"We can't compete," says Frank Press, academy president. "If an agency accepts other bids, then we can't do the work. The rule stems from our 1863 charter [issued by Congress], and I certainly don't want to be the one to break with that tradition."
According to Press, the academy was created to provide a unique consultative service to Congress and the executive branch on matters of science and technology. The academy would be violating that charge, he explains, if it were to become involved in activities that could be performed equally well by another outside organization, he says.
A second reason involves money. Competitions are won by the best of the lowest-priced bidders, Press says, and the academy does not want to participate in any activity that places such importance on the price of the service rendered. "Submitting a bid would force us to look at the bottom line, and ...
