United States v. United Technologies, Corp.

51 F. Supp. 2d 167, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9081, 1999 WL 396417
CourtDistrict Court, D. Connecticut
DecidedJune 7, 1999
Docket5:92-cv-00375
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 51 F. Supp. 2d 167 (United States v. United Technologies, Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. United Technologies, Corp., 51 F. Supp. 2d 167, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9081, 1999 WL 396417 (D. Conn. 1999).

Opinion

OPINION

ELLEN B. BURNS, Senior District Judge.

Plaintiff, United States of America, has brought this action against Defendant, United Technologies Corporation, Sikorsky Aircraft Division (“Sikorsky”), alleging violations of the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729 (“FCA”), and the Truth-in-Negotiations Act, 10 U.S.C. § 2306a (“TINA”). The government also seeks damages under the common law causes of action of payment by mistake and unjust enrichment.

In its amended complaint, the government alleges that Sikorsky submitted false cost or pricing data to the Navy during negotiations and provided a false'Statement in'the company’s July 25, 1985 Certificate of Current Cost or Pricing Data that accurate, current and complete cost or pricing data had been provided to the Navy through the agreement date of July 9,1985.

In accordance with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 52(a), the Court now enters the following findings of fact and conclusions of law.

I.FINDINGS OF FACT

A. Background

1. On or about January 13, 1984, the Navy awarded contract N00019-83-C-0364 (“Contract”) to Sikorsky. (EX. 501.) The purpose of the Contract was to extend the service life of the Navy’s SH-3 Sea King helicopter. This effort became known as the Main Gear Box Improvement Program (“MGBIP”).

2. The Contract references, and is ‘governed by, clauses in the Defense Acquisition Regulation (“DAR”), including DAR § 7Al04.29(a) (January, 1970), Price Reduction For- Defective Cost or Pricing Data. (EX. 501 at 8-12.)

3. Modification P00001 to the Contract was executed by the Navy on March 13, 1984. Among other things, Modification P00001 required Sikorsky to furnish main gear box improvement kits for aircraft, for training and for spares. Because there were several versions of the Sea King helicopter in service, the modification kits had to be customized in order to upgrade the various model’s main gear boxes. The price for P00001 was undefinitized, meaning that it was to be negotiated at a future date.

4. On or about September 2, 1984, the Navy executed a second undefinitized modification to the Contract, Modification P00004. Inter alia, Modification P00004 changed Contract Line Item Number (“CLIN”) 0028 to increase the quantity of main gear box improvement kits for the H-3 version of the Sea King helicopter from 62 to 80, and directed delivery of quantities of kits for spares.

5. On or about May 22, 1985, the Navy executed another undefinitized modification, P00008, which, inter alia, altered the quantities of kits needed under the Main Gear Box Improvement Program (“MGBIP”).

6. The total price for the main gear box improvement kits and interim spares purchased through Modifications P00001, P00004 and P00008 was definitized in Modification P00013. Modification P00013 was signed by Sikorsky on October 9,1985, and by the Navy on January 17, 1986. (EX. 26.) Modification P00013 was entered into *171 on January 17, 1986. The issuance of Modification P00013 was preeéded by Sikorsky’s submittal of price proposals and cost information in support of those proposals, and by lengthy negotiations between Sikorsky and the Navy. With respect to the kits and interim spares, those negotiations concluded on July 9, 1985.

B. Sikorsky’s proposals and submissions

7. On or about May 14, 1984, Sikorsky-submitted to the Navy proposal number SPB 84-N3247 to defínitize P00001. . That proposal included amounts for FY 1984 main gear box improvement kits and for interim spares. Sikorsky submitted with the proposal a DD Form 633, a Contract Pricing Proposal cover sheet. (EX. 73.)

8. On or about May 17, 1984, at the Navy’s request, Sikorsky submitted another proposal, SPB 84-N3248. This proposal included amounts for main gear box improvement kits and interim spares for FY 1985 and FY. 1986 and also included a DD 633. (EX. 74.)

9. Sikorsky did not submit with its proposals a consolidated, priced bill of materials listing, by part number, all of the components required for the contract. At the time of these negotiations, Sikorsky’s computer system did not accommodate the creation of such consolidated bills of materials. Sometime in late 1984, Robert Yates, the Navy’s primary negotiator on the MGBIP, learned of this limitation in Sikorsky’s computer system. (TR. 1852.) Sikorsky provided to Yates handwritten bills of materials for each of the subkits. (TR. 1822; EX. 510.)

10. On July 18, 1984, Sikorsky submitted to the Navy a seven-page, handwritten “Unique Parts List” which gave for each of the parts listed a part number, description, quantity, unit price and total price. (TR. 927; EX. 512.)

11. On August 16, 1984, representatives of the Navy and Sikorsky met to discuss the Navy’s concern regarding the proposed prices Sikorsky had furnished with its May, 1984, proposals for subcontracted items on the MGBIP. As a result of that meeting, Sikorsky was to provide, on hard copy and diskette, the price history for all items with unit costs over $100. (EX. 101.)

12.On October 11, 1984, the Defense Contract Audit' Agency (“DCAA”) issued Audit Report No. 2661-4B210204, discussing the findings from a pre-award assist audit of Sikorsky’s proposals. (EX; 511.) In performing the review, DCAA examined Sikorsky’s handwritten bills of materials for the subkits. In the report, DCAA recommended “that the' contractor be 1 required to resubmit its proposed material costs for our review prior to contract negotiations.” (EX. 511 at 11.)

13/' Sikorsky employee Robert Madden was the primary negotiator on behalf of Sikorsky for the definitization of the kits and interim spares portion of the MGBIP. Stephen Kiesel, another Sikorsky employee, assisted Madden in the negotiatiqn process. • ’

14. In keeping with its then current practice, Sikorsky assigned a person in the Pricing, Targeting and Termination Liability unit of the Purchasing Department to act as a liaison between that department and Sikorsky’s government contract negotiators. Dennis Buccilli was assigned to support the Sikorsky negotiators. His job was to gather and organize information from the Purchasing Department for Sikorsky to use and to pass on to the government. (TR. 381-82, 388-90,- 404, 481-82.)

15. • As part of his duties, Buccilli would solicit buyers, who were not typically informed when negotiations were taking place with the government (TR. 185), to obtain the most current pricing information for incorporation into Purchasing Updates. Buccilli would gather this information in various ways: (1) by delivering lists of parts specific to buyers and purchasing agents of each buying-group for updating, (2) by checking the Sikorsky computer sys *172 tem which displayed information regarding purchase orders (“PRISM”), and (3) sometimes by speaking with buyers in person. (TR. 481-82, 490-91, 546, 583.)

16.

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Bluebook (online)
51 F. Supp. 2d 167, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9081, 1999 WL 396417, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-united-technologies-corp-ctd-1999.