Friday Funding Facts - Part I: Check writer’s hand still broken?

Edited By Peter Wray • December 4, 2009 (One Comment)

This is just lame. How can the DOE let itself (and the science community) be this strangled by bureaucracy? Only $1.4 billion spent? Apparently the phrase “urgently needed” means different things to different people.


Categories: Energy & environment, Friday federal funding facts, Policy
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One Response to “ Friday Funding Facts - Part I: Check writer’s hand still broken? ”

  1. Stephen Streiffer Dec 9th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
    Your expectations are flawed. As a specific example - my division at a national laboratory received $4.4M in DOE ARRA funding in summer of 2009. This money was awarded to us on a competitive basis for purchase of several major pieces of scientific equipment. We have since issued competitive solicitations to potential vendors for the equipment, selected the best-value vendors, and awarded contracts for purchase of the equipment. Deliveries of the first pieces of equipment are expected in the early part of next calendar year, and will be completed in early 2011 - after all, complex scientific equipment is by no means off-the-shelf and generally has long leas times associated with delivery. As equipment is delivered, we will pay for it. Until then, our $4.4M is not counted as “paid out”. This isn’t strangled by bureacracy, this is wise expenditure of precious resources that provide stimulus that is urgently needed.

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