$456 billion for Department of Defense in 2023, which apparently all went to other countries since it certainly wasn't used for our border. $303.2 Billion for civilian agencies, including money for illegal activities not spelled out in the Constitution. (https://www.gao.gov/blog/snapshot-government-wide-contracting-fy-2023-interactive-dashboard)
Here's how it's supposed to work: Federal managers decide they need a product or service, and create a Request for Proposal. Contractors put together proposals and have them in by a certain date. The federal managers pick the best proposal.
Here's how it actually works: Federal managers are doing unconstitutional crap that is not even needed. They could do the job themselves but they are too stupid. Huge government contractors control the whole game, and put heat on to have the RFP created through their contacts at the top of government agencies. Then they use the federal "8A" program, which is set-aside contracts for "minority and women-owned businesses." They don't even COMPETE for the contracts. I shit you not. The contract is handed to the 8A company, who is bribed to subcontract it to one of the huge federal contractors who are complete assholes. The contract needs to show that there are some personnel involved, so the contractor or subcontractor has some dudes in India call people who have the right buzzwords on their job board resumes. The dudes in India have no idea what is involved in the job. A "project manager" hires some people, and the "project manager" has no idea what is involved in the job. In the meantime, the subcontractor and contractor get an hourly rate on top of what the contractor employee is making. No one has any idea what they are doing or why, but a huge amount of taxpayer money disappears over many many months, which is the point of the exercise.
Not that I have any personal experience with this or anything. No sirree...
I got two stickies in one day! So much winning.
And the day isn't over yet!
get out the ax Elon
Careful with that axe, Eugene!
AAAAAAHHHHHHHH........
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V-HYayT1vwg&t=3m2s
Govt contracting is an absolute shit show...
It's incredibly tedious for a small company - and larger companies have a person or department dedicated specifically to all the requirements and paperwork...DUNS numbers etc.
In more recent history it got even more challenging... even more hoops to jump through... AND proof of insurance etc JUST TO QUOTE - meaning that you can drop thousands on required insurance coverage for the job, pay it just to bid, and then potentially never be awarded the contract EVEN IF you're a sole/exclusive supplier of the product.
Oh... and you better pray you get that bid in on time when they call you 9/1 and expect everything done by 9/30 because "Hey we got extra money and want to spend it with you...if you drop everything and play the game and get it done by the skin of your teeth..."
Yeah...No...never again...
Real experience: research director made a bid on a military project requesting realistic numbers for the research program needed $250k. He gets rejected with a side comment that the project seems really innovative but it needs to be in the million range to be a serious project. So director inflates the number to 3million. Project approved. We finished successfully using only $250k… but because of funding requirements, the program hired 5-7 different contractors, doing things tangentially related. Those projects never finish, but everyone is happy
The key question is "why", and it's a simple answer. There is more prestige for an officer to take credit overseeing a $3 Million program than a $250K program. As long as the program is successful, the officer puts on his performance review that under his "leadership" the program fulfilled it's mission.
Stupid, yes. Inefficient, yes. Waste of taxpayer dollars, certainly.
But, change the metric by which people are measured, and change the way in which they operate.
Oh yea, that’s a really good way to put it. Thanks for the perspective
I know circlejerks.org
(don't visit that)
More on 8A contracts: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/8a-business-development-program
Does it get more DEI than this?
759? Cut that for 10 years and that is $7 trillion.
Anyone who has stolen money from the tax payers needs to be thrown in prison and have all of their assets seized and divied up into a refund for taxpayers.
Nothing but graft and corruption on an industrial scale.
I heard on a morning radio show, 105.9's Rick Stacy Morning Show with Jill and Smokestack that DOD spends over $1100 PER paper cup for their Keurig coffee machines...that NOBODY is there to use because those workers work from home now due to "Covid policy." Not sure how true it is, but I'm inclined to believe that report because 1) that show has never lied about facts like this, and 2) I know a thing or two about DOD budgets and the way over priced items DOD signs contracts for.
No wonder it’s so hard to find workers. Everyone’s on the take.
fyi...Defense contractors CEOs being required to personally certify “no DEI” on new rider for ALL contracts per EO. DoD is effectively modifying all defense contracts and terminating or transferring to competition if CEOs do not comply. HR getting locked down while CEO nuts in vice. CEOs get booted (by Board) along with woke HR if contracts lost.
DICK, chany had a company Haliburton. These contractors were walking around a brand new facility in Iraq and cutting off the end of any power cord. Then they would turn around and fasten the plug with splices. Just absolutely wrecking the cord. They were getting paid ungodly amounts of money for every cord they "" FIXED"" . A Total fraud of government waste. This from a contractor that was over there. True story.
Are social security and Medicare still sacred cows for Trump? Making those payments is likely rife with fraud. And trump surely does not trust any of current workforce. But now a new group of hires comes with low system knowledge. Now I suppose a robotic processing assistant could be setup but setup a larger waste or fraud scenario.
Former co-worker of mine is/was one. He was former navy and worked to install/upgrade networks on our ships. He knew his stuff frontwards and backwards and was worth what they paid him, because when he went on a ship he had to get the job done inside of 48 or 72 hours, depending on how long they'd be in port.
Not all Contractors are the same. Consider, the USAF, NAVY, NASA and ARMY all use Contractors to service drones, warfighter equipment and build spacecraft. One reason is that unlike Federal employees, contractors can be hired, or dropped very quickly.
They generally are paid more than their Fed Employee counter-parts, but job security is generally the trade-off.
In CA it used to be that way. Government jobs didn't pay as well as the private sector, but had job security (no one ever gets f'ing fired!) and benefits and perks (which far exceed any consultants benefits). For the last 30 years the govt employees get similar pay with all the bennies and perks.
Wonder if he has the guts to cancel his contracts as well.
thing is what Elon is doing is actually useful.
Maybe so... I just want our President to do everything the right way. Doing it the wrong way could come back to bite him.
Is he going to go after himself? Spacex is one of them and he’s one of the biggest bait and switch salesmen. Like the $40k cyber truck that was $100k, typical sales.
No, POTUS said he won't be involved in any area that would be a conflict of interest for him.