Amazon to appeal over cloud contract between Pentagon and Microsoft

Amazon has filed an intention to appeal against the US Department of Defense’s decision to give a $10 billion contract to Microsoft.

According to an Amazon spokesperson’s claims, cloud giant plans to file a formal legal complaint protesting the decision. Amazon claims the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI for short, the deal was marred by “errors and unmistakeable bias.” The JEDI is designed to create a modern antiquated data and communication system within the US military. The Pentagon was awarded the $10 billion Microsoft after multiple delays on 25th October.

Political influence

Amazon also claims the decision was made due to political pressure. In the summer of 2019, Trump threatened to intervene in the deal. Trump also has a running feud with the Amazon CEO Jess Bezos, who is also the owner of the Washington Post. Some Congress members also asked the White House to intervene in the JEDI process. After the contract award, the Department of Defense officials were insistent that the decision was conducted in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

An AWS spokesperson told the BBC:

“Amazon Web Services is uniquely experienced and qualified to provide the critical technology the US military needs and remains committed to supporting the DoD’s modernization efforts. We also believe it’s critical for our country that the government and its elected leaders administer procurements objectively and in a manner that is free from political influence. Numerous aspects of the JEDI evaluation process contained clear deficiencies, errors and unmistakable bias – and it’s important that these matters be examined and rectified.”

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