When Is Enough Enough?

Elizabeth Newell, reporting from yesterday's Commission on Wartime Contracting hearing on the scandals in State Department security contracts at the Kabul Embassy, writes:

Since awarding the contract to ArmorGroup on March 12, 2007, State has issued seven deficiency notices addressing 25 deficiencies, one cure notice and one show-cause notice. Each notice demanded separate correction action plans to resolve contractual issues and several involved serious allegations, including that the contractor had deceived the government in its contract proposal.

That's pretty remarkable. And it raises the question of what someone has to do to lose a State Department contract. I know that's a rhetorical device, but when it comes to judging performance, it's an important one. Giving someone a failing grade is meaningless if you're going to practice social promotion anyway. Deficiency notices have to carry meaningful consequences.