WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Friday demanded that the US Postal Service (USPS) release a contract he awarded to Oshkosh Corp. that could be worth $ 6 billion to up to 165,000 next-generation delivery vehicles. build.
Some Democrats in Congress were critical of the USPS awarding a ten billion year ten-year contract to Oshkosh Defense, a unit of Oshkosh Corp., to build a mix of gasoline-powered and electric delivery vehicles instead of choosing Workhorse Group Inc. to build an electric fleet.
Representative Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat who chairs the committee overseeing the USPS, said a thorough review is needed to ensure the award process is free of unnecessary influence and potential interference. ‘
She demanded that USPS release the final contract, all bids submitted, records of negotiations and evaluation factors by March 26th.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has pledged that at least 10% of the fleet are electric vehicles, but he said in a letter on Thursday that the USPS could commit to the government’s assistance to electrically control a majority of the fleet within ten years. make. He added that the USPS needed about $ 8 billion to electrify the new fleet to the “maximum extent possible”.
Reporting by David Shepardson; edited by Jonathan Oatis