Having worked as a contractor for many years, I can say with absolute certainty that actual excess refactoring is not a problem, but that claims of refactoring

Having worked as a contractor for many years, I can say with absolute certainty that actual excess refactoring is not a problem, but that claims of refactoring very much are. Again: when a contractor is backlogged, "we're refactoring" is the go-to justification for the delay.