Perhaps you missed the story Friday on WaPo page A2 about the $2.6 Billion shortage reported by Fairfax contractor ICF Consulting. ICF, also known as ICF Kaiser is an engineering firm with a huge contract related to Hurricane Katrina reconstruction.
Now, ICF Consulting, the Fairfax firm hired to administer the claims as part of Louisiana's Road Home program, projects that the allotted aid budget of $6.9 billion will fall $2.9 billion short of the claims from homeowners who have been promised checks.
ICF and its employees usually donate to Democratic party candidates, and causes like Emily's List. However, on June 6, 2005 two ICF employees wrote checks to Tom Davis. In the next two months, they would be awarded two of the biggest contracts the company received till that date.
The shortage described in the WaPo article does not appear to be ICF's fault, although it's unclear what is the source of the shortfall. It may be poor projections of the number of claims and the amount of damage. Just as confusing are the checks to Tom Davis.
On June 8, 2005, Peter Liquiti of ICF wrote Tom Davis for Congress a check for $1,000. On the same day, the ICF CEO, Sudhakar Kesavan, wrote Tom Davis for Congress a check for the same amount.
What was happening to ICF in the Summer of 2005? After years of contracts listed in its press releases that were all under $10 million, it was selected for two contracts worth almost $20 milion each. In the next year, their operating expenses would increase by only 20%, but their total revenue would double.
There was a contract in 1999 for $100 million over 5 years. It was a contract at GSA, where Jack Abramoff and pay to play contracts were approaching their height of success. ICF employees had deviated from their pro-Democratic leanings to donate $2,500 to Tom Davis that year, too.
Pay to Play Tom Davis earns his pay.
But the main point of your post is still valid - something seems fishy with T.D., those sudden donations, and ICF contracts.