A Rabbit hole and FOIA Request
It is no secret that the best time to peruse the multitude of Government procurement data is whenever you have a strong fresh cup (or gallon) of coffee. I happen to have unlimited access to GovTribe and an espresso machine so hopefully I can provide some insight into this eye twitching space.
Someone recently asked me how far back the data on GovTribe goes. I quickly found the oldest record (Definitive Contract N4425570C1411) which was awarded in July of 1949. Brilliant. The government has decently organized spend data back to 1949, but wait…it’s still open? Cue rabbit hole.
Okay, so the contract is being actively fulfilled by the awarded vendor, Puget Sound Energy, Inc. There is not much for a description of the actual work, but thankfully there is a PSC Category — S112 Electric Services. While my personal experience with hiring electricians has led me to understand that deadlines can be a bit “loose”, 72 years seems a tad excessive.
Unfortunately, this is the extent of the public information for the award. In order to get to the bottom of what this award is, and satiate my curiosity, I needed to make a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
What’s a FOIA Request?
Since 1967, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has provided the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. Federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested under the FOIA unless it falls under one of nine exemptions which protect interests such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement.
There is an excellent overview of the Freedom of Information Act available at FOIA.gov., which is also where I went to submit my FOIA request.
While many government contractors have told me the FOIA process is difficult and painfully slow, that was not my experience. It took around 10 minutes to enter my request. The majority of that time was spent completing the “why this information is key to public understanding” section. I figured “satiate my curiosity” was not an acceptable answer so it took a moment.
Less than 24 hours after completing the request, I received a call from the assigned FOIA officer. They let me know that the specificity of my request is what allowed them to quickly track down the information.
The information about the award that I provided can be found below and is all available on the GovTribe Record:
- Solicitation Number
- Current & Previous Federal Contract Officers
- Awarded Date & Vendor
- Type of Award
- Agency and Sub-Agency listed with the Award
During the call they were able to tell me that this award was actually for… an electric bill. Not nearly as exciting as I had hoped. Apparently, Puget is the only energy provider in the area which is why the award hasn’t been re-competed and continues to be extended.
Our phone call lasted around 20 minutes where we also enjoyed some small talk about my little shrieking humans in the background.
After our phone call, I received an official email 1 Business day later to confirm that the SOW (Statement of Work) for the award would be sufficient detail for my FOIA request. Once I confirmed, I was sent the SOW 3 business days later. In total, it took me just over a week to receive the information I requested via FOIA.
Key Take Aways
Hearing the emphatic complaints, reluctance to create a request, and general frustration with the FOIA process, I expected DMV level service.
Fortunately, this particular rabbit hole required very little caffeine based motivation and a bit of paperwork to satiate my curiosity. The FOIA team member I spoke with was wonderfully human, efficient and helpful. And let’s be honest, where else can you request a 70+ year old SOW and get it in less than 2 weeks? I’ll wait.
