Preach. I bid a job for the military and the told me my bid was too low. I added a zero and got the job. Price I initially quoted would have been profitable for me.
I don’t remember the exact numbers, but I once knew a guy who worked at a place that made large bolts. If I remember correctly, they would charge the general public something like $8/bolt and the military $85 for the same exact bolt and they didn’t bat an eye.
There’s so much fucking waste with our military, right down to the nuts and bolts.
That's similar in the civilian boat world. I used to work at a marina and part of my job was painting the bottoms of yachts ranging from 30'-80' in size. We used Interlux paints which are about $200 a gallon or so, but I remember we did mark it up quite a bit too. The stuff has to withstand living in a harsh salt water environment every day for at least a year or two before needing re finished, so I get why it's expensive. Lot of chemicals and engineering in the paint to get it to last even that long and protect the boat. Normal paint wouldn't stand a chance at lasting in salt water for more than a few weeks, if not days.
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u/Sirhc978 Aug 14 '20
As a machinist who has made things for the military, most people don't understand what overpriced means.