The US Mint has reopened a job competition for forklift operators after the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) urged it to do so.

According to documents provided to Government Executive magazine by the American Federation of Government Employees, a previous decision to award the contract to a federal employee team was reversed in April 2005 by the assistant management secretary at the US Treasury Department, Jesus H Delgado-Jenkins.

He wrote: "Based on OMB's direction, the Mint should reopen the (competition) to solicit expressions of interest from local and small businesses."

The job competition for 60 forklift operators based in Denver and Philadelphia was first announced in October 2003.

By September 2004, the Mint had received no private sector bids, only one from a team of federal employees.

The contracting officer investigated the lack of interest from the private sector by contacting Hyster Incorporated, Cleveland, OH; Yale Forklifts, Greenville, NC; Nissan Forklift Corp, Marengo, IL; and Clark Material Handling Company, Lexington, KY.

He found none was suitable because they specialised in maintaining and renting forklifts, not supplying operators. In February 2005, Delgado-Jenkins approved the contracting officer's recommendation to accept the federal employee team's bid.

He rescinded his decision two months later after OMB "provided direction to the department", according to his April 2005 memo.

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