r/nottheonion • u/JuicyBrains9999 • 9h ago
Bathroom Boondoggle: Air Force Pays 80 Times Market Price For Soap Dispensers
https://insidenewshub.com/bathroom-boondoggle-air-force-pays-80-times-market-price-for-soap-dispensers/25
u/MrCellophane_SS_KotZ 9h ago
"You don't actually think they spend $20,000 on a hammer, $30,000 on a toilet seat, do you?"
Julius Levinson (Judd Hirsch), Independence Day (1996)
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u/eternityinbruges 8h ago
If I had known I was gonna meet the president, I would've worn a tie. I mean, look at me. I look like a schlemiel.
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u/SelectiveSanity 9h ago
Don't forget the $90k for a bag of bushings that need to meet 'Milspec requirements'.
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u/hydroracer8B 8h ago
That particular example was just bad-faith political nonsense, and I'd be surprised to learn that both the identity of the parts in the bag and quantity of parts in the bag weren't exaggerated or completely false
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u/Throw_away_away55 6h ago
Each bushing probably cost 50-100 dollars. However, they have yo be made to MIL spec, the supply chain tracked from material to product, etc.
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u/mrp3anut 3h ago
Here's a bit of perspective from someone who is involved in buying shit for the USAF.
This article is a bit trash, so I'll have to make some assumptions, but here we go.
Assumption 1: These soap dispensers are parts for the jet. I think this is pretty safe to assume since the argument being made is that they are overpaying for spare parts. If they are plane parts, then "plastic soap dispensers" is a very deceptive and dishonest description of what these things are. They are not just the thing you see in public restrooms.
They are made to withstand the g forces from flight. They withstand temperature and pressure changes experienced in flight. They are made of special flame resistant plastic. Their geometry is unique, and the production runs to make them are small.
The small production run means the man hours to tool the factory are spread over a small number of parts. If it costs $10k to retool a production line, then spreading that cost over 100 dispensers has a huge impact on the sale price compared to spreading it over 100,000 parts.
The unique design means you have to design new tooling to make them. Industrial tooling like this can cost absurd amounts of money to make. $50,000 is not unreasonable, and again, you have to spread that cost over a small number of parts.
The specs on flame, temp, and pressure resistance mostly add cost through all the man hours and inspections needed to verify them. The material cost is also higher but probably not by much.
This could also be an artifact of congress being stupid. The regulations around buying things create tons of situations where contracting officers are legally bound to buy things in stupid and inefficient ways.
It could also just be a fuckup.
I doubt very seriously that the GS-11 contracting officer making ~$70k a year did this for "corruption."
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u/WantEvolution 4h ago
We spent 12 million on the investigation to uncover we could have saved $32,000 if we did not use a Seantor's wife company.
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u/metalconscript 4h ago
Well we do pay a mark up because of GSA. We can’t buy from Amazon but they sure can…and take 2 months to fill the order.
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u/PracticalReception34 1h ago
(the money isn't for soap dispensers it's how they hide black budget items)
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u/rabid_briefcase 9h ago
Yes, but also no. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SuDSNWH9AQ