Boeing questions loss on bid

WASHINGTON — Boeing Co. demanded immediate answers Tuesday on why it lost a $35-billion contract for refueling tankers to Northrop Grumman Corp. and its European partner EADS, as Boeing backers in Congress threatened to hold up funding for the deal. Pentagon acquisition chief John Young defended the contract award, saying that the Defense Department followed procedures carefully and that there was no obvious reason for the loser to protest the decision. But he said that he had urged the Air Force to brief Boeing “as soon as possible,” possibly on Thursday, and that there was no reason for an extended delay. Young said federal law did not allow for consideration of how many jobs were created by a weapons program and required the military to get the “best value” deal it could. For the full story visit http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-boeing5mar05,1,257505.story?ctrack=3 & cset;=true