Deals & regulation
Pentagon contracts raise conflict questions around official’s former private-equity firm
Procurement records and company filings reviewed by ProPublica show that the Pentagon awarded nearly $350m in contracts to Alvarez & Marsal entities connected to offices led by George Kollitides, who retained ties to the firm’s private-equity arm. The largest deal, a $281m no-bid consulting contract using an opaque other-transaction agreement, has drawn scrutiny from ethics and contracting experts. The Pentagon says Kollitides complied with the law, but key financial and decision-making details remain undisclosed.
Editorial summary · Publisher article
What matters
- A $281m consulting contract was awarded through an other-transaction agreement normally associated with experimental weapons work.
- Kollitides’ government classification keeps his financial disclosures generally confidential, leaving possible conflicts unresolved.
- The Pentagon says its ethics framework and recusals prevent improper influence; experts say a written waiver could be relevant.
- The firm had already received about $31m, although the full contract value may span several years.
Context & caveats
- The investigation does not establish that Kollitides violated ethics law; the Pentagon and companies dispute wrongdoing and have withheld or declined some details.
Why this made the edition
A deeply reported investigation presents procurement records, company filings, official responses, expert analysis and the unresolved ethics questions around nearly $350m in Pentagon contracts.
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