I do wish our President did his homework before making irrational suggestions in nationwide speeches. The idea of banning No-Bid government contracts shows a total ignorance of contracting realities, particularly in the defense arena. In the case of defense hardware, often there is only one qualified supplier available, so you buy from him or you don’t get it! There is a process by which second-sources can be qualified, but it is lengthy and very costly. No-bid contracts are hardly windfalls for companies – they are usually cost-plus fixed percentage fee; the government has audit approval of all costs, including overhead.
der Brucer