Air Force reopens copter bidding

The Air Force has requested new bids for a $15-billion contract originally awarded to Boeing Co. in November to replace 141 search and rescue helicopters.

The deal was put on hold while the Air Force reviewed protests filed by Lockheed Martin Corp. and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a unit of United Technologies Corp., the losing bidders.

In two sets of protests filed in the last year and backed by the Government Accountability Office watchdog agency, the companies questioned the clarity of the original requests for bids.

On Wednesday, the Air Force said it had asked all three companies to resubmit bids by mid-November. The firms have just over a week to identify problems with the revised requests, which have changed enough, experts say, that the contract winner could be someone other than Boeing.

Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that the new contract should be awarded in February.

The companies had expected a draft of the revised request last week, but the Air Force delayed its release and postponed a meeting with Boeing, Lockheed and Sikorsky because of competitive concerns raised by a potential bidder, said Joe LaMarca, a Boeing spokesman.

Shares of Boeing fell 69 cents Wednesday to $94.26. Lockheed rose $1.05 to $108.02 and United Technologies gained 47 cents to $76.49.