I am sure you would not be concerned about Boeing and their proposal costs if they lost. And by the way, apparently you are not aware that Northrop Grumman did NOT bid. They withdrew from EADS. The bid was FRENCH EADS all the way. NG was not a part of this bid.
EADS, the french company that would build the parts to be assembled in the US, doesn't care about the US, and the french won't let us bid on their jets. . . and that is “fair.”
And it is always a bad thing to turn over our national security to another nation, especially the french. We get involved in another war somewhere and they think it wrong, bang, the french suspend deliveries and we have our tankers shut-off. Trust the french? No way.
I am sure you would not be concerned about Boeing and their proposal costs if they lost. And by the way, apparently you are not aware that Northrop Grumman did NOT bid. They withdrew from EADS.
Apparently you are unaware that Northrop Grumman was the prime on the first bid.
B&P costs are recovered from the taxpayers as an indirect cost...
The bid was not from “French EADS”. It was from EADS North America. There are very strict DoD rules requiring separation between EADS NA and the European parent company. There is no interference allowed, and tight restrictions on the information and decision making that can occur between the companies. Obviously the DoD would not have allowed EADS NA to bid on the contract if that were not the case. Go peddle your misinformation (and xenophobia) elsewhere.