Amazon says the Pentagon isn't really serious about fixing the JEDI process and accuses it of wanting to give Microsoft a 'do-over' in $10 billion cloud contract

• Amazon says the Pentagon is not serious about reevaluating the $10 billion JEDI cloud contract process.
• Amazon had initially cheered the Defense Department's request to remand the case in order for the Pentagon to reconsider its decision, acknowledging errors that Amazon had pointed out.
• But in a Tuesday court filing, the tech giant says it believes the DoD just wants to give archrival Microsoft a chance to fix its proposal.
• Microsoft has said it supports the Pentagon's request to remand the case.
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The battle for JEDI took another unexpected turn when Amazon blasted the Pentagon's bid to reconsider its $10 billion contract award to rival Microsoft - a move that Amazon had initially publicly cheered.

In a Tuesday court filing, Amazon said the Defense Department isn't really serious about fixing the JEDI contract and simply wants to give Microsoft a chance to fix what it calls a "fatally flawed bid."

The JEDI, or Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, project will create a major cloud platform that would store sensitive military and defense data. The Pentagon awarded the contract to Microsoft, in a surprising defeat for Amazon, the biggest cloud provider.

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Amazon has protested the decision, alleging that President Donald Trump improperly interfered in the process because of his personal feud with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post newspaper. The Pentagon and Microsoft have denied the claims.

But two weeks ago, the Pentagon told the court that it wanted to reconsider the decision after Amazon pointed to errors in the evaluation process - flaws that the judge indicated could help Amazon prove the error affected the outcome.

Amazon initially appeared to support the request, saying it was "pleased that the DoD has acknowledged 'substantial and legitimate' issues that affected the JEDI award decision, and that corrective action is necessary."

But Tuesday's court filing reveals Amazon believes the move is a ploy to allow Microsoft to fix its JEDI proposal. The Pentagon is simply looking to "reaffirm its prior award to Microsoft despite the material defects the Court identified and DoD has now acknowledged," Amazon said in the filing.

An Amazon spokesperson said the Pentagon "focuses only on providing Microsoft a 'do-over' on its fatally flawed bid."

"This attempt to gerrymander the corrective action without fixing all of the serious flaws pointed out in our complaint raises significant questions," the spokesperson said in an email.

Microsoft declined to comment on the latest filing, but referred to its previous statement about the Pentagon's request to reconsider the contract.

"We believe the Department of Defense made the correct decision when they awarded the contract," Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw said at the time. "However, we support their decision to reconsider a small number of factors as it is likely the fastest way to resolve all issues and quickly provide the needed modern technology to people across our armed forces."

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