3 ms·

> The numbers, as you'd expect, are eye popping. What exactly was eye popping? I took a quick look, and while the numbers are large, I don't have a sense they

> The numbers, as you'd expect, are eye popping. What exactly was eye popping? I took a quick look, and while the numbers are large, I don't have a sense they are larger than they should be. The first for 15-Nov is a contract for roofing for the Army for $99MM. A number of firms are competing for that, and none of these firms sounds like "the military industrial complex". One is Roofing Resources from Pennsylvania. Its page states that it is "certified women-owned small business" [1]. Do you find anything nefarious with that? [1] https://teamrri.com/ https://teamrri.com/

ifyoubuildit 2y ago
Depends. How many square feet of roof are they doing? At $10 per sq ft, thats 10M sq feet. Also, what "small business" is doing those kinds of numbers, especially in a single contract?
- quickthrowman 2y ago
  > Depends. How many square feet of roof are they doing? At $10 per sq ft, thats 10M sq feet. It’s a 5 year long contract and buildings need to be reroofed every ~30 years, several million square feet sounds about right. > Also, what "small business" is doing those kinds of numbers, especially in a single contract? You were linked to an example. A “small business” construction firm can easily administer a $99M contract if they subcontract all of the work out and act as construction manager. One dedicated project manager could do it, honestly. Performance and payment bonds ensure the work is completed. Certain types of businesses have a bidding advantage on public work, depending on the funding source: minority owned businesses (MBE), women owned businesses (WBE), service disabled veteran businesses, (SDVOSB, which DoD and VA contracts often target), and others. The advantage can be as high as 12%, which can lead to the construction manager situation I described above. My post is only relevant to construction procurement, no clue how it works outside of that.
russellbeattie 2y ago
Huh? You picked one small example out of dozens in the last week alone. There's billions flowing to military contractors. You should probably take more than a "quick look".
- credit_guy 2y ago
  I did take more than a quick look, but only for the day of 15-Nov, the last published. On that day there 11 contracts worth half a billion dollars altogether. All but one went to firms I never heard of, and which most people would not consider to be part of the "military industrial complex". The exception was Anduril, which is actually quite a new entrant in the game. It's a bit difficult to share your sense of outrage. The US is a large country, and its Department of Defense is also large. But not out of proportion. The DoD budget is less than 4% of the GDP. That money buys you the best military on the planet. By a mile. For comparison, the public elementary and secondary schools in the US spend more than the DoD, and the outcome is kind of mediocre. Do you feel outraged by the "educational industrial complex" ?

ifyoubuildit 2y ago

Depends. How many square feet of roof are they doing? At $10 per sq ft, thats 10M sq feet. Also, what "small business" is doing those kinds of numbers, especially in a single contract?

quickthrowman 2y ago
> Depends. How many square feet of roof are they doing? At $10 per sq ft, thats 10M sq feet. It’s a 5 year long contract and buildings need to be reroofed every ~30 years, several million square feet sounds about right. > Also, what "small business" is doing those kinds of numbers, especially in a single contract? You were linked to an example. A “small business” construction firm can easily administer a $99M contract if they subcontract all of the work out and act as construction manager. One dedicated project manager could do it, honestly. Performance and payment bonds ensure the work is completed. Certain types of businesses have a bidding advantage on public work, depending on the funding source: minority owned businesses (MBE), women owned businesses (WBE), service disabled veteran businesses, (SDVOSB, which DoD and VA contracts often target), and others. The advantage can be as high as 12%, which can lead to the construction manager situation I described above. My post is only relevant to construction procurement, no clue how it works outside of that.

russellbeattie 2y ago

Huh? You picked one small example out of dozens in the last week alone. There's billions flowing to military contractors. You should probably take more than a "quick look".

credit_guy 2y ago
I did take more than a quick look, but only for the day of 15-Nov, the last published. On that day there 11 contracts worth half a billion dollars altogether. All but one went to firms I never heard of, and which most people would not consider to be part of the "military industrial complex". The exception was Anduril, which is actually quite a new entrant in the game. It's a bit difficult to share your sense of outrage. The US is a large country, and its Department of Defense is also large. But not out of proportion. The DoD budget is less than 4% of the GDP. That money buys you the best military on the planet. By a mile. For comparison, the public elementary and secondary schools in the US spend more than the DoD, and the outcome is kind of mediocre. Do you feel outraged by the "educational industrial complex" ?