I got out of defense contracting. My company had a perfect record for quality and on time delivery. Time and again we got beat out by larger companies with higher priced bids for the same Item. After a while it became clear that the only way to really make decent money doing what I was doing was to “buy the project under the table”. Since I did not feel inclined to be a part of the problem or go broke being honest, I quit defense contracting all together. The buyers sometimes told us that they didn’t want to do business with a small company even on a small business set aside project. The system is so corrupt I decided I should not be a part of it. Strange to say, but I learned early on that you don’t get far working for crooks. And The government contracting was as crooked as the worst of the industry buying departments I ever contracted with. So morally I felt like it would be wrong for me to squander my life working for the crooks who appropriate our tax dollars through bribery, patronage, kickbacks, and graft.
You needed to have me for a COR (Contracting Officer’s Representative)! I manage two contracts for separate Army contracting offices. One is a little on the flaky side, but the other more than makes up for it. As a case in point, we are currently negotiating for an option to have some work performed for the next three months. It would be easier for both the government and the contractor to use either a T&M (time and materials) or cost plus contract, both of which are allowed by law. We are using a FFP (Firm Fixed Price) instead.
In a FFP contract the risk is fully on the contractor for them to perform. It may cost a little more at the beginning, but there is no provision for the cost overruns seen so often with a cost plus or T&M. They bid, we evaluate it, if it meets the statement of work and is within the budget, they get the award. Then they have to produce.
Does the contractor have a lobbyist telling them how much is in the appropriation? I don’t know, that is between congress and the lobbyist. If there is any corruption that is where it is.