Florida Sheriff calls on Rick Scott to review DOD moving company

A Florida Sheriff is calling on U.S. Sen. Rick Scott to review a decision by the Department of Defense (DOD) to put HomeSafe Alliance in charge of the U.S. military’s global moving services.

U.S. Transportation Command — a military division that oversees the transportation and relocation of troops and their goods — named in November HomeSafe Alliance LLC as winner of the $6 billion contract bid.

The coveted contract, among other goals, aims to reinvent the way the DOD relocates troops by designating a sole moving company for service members.

The department currently uses more than 900 companies to service the roughly 300,000 annual duty station changes among troops.

But while the DOD enjoys widespread agreement on the decision to name a single moving company, many others have raised concerns about HomeSafe Alliance’s ability to do the job.

Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast — a 31-year Army veteran who notched 23 moves throughout his career — is among the latest to express concern.

He sent a letter to Scott on Monday, asking the Republican leader to review the bid. Scott sits on the Committee on Armed Services and met with the Sheriff earlier in the week. Scott’s office, a spokesperson said, is reviewing the letter.

“I urge you to look into this contracting process and make sure we avoid a serious misstep, invest what’s necessary to do this right, and insist on a team with the assets, experience and integrity to make military moves profoundly better for our service men and women and their families,” Prendergast wrote.

Prendergast described HomeSafe Alliance as an “unproven” company with a checkered past.

While the company is relatively young, it is owned by KBR and Tier One — two companies with a documented list of issues. Tier One shows a number of complaints filed to the Better Business Bureau over the years. KBR, meanwhile, was years ago mired in a human trafficking lawsuit. An appeals court dismissed the civil claim in 2014.

“In the midst of this historically challenging environment, a team that will successfully transform PCS moves must be able to overcome complex supply chain impacts, have a track record of moving goods successfully around the world, and have the resources to attract people power by getting money to the street,” Prendergast wrote. “That requires three things: assets, experience, and integrity.”

For their part, HomeSafe markets their tech-based solutions as a way to make moving easier for troops. Service members can track their shipment around the clock using an app, according to their website.

Critics, however, argue the bid winner should go to a more seasoned company with physical assets such as trucks, ships and warehouses — not the lowest bidder.

“It appears that the award may have been based on low price, which is unfortunate, because transformation generally requires significant investment, especially now,” the Sheriff added. “We all know what you get by going with a low bidder.

In the letter, Prendergast asserted he has good reason to take interest. Not only is Citrus County home to many veterans and service members, but his daughter and her husband are active-duty military members. They — like him — know the importance of a reliable moving company all too well.

“Those moves have often been marked by a lack of communication, lost items, and lots of frustration,” he wrote.

Prendergast’s letter comes as the DOD navigates an appeal process by other companies.