Chilling Revelations

It was, of course, no ordinary refrigerator. The 3-cu.-ft. model used aboard the Navy's P-3 Orion antisubmarine plane had to operate at high altitudes and in turbulent weather, resist vibrations and not affect the aircraft's sensitive electronic gear. Even so, it hardly seemed worth the price the Navy paid for it in 1982: $16,571.

The costly cooler was exposed by an anonymous whistle-blower who wrote a letter to Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Boxer of California. Further investigation revealed that eight smaller units were bought this year, without competitive bidding, at $12,000 apiece. Commodore Stuart Platt, the Navy's first "competition advocate general," called the $16,571 payment "ridiculous." As he inspected the unit in Norfolk last week, he promised, "We are not trying to sweep this under the rug. We are learning from our mistakes." Indeed, the amount of Navy purchases made through competitive bidding increased from 26% in 1982 to 38% last year. The results so far have been encouraging. When the refrigerator contract was put out for bids this July, the Navy was able to buy 35 similar units from a New York manufacturer at a thrifty $6,580 each.