Honeywell’s president was dissatisfied with the senior management and the performance of the facilities and utilities groups, and in 1995, the company hired a consultant to study its facilities operations. That study concluded that the facilities engineering group was too large and did not meet the standards of private industry, and that a significant contributor to the problems in the area was turnover at the senior management level. Then, in 1998, Honeywell learned that the DOE was going to open the contract for the Kansas City plant to outside bidders. Accordingly, Honeywell hired a consultant to help develop a strategy for its bid on the contract, and the consultant urged Honeywell to consider outsourcing some functions to companies that were stronger in Honeywell’s weaker areas. The facilities and utilities engineering groups were seen as potential areas for outsourcing because they were commonly outsourced in private industry.