article_snippet: The State Department ruled on March 3 that there was no time to solicit competitive bids for the March 21 trip, and ruled that the 'unusual and compelling urgency' of the first lady's travel justified a no-bid contract to the five-star resort.
article_snippet: The State Department justified the rush-job with hotel booking by noting that '[s]ecurity concerns prohibit sufficient advanced notification of VIP travel to allow for sufficient time to conduct full and open competition.'
article_snippet: The State Department can only communicate with the staff at Posts abroad when authorization is given due to security concerns.
article_snippet: the staff at Posts abroad have an extremely short turnaround time when authorization has been granted for negotiations to commence and site selections to be finalized with both the local vendors and Posts before the actual Senior High Level USG VIP visit occurs.'
article_snippet: Security and logistical teams make determinations during the site survey as to which hotels are most suitable for the Senior High Level USG VIP and his traveling staff to remain overnight,' The contracting document reads.