sprint reached a settlement
with
> the DOJ to pay it $5.2 million, twice the amount of the overcharge,
> Lunceford said.
>
> Even so, the inspector general asked for a debarment proceeding against
> Sprint within the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) because of
the
> billing issue, Lunceford said. A spokesman for the GSA couldn't be reached
> for comment this afternoon.
>
> The overcharge resulted from billing the DOJ a market rate for a specific
> fee, known as the presubscribed interexchange carrier charge, between 2000
> and 2002, when Sprint was required to charge a lower rate under a
multiyear
> Federal Telecommunications Service contract awarded in 2001, Lunceford
said.
>
> If Sprint is eventually debarred, it would join WorldCom Inc. on a list of
> companies not allowed to bid for new federal business. The GSA suspended
new
> contracts with WorldCom, now operating as MCI, last week (see story).
>
> Some observers have likened Sprint's overcharge to the WorldCom scandal,
but
> Lunceford said it's "outrageous to link a simple billing dispute with
> WorldCom's $11 billion accounting fraud.''
>
> A spokeswoman at the GSA refused to confirm that a referral by the
inspector
> general had been made to the agency's debarment official.
>
>
>
>

Robert Smith wrote:
> *This has nothing to do with Sprint PCS (PCS). It has to do with the
> LD
> division (FON).
>
> Bob
>
> "HQ58" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Government considers barring Sprint from federal contracts
> >
> > The recommendation arose after Sprint acknowledged that it had
> overbilled
> > the Justice Department
> >
> > By MATT HAMBLEN
> > AUGUST 05, 2003
> >
> > Content Type: Story
> > Source: Computerworld
> >
> > The U.S. inspector general is recommending agency hearings into
> whether
> > Sprint Corp. should be barred from new federal government
> contracts. The
> > decision stems from a $2.6 million overcharge to the U.S.
> Department of
> > Justice.
> > Sprint spokesman Steven Lunceford said in an interview today that
> the
> > carrier received notice of the inspector general's recommendation
> last
> week.
> > He called it "unprecedented and totally without merit," since the
> overcharge
> > was the result of a billing error. In June, Sprint reached a
> settlement
> with
> > the DOJ to pay it $5.2 million, twice the amount of the
> overcharge,
> > Lunceford said.
> >
> > Even so, the inspector general asked for a debarment proceeding
> against
> > Sprint within the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)
> because of
> the
> > billing issue, Lunceford said. A spokesman for the GSA couldn't be
> reached
> > for comment this afternoon.
> >
> > The overcharge resulted from billing the DOJ a market rate for a
> specific
> > fee, known as the presubscribed interexchange carrier charge,
> between 2000
> > and 2002, when Sprint was required to charge a lower rate under a
> multiyear
> > Federal Telecommunications Service contract awarded in 2001,
> Lunceford
> said.
> >
> > If Sprint is eventually debarred, it would join WorldCom Inc. on a
> list of
> > companies not allowed to bid for new federal business. The GSA
> suspended
> new
> > contracts with WorldCom, now operating as MCI, last week (see
> story).
> >
> > Some observers have likened Sprint's overcharge to the WorldCom
> scandal,
> but
> > Lunceford said it's "outrageous to link a simple billing dispute
> with
> > WorldCom's $11 billion accounting fraud.''
> >
> > A spokeswoman at the GSA refused to confirm that a referral by the
> inspector
> > general had been made to the agency's debarment official.
> >
> >
> >
> > *

How do you figure?

--
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letsgoflyers81 wrote:


>
> How do you figure?


For one, Sprint PCS has nothing to do with FTS2001, which is the source
of cotention here. In fact, I don't remember PCS having *any*
government contracts.