WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Friday demanded that the US Postal Service (USPS) release a contract it had awarded to Oshkosh Corp that could be worth $ 6 billion to buy up to 165,000 next-generation vans. to build.
Some Democrats in Congress were critical of the fact that the USPS awarded a 10-year multi-million dollar contract to Oshkosh Defense, a unit of Oshkosh Corp, to build a mix of gasoline-powered and electric vans instead of Workhorse Group Inc to choose to build. a fully electric fleet.
Representative Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat who chairs the committee that oversees the USPS, said, “a thorough review is warranted to ensure that the award process is free from undue influence and potential interference.”
She demanded that USPS release the final contract, all offers submitted, negotiation records, and evaluation factors by March 26.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has pledged that at least 10% of the fleet will be electric vehicles, but he said in a letter Thursday that the USPS could commit with government support to make a majority of the fleet electric within 10 years. He added that the USPS will need about $ 8 billion to electrify the new fleet as best it can.
Reporting by David Shepardson; edited by Jonathan Oatis