WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee asked the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) on Friday to release a contract it awarded to Oshkosh Corp that could be worth $ 6 billion to build up to 165,000 next generation delivery vehicles.
Some Democrats in Congress have been critical of the USPS awarding a ten-year contract to Oshkosh Defense, a unit of Oshkosh Corp., to build a mix of electric and gasoline-powered supply vehicles instead of choosing Workhorse. Group Inc. a fully electric fleet.
Representative Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat who chairs the committee overseeing the USPS, said “a thorough review is warranted to ensure the adjudication process is free from undue influence and potential interference.”
He demanded that USPS release the final contract, all bids submitted, negotiation records and evaluation factors before March 26th.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has promised that at least 10% of the fleet will be electric vehicles, but said in a letter Thursday that, with government help, the USPS could commit to making the most of the electric fleet within ten years. He added that the USPS needs about $ 8 billion to electrify the new fleet as much as possible.
Report by David Shepardson; edited by Jonathan Oatis