March 8, 2018

It's actually for three sets of doors, but what the hay. The expense is labelled "Secretary's Door" and is $138,670.

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Interior Department is spending nearly $139,000 to upgrade three sets of double doors in the office of Secretary Ryan Zinke.

Zinke was not aware of the contract for the work prior to a request about it from The Associated Press, spokeswoman Heather Swift said. The project was planned by career facilities and security officials as part of the decade-long modernization of the historic building erected in 1936 a few blocks from the White House, she said.

“The secretary was not aware of this contract but agrees that this is a lot of money for demo, install, materials and labor,” Swift said Thursday in an emailed statement. “Between regulations that require historic preservation and outdated government procurement rules, the costs for everything from pencils to printing to doors is astronomical. This is a perfect example of why the secretary believes we need to reform procurement processes.”

The current door from a hallway to the secretary’s sixth-floor office does not lock, so a security upgrade is needed, Swift said.

An order for the $138,670 job at the Interior Department was listed on an online government procurement database as being completed in November, amended with the note “Secretary’s Door” to explain what the payment was for.

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