Very good point here! One 1N4848 diode costs only a nickel in the electronics market but I recall seeing one government report listing those for like $7.50 each! Sheesh!
But if that diode was in a satellite or a high performance jet plane, and the failure of the circuit meant the loss of the satellite or the jet, and mission failure, or ??? - wouldn't you rather have the Mil-Spec diode rather than the one from RadioShack?
And the contractor who sells the part can't buy them from Radio Shack, must package them to meet Mil-Spec requirements, must certify compliance with dozens of various "applicable laws and regulations" ... (time for the lawyers in your company to review to ensure you have all i's dotted and t's crossed, lest you be found in violation.)
My Dad worked for Hughes Aircraft back in the 80's (retired in 1992). He indiated that Hughes was threatening to tell DoD that the company would no longer provide any parts that could be obtained at Radio Shack, and the gov't could negotiate with Radio Shack for Mil-Spec applicability, reliability, warranty issues, etc. Their comment was that the very small profit on handling these piece/parts was too small and the bad PR that the company got (baseless allegations, inuendos, etc.) wasn't worth the small profit.
My suggestion to those of you thinking that the government is getting swindled by big companies ... go into competition with them on supplying spare parts. Check the Commerce Business Daily (CBD) ... the government is always looking for new suckers (er. . companies) willing to do business with an organization that is notoriously picky, hard to do business, insists on many different rules/regulations/requirements ... and if you miss one, you can be fined, denied payment, and even locked up.
But for those who feel that the costs are too high ... go into business, underbid the big dogs, and make a fair profit, and show us all how it is done. Otherwise ... sit down and shut the heck up!!!
Mike