The leaders of the House Government Reform Committee made a bipartisan request on Friday for an investigation into the way Alaska Native corporations receive sole-source contracts.

Rep. Tom Davis (R-Virginia), committee chairman, and Henry Waxman (D-California), the ranking member, asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate a policy both say is ripe for abuse. They also asked the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State to turn over information about their Alaska Native contracts.

Davis and Waxman say non-Native companies are largely benefiting from billion-dollar government contracts awarded to Alaska Native corporations. They non-Native companies are performing most of the work, they say.

The contracts, mostly in the defense and technology arena, are the result of a rider inserted into an appropriations act by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who supports the Native corporations.

Get the Story:
Alaska Native contracts probed (The Washington Post 3/5)
House scrutinizes Alaskan biz (Federal Computer Week 3/4)
No-bid ANC contracts scrutinized (Government Computer News 3/4)

Related Stories:
Non-Native companies benefit from Native contracting (08/13)
Alaska Native subsidiary wins defense contract (06/29)
Alaska Native subsidiary awarded NASA contract (06/25)
Native firm leases Stevens building for $6M (12/18)
Supreme Court rejects appeal of Native preference case (12/16)
Court rejects union claim against Native contract (06/09)
Native corp close to $2.5B contract (09/09)
Alaska Native deal criticized (6/14)
Native Corp. survives bankruptcy (5/30)