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From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: $1288 ashtrays
Message-ID: <724@vortex.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 27-Jul-85 04:39:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: vortex.724
Posted: Sat Jul 27 04:39:09 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 28-Jul-85 09:37:48 EDT
References: <537@leadsv.UUCP>
Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles
Lines: 28

Ah!  Some contractors may kick and scream--but it makes no difference--
a rose by any other name...

Yes, paperwork adds to costs.
Yes, many items are overspecified.

That's still no excuse for the sorts of things we're seeing.  A spec
that says an ashtray must withstand 2.5 G means you build it from
metal, not out of kleenex.  And let's look at the more frequent, and
probably even more costly, cases.  How about the one for the little
plastic feet on the bottom of office stools?  I seriously doubt
that there was a separate spec for that--nor that it was involved
in much separate paperwork.  But when one of those little 25 cent
suckers split, the replacement part cost was something like $150 from the
stool manufacturer, apparently.  Nothing like cost effectiveness.

I won't even bother to bring up the many charges that have started
showing up for such "defense" items as company parties,
promotional models and giveaways, dog kennels, vacation trips, etc.

C'mon.  We know that the way some government purchasing is done 
has some problems.  But just because someone occasionally
acts in a non-optimal manner is still no excuse to steal
his wallet.  Some contractors seem to have forgotten this,
and they try to fleece the government (and thusly us) for all they
think they can get away with.

--Lauren--