According to a new report from the Pentagon’s Inspector General, an anonymous tip led to an investigation that found that the Air Force massively overpaid when it bought some soap dispensers to use on its C-17 aircraft. The Air Force spent $149,072 on soap dispensers, an overpay of 7,943 percent compared to the commercial equivalent rates for soap dispensers.
The audit found that the Air Force really didn’t do its research to compare prices when it came to purchasing around a quarter of the spare parts needed for its aircraft, leading to an overall excess of spending totaling nearly $1 million. The Air Force was basically smashing the “Add to Cart” button on the first product that popped up on Amazon.
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Inspector General Robert Storch reiterated that the Air Force needed to be a little bit more discerning to prevent such gross overpayments, especially now that the Air Force has extended its contract with Boeing, its supplier of spare parts until the year 2031.
Boeing, which has been embroiled in a standoff with its union workforce, has responded by suggesting that the report misrepresented the pricing of its products. The company says that these soap dispensers are a little pricier than the common soap dispenser you’d find on a commercial jet or a public restroom—but that they have to be because they are modified to meet stringent military specifications.
None of the reports of the story that I’ve read indicate what exactly makes these soap dispensers battle-ready. Maybe they dispense ammunition in addition to antibacterial soap? Maybe they’re bulletproof, ensuring that if an enemy bullet pierces the hull, at least there won’t be slippery soap flying around all over the place. Who can say? At least the crew aboard these planes can rest assured that their hands will be squeaky clean when they land.
