Northrop says Boeing given advantage

Grounds for a potential protest are already appearing even as the new contest for an aerial refueling tanker gets underway. Northrop Grumman said it’s unfair that its rival, Boeing, had access to its pricing information from the previous competition, yet Northrop has been denied similar access to Boeing’s information. Said Paul Meyer, Northrop’s president and general manager: “With predominant emphasis placed on price in this tanker re-competition and Northrop Grumman again proposing its KC-45 refueling tanker, such competitive pricing information takes on even greater importance. It is fundamentally unfair, and distorts any new competition, to provide such critical information to only one of the bidders.” (Source: Northrop Grumman, MarketWatch, Reuters, 09/29/09) Gulf Coast note: Northrop and partner EADS plan to assemble the planes in Mobile, Ala., if the team wins the competition.