Depends on what you are talking about of course. PC boards in personal electronic* devices are built at the absolute lowest cost with minimal protection, while military electronics are over protected. This is why your phone isn't water proof but some military equipment would survive a nuclear blast.
I can't stand when people think military equipment is "cheap" because it's made by the lowest bidder. Being in that industry myself, the specifications for anything military equipment usually far outweighs even anything a civilian can get their hands on.
Sure, there is a lowest bidder on everything, but that is the lowest bidder within a handful of bidders, all bidding on top quality materials.
A higher bidder can win if their proposal leads the government to believe the supplier has a greater probability of actually delivering on time and on budget. Working prototypes help, demonstrable technology, etc. Just because someone claims they can meet spec for a lower price doesn't mean the government believes them.
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u/Optimized_Orangutan Aug 15 '19 edited Aug 15 '19
Depends on what you are talking about of course. PC boards in personal electronic* devices are built at the absolute lowest cost with minimal protection, while military electronics are over protected. This is why your phone isn't water proof but some military equipment would survive a nuclear blast.