I meant that there isn't the non-contracted manpower, because in a lot of places 90% of the staffing is contracted to SIs with a skeleton crew of govies for leg

I meant that there isn't the non-contracted manpower, because in a lot of places 90% of the staffing is contracted to SIs with a skeleton crew of govies for legalities sake. There are a LOT of programs whose project plan is set in stone by the contract, and are simply unable to change course (especially once the SI puts their lobbyists on it). All to avoid pension liabilities, allow downsizing that can't be blocked by a union, and provide a layer of indirection to coders being paid anything close to market rates. We need a way to hire more full-time govies, but the culture has swung so hard to contracting that there are only small pockets left of in-house talent.