STOP NATO: �NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK The Budapest Sun May 31, 2001 US Army�s impact on economy By Be�ta P�l "[T]he first step we take is to seek competition in the local economy," said Major William Sanders, chief of JCC (American Army's Joint Contracting Center)Hungary. (Real meaning: We pay as little as possible, even by local standards.) However, the mayor of Taszar, Dr. Jozsef Kovacs, said, "The problem is that they do not use enough local suppliers, they even bring water from Germany. Their presence would have been more valuable if vegetables, fruits and other raw materials were purchased locally." (Brown and Root makes millions, Hungarians can't even sell tomatoes and apples.) The US Army also has a Fighter Management Pass Program in Hungary, which offers the opportunity for thousands of US soldiers stationed in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo or Macedonia to visit either Budapest or Lake Balaton for a long weekend. As part of the Rest and Relaxation (R&R) program, soldiers stay in the Accor Pannonia hotels where JCC has managed to negotiate lower rates for soldiers. (Sounds like Frankfurt or Hamburg in the late 1940s. And the occupation forces even get reduced rates in the hotels. I wonder how many locals can afford a hotel room, especially at regular rates?) The US Army has invested more than $10 million in the infrastructure of the Tasz�r main base and airfield since its arrival in December 1995 and has brought at least $80 million to the local economy, according to the military�s chief of contracting in Hungary. The American Army�s Joint Contracting Center (JCC) is the main coordinating office between the military and Hungarian businesses. "Whenever we receive a requirement for supplies or services, the first step we take is to seek competition in the local economy," said Major William Sanders, Chief of JCC Hungary. "We try to find supplies and services locally by putting our bidding requirements on the JCC website (www.jcchungary.hu). Usually we accept the lowest bidder, but we also consider best value initiatives such as warranties, maintenance and performance," said Major Sanders. One of the major ongoing construction projects has been the renovation of the former Russian Tasz�r base, which holds around 400 people today but this number is to be reduced to 100 by August. "Despite the fact the US presence in Tasz�r has been reduced, we still want the quality of living conditions to be high. Thus we continue projects to increase the quality of life, for example installing air-conditioning. "At least $10 million in construction projects has been awarded since the end of 1995," Sanders said. Food supplies such as fresh fruit, vegetables, bakery products and beverages are also sought locally, he said. The US military buys its meat through a vendor in the US, freezes it and sends it to different parts of the world. However the Mayor of Tasz�r, Dr J�zsef Kov�cs, said, "The problem is that they do not use enough local suppliers, they even bring water from Germany. Their presence would have been more valuable if vegetables, fruits and other raw materials were purchased locally." He did add several hundred people from the region were employed at the base by the Brown and Root service company and paid higher wages than the Hungarian average. The US Army also has a Fighter Management Pass Program in Hungary, which offers an opportunity for thousands of US soldiers stationed in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, or Macedonia, to visit either Budapest or Lake Balaton for a long weekend. As part of the Rest and Relaxation (R&R) program, soldiers stay in one of the Accor Pannonia hotels where JCC has managed to negotiate lower rates for soldiers. "Our figures indicate that around 1,500 soldiers will take part of the R&R programs, spending $2.5 million over the year on items including hotel rooms, food and gifts. "They usually spend $400 over a four-day pass period," Sanders said. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail - only $35 a year! http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
