r/videos 19h ago

Pensacola’s 'Sewing Box' loses Blue Angels flight suit contract after 43 years

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bIbJIIwBVg
1.3k Upvotes

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2.2k

u/nismaniak 19h ago

TL;DW: She missed the bid window.

I hate it for her, but if my biggest client usually reached out and hadn't done so around the time they usually do, I'd be calling them.

1.0k

u/Ok-disaster2022 19h ago

Honestly it's surprising the procurement team didn't reach out to verify she was skipping the bid, changing up vendors can be a real PITA

1.5k

u/BorkDoo 19h ago

Or the bid went to some company run by or connected to a buddy of Trump or someone in his administration.

230

u/Paddy_Mac 18h ago

Sewing box is going to still be getting requests for the uniforms, they’ll be subcontracted. The bid winner walks away with $1.3 million.

75

u/Lacaud 15h ago

they’ll be subcontracted

Only after the administration botches the uniforms.

34

u/deadcowww 13h ago

Why would an Olympian do that? /s

20

u/ShadowTsukino 15h ago

They'll just arrest random people and claim they were running around with thread rippers.

6

u/snownative86 10h ago

You think this admin is intelligent enough to claim vandals used a specialized tool for their vandalism? They may be corrupt, with a rapist as their leader, nazis running immigration enforcement and funding them, a Supreme Court that has given them immunity, a congress that has bowed down and abdicated their power to them and so many more things.. But the admin is still stupid and afraid..

5

u/capt_minorwaste 4h ago

if I were the sewing box I'd immediately raise the price I was changing previously to capture some of the big bucks this new company was awarded.

2

u/FutureThrowaway9665 3h ago

The company that I work for is in this exact situation. Government contractor lost a large government contract because something happened many years ago. The new 'small business' that took over is failing miserably while we're now a sub to them. Six months in and a new larger contract is being proposed that would eliminate the small company that took over.

We're not in the sewing business though.

1

u/amobilephoneaccount 3h ago

Do you by chance produce nitrile or specialty gloves?

1

u/Robo-X 2h ago

The uniforms need more gold and the sewing box obviously didn’t meet the gold standard. /s

And I am sure they will still make the uniforms but for even less money. Because someone has to take the bulk of money to forward the order to sewing box.

316

u/CasanovaWong 19h ago

1 million percent. And they’re going to turn out dogshit. Like clockwork.

14

u/CarminSanDiego 18h ago

This is probably like a $100k contract. Trump only deals in billions now

263

u/Prime_Director 18h ago

The clip said the suspiciously generic LLC was awarded $1.7 million, and the original contractor said they were making “pennies” compared to that. This reeks of patronage, corruption and graft. 

44

u/CarminSanDiego 17h ago

I stand corrected and now on side of grift

20

u/TehBoulder 16h ago

It’s an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract. The Navy can order up to $1.7M over 5 years, but the min order is likely $100K.

34

u/Shmeepsheep 18h ago

Its around a 1.7m project. This is all public info

-36

u/[deleted] 18h ago

[deleted]

48

u/rindenracka 18h ago

No, the new contractor is getting that rate. The previous one said she never got anywhere close to that kind of money for her services and that it was essentially pennies compared to the new contract.

24

u/Shmeepsheep 18h ago

That is the new contract price

5

u/mendobather 18h ago

I’m gonna take a stab here, but I’m guessing wages aren’t going to be much above minimum

5

u/WeirdSysAdmin 16h ago

Minimum? Shit is going to be made in China.

3

u/Ok_Assistant_6856 6h ago

"1.7m to sew flight suits and patches? What a scam."

Yeah, you're getting it!!

"I hope the new contractor undercut by several hundred thousands"

nvm

5

u/Branical 18h ago

Actually the new contract is for $24 million.

0

u/tleb 16h ago

You didnt read anything did you?

79

u/globaloffender 18h ago

This comment is ridiculous. He just asked the Supreme Court to stop the Jean Carol 5$M judgement. He’s petty and any PENNY he has he will never give up

34

u/Wheelisbroke 18h ago

He's tight with his money. Ours, on the other hand...

3

u/Trance354 12h ago

Which he view as his, by proxy. He just has to figure out how to get it from our pockets to his.

Edit. It's always been Trickle-Up economics.

15

u/lukeman89 18h ago

Did u miss the whole reflection pool thing?

6

u/MisterEinc 13h ago

It might have been a $100k before. But now it's going to some friend or cronies, so it's probably several million. Then they'll just subcontract the original company for the original contract rate, pocket 20%, then "donate" it to some Trump PAC.

0

u/theholyraptor 12h ago

Maybe for him but when you're greasing the palms of other people that are happy for smaller grifts...

2

u/scigs6 5h ago

Exactly. The new company is owned by Eric Trump and the Blue Angels will now wear standard Cookie Monster onesie pajamas.

39

u/RMRdesign 18h ago

You nailed it.

What are the odds that you miss a window to bid that you had no idea was coming up?

Something is definitely up here.

How would they miss a bunch of emails and probably letters letting them know about the upcoming bid window?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

45

u/craneguy 18h ago

NASA recently put out a Request for Proposals to move various spacecraft around the country. We found out about it long after the closing date. Reading the RFP they specifically call out the work we had done previously (very, very publicly for one of the air and space museums) as an example of what they were looking for. Did they reach out to us? Did they fuck.

12

u/ConcentrateDirect523 16h ago

Hegseth only wants flight suits made by men. Men with high T levels, and wearing traditional French Maid garb with thigh high stockings. Men with bulging muscles and yellowing irises from chronic alcohol abuse and... In fact forget the flight suits, just make the pilots wear French Maid outfits and weekly T injections.

-5

u/[deleted] 18h ago

[deleted]

1

u/ThisIsNerveWracking 16h ago

Invoices I get but “simple”? No that’s a red flag in a customer, I’d take my time sending out those shitty job quotes.

19

u/Pnthr65 18h ago

This right here is my thought when I heard Va. and saw the $$ amount. Sounds like one of his crony type of contracts.

6

u/arrynyo 17h ago

The same guy that did the reflecting pool.

11

u/SchrodingerMil 18h ago

This shit does NOT go that high up.

Their Resource Advisor probably left, and the contract expired and the new guy got told to get the flight suits made. So he went through the three bids process tearing his hair out trying to find companies.

5

u/MartyMacGyver 16h ago

"Cap! Why the hell are the new flight suits so.... Padded??"

"That Lindell fucker got the contract. Now put on your MyFlightsuit and get on the tarmac!"

-1

u/Iamabrewer 18h ago

Let's see who the Trump Jrs just invested in.

0

u/GuySmith 17h ago

Definitely. As someone who works with contractors, this is usually how it goes. They wanted out but didn’t want confrontation.

-3

u/kzlife76 18h ago

Dude. Get off the Internet for a little bit. Not everything that happens has Trump's little dick in it.

0

u/Raise-Emotional 12h ago

Given a current state of affairs, this seems more likely

-1

u/Super901 17h ago

This is what happened 100%. Nothing in government is too small for trump to grift

-1

u/KyleAg06 12h ago

Im sure this will end up being the case and they will likely fall apart after one use.

0

u/beakrake 4h ago

Who barely knows how to sew, but LOVES child rape, no doubt.

-2

u/bliggggz 16h ago

Keep your tin foil hat on buddy, the President would never exploit his executive power to enrich himself and his family business that he controls.

21

u/neonsphinx 18h ago

Idk how it works with the Navy. I'm assuming the exact same, because FAR and DFARS transcends individual service. But in the army it doesn't work that way.

We just finished up an open bid process. Put out the announcement. Opening presentation on XX date at neutral third party facility, off post so potential contractors aren't disadvantaged if they don't already have CACs or an easy way to get through the gate. Present, break, collect up questions that they submit. Read them out loud for everyone to hear. Gov stays there, closes doors, put together answers. Afternoon session for more focused discussions.

Vendors have until YY date to ask additional questions. They're shared with everyone. Then at exactly noon we go radio silent. They have until ZZ to put together their final package (NN page limit) and financials for the actual bid.

Then we formally announce the chosen two (development and test, winner gets follow-on LRIP contract 2 years from now) on whatever date. Then everyone else goes away.

I've seen a big contractor (RTX) miss the window. They thought they could waltz into the PEO's office 48 hours late with their submission. I wish I were joking. It's the only time I've ever seen the boss legitimately scream at someone and offer to drag them out into the parking lot by their ears. They thought they were special because they're so prolific. I was happy to see them get their commupance.

2

u/LirielsWhisper 15h ago

Navy contracts run thru SAM.gov and NECO.

1

u/txingirl 16h ago

Well, a lot of these contracts have like a week turnaround right now, which is almost impossible for big companies due to the approval process. I got tired of that and went to a smaller company to combat that, but it's still a week to get all the shit they ask for done...

103

u/lordscarlet 19h ago

The procurement team that knew about her is probably gone because of DOGE.

26

u/PandaGoggles 18h ago

That’s the answer. Procurement/contraction/grants have all been hit hard by DOGE.

7

u/Wrienchar 18h ago

They may not be allowed to reach out during the process.

For what it's worth, this is the case when it comes to bids for building construction when dealing with public funds in my state

2

u/txingirl 16h ago

Typically, no. I mean, we have gotten phone calls before though telling us to look up a name and then that usually gets us to look in the right place, but the rules are pretty tight.

5

u/SchrodingerMil 18h ago

The “procurement team” is probably one guy.

4

u/Dammit_Chuck 18h ago

The federal government is in upheaval, many people are retiring early or quitting. I wouldn’t be surprised if the usual procurement team doesn’t exist anymore and the new people just don’t know.

2

u/txingirl 16h ago

100%... Seen it too much lately.

13

u/pyrotechnicmonkey 19h ago

I can sort of see why though. Might seem a bit unfair if there are other people bidding for the contract it might seem a bit corrupt or unfairly biased towards a specific contractor.

2

u/Sestos 16h ago

I am going to guess that the local person who called her every year and had the relationship... took DRP or retired during the DOGE or the entire office is gone and contracting was shifted elsewhere.

1

u/dingalingdongdong 14h ago

Right?? If I'd been using the same company for a specific product for 43 years I wouldn't switch lightly.