I doubt it. The engineering design team (10 people) has a loaded rate of over 1 million per year. The you have to have special tool to build the prototypes. I would be surprised if it could be done for under 3 million.
As I said, they cannot take a fridge off the shelf and upgrade it, the GVT makes them build from the ground up.
Notice that this was a separate contract which means increased overhead providing design reviews and reports to the GVT. They can’t just build a fridge and deliver it, the GVT will have at least 3 major design reviews. All that overhead costs.
Clearly you know how things work. You perfectly describe the pencil whipping I endured.