# Business Thru Government



## ca contractore

there is $ 4000 to $ 5000 upfront fee


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## DP01

I signed up with BTG a couple of months ago, it was $4,500 up front and they do get 3% of your job. I am currently trying to submit on two projects. I'm a general contractor and they send me about 10 jobs a month, you then have to get a bid bond for every project. It's not the type of service where you just sit back and wait for the money to roll in, it takes work going to the job walk, getting the subs to give you their price,and then getting the bid bond. you have to be very diligent about getting right on it when they send you a job because you will usually have to submit it within two weeks of receiving the e mail. I'm a one man operation trying to stay working (my day job) and doing this as a way to hopefully change the direction of my company. I'll post here when I get a project.


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## socalal

I'm interested in the BTG also, just wondering how this is working out for you and if you'd recommend it for a small painting contractor? 

I went through the DUNs #, CCR, SAM, Bidsync.....process, now looking for some leads, Blue Book has never worked for me. Thanks


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## DP01

I haven't landed a job yet, they send me stuff but being a general they send me big jobs and most of the time i don't have the time to put into bidding. If I had to do it again I wouldn't sign up.


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## socalal

Thanks for the info.

I met with SBDC adviser today at our local Jr college. The SBA through the SBDC's will assist small businesses with all kinds of issues from business start-up to financial aid grants. I setup a meeting next week with the government procurement expert; and it's all free, hoping to get some hand-holding. Many of the 2 year colleges have similar consulting centers if your interested.


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## Astrix

DPCII said:


> Never used them, and I do bid on a lot of government work. Never evcen heard of them. Not sure what value they can add in "helping" you fill out paper work and getting through the RFQ and RFP process.
> 
> I hate to sound simplistic, but if you can read and follow directions, you can get through the process. It always amazes me the number of contrcators DQ'd from the process because they simply did not follow directions.


Well said. Consulting companies can be useful re saving time in filling out paperwork; plus if they are good at what they do, they know the pitfalls to avoid and how to quickly and efficiently dot all the Is and cross all the Ts. As DPCII wrote, many bidders are disqualified because they missed following the RFQ process to the letter. 

When considering using any type of consulting service, I believe one of the main questions should be whether you are getting your money’s worth. In this case, it seems that the flat fee plus 5% gross of awarded contracts is pretty hefty. If you think about it, that would mean that on an awarded project of $500,000; you would be giving $25,000 to the consulting firm (not to mention the $5,000 upfront flat fee). For comparison purposes, if you hired an estimator for $75,000 a year, that salaried person would only need to bring in 3 contracts of this size throughout an entire year to give you the same bang for your buck. Plus, the estimator would be doing all the bid submission work; not just the prequalification and hunting for open bids. 

The company that the OP asked about appears to be more of a leads service as per DP01's post as they sent him the lead but he had to do the majority of the submission work himself. If you are good with the internet and have the time, you can find all public commercial work *FOR FREE*.

In Canada, all federal and provincial government tenders are available for free on MERX. Website: www.merx.com. MERX also lists private commercial bids but you have to pay for those. There is also a U.S. section, and I think you have to pay for access to this section as well. I'm not sure. Since I'm not a contractor, I am not registered with them; but most of my commercial contractors use MERX.

With respect to the USA, as I am Canadian I can not hold myself out as an expert on the American public procurement system. However, I do know that it is similar in that all public works have to be openly listed on the web. For example, I picked San Diego as that is where the OP is from. Within a short time, I found the following levels of government websites:

Municipal: City of San Diego

State: California

Federal: www.fbo.gov 

You'll have to take the time to search out all the different websites and read through each public entity's rules as most will require pre-qualification, registration, etc. before you can bid. The point though is that it is free to see what's available, the basic project description, etc. without having to pay a leads or consulting service. However, it does take time, and not everyone is geared to this type of detailed paperwork.


P.S. - The US Small Business Administration can help smaller contractors get registered for federal government contracts: http://www.sba.gov 
More specifically: http://www.sba.gov/content/federal-business-opportunities 
(Again, it’s FREE.)


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## sneakers10

Just visited them Friday. Interesting business set-up. They seem to take the hassle out of the paperwork. They want $4500 per year plus they add 3% to each bid if you win the bid. still uncertain about it. I'm going to check a few others who are using their service.


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## jbcleaning02

*yes there is a fee*

yes there is a fee. I just met with them today actually. They want to charge me $5000(which can be paid over a reasonable time, but they say you won't get bids until it is paid in full) and they would charge me 3% for every job after that. I'm still not totally sure if I'll do it or not. a question i have is, is there anyone out there that has done the paperwork themselves and everything that goes with it and if yes, do you think what BTG is offering is worth it?


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## vesta1976

*Don't bother*

This is a scam... Trust me, I bit on it. I have had some gov't contracts in the past, but responding to RFQ's, filling out the paperwork, etc., is not my cup of tea. I figured spending $5k or so annually was a decent investment. What a waste of time and money. Occasionally I get some crappy jobs emailed to me, but nothing that I would normally bid on anyway. The WORST part is that they call me at least 2x's a month to try to sell me their crappy product, not realizing that I'm already signed up with them! So embarrassing! I'm embarrassed I bought it. Trust me, don't bother.


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## jamestrd

I did a company simialr about 5 year ago or so..

I went with B2G..

also offered working right thought o the end of a awarded contract.

only problem was there were no federal wood jobs comin up within my region.

I did the networking thing.

contacted Buyers.

Emailed..introduced.

all the good stuff they tell you you need to do to win.

nothing ever popped and much the same happened with many in my class.
however a couple people won some bids.
one was lighting fixture company..

I applied for 8A and never heard back.

not saying it dont work..but its a game..
Nothing for flooring was ever coming up, finally they wanted me going for state .

Its a rackett..

good luck


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## imbuia

*Beware of business thru government.*

I was solicited over the phone to get Government jobs. In my initial meeting They sell you on the idea of getting a large amount of available jobs to small businesses without disclosing the real facts. Facts about Requirements and qualifying for the se jobs with performance and Bid Bonding, Prevailing wage, Disabled Veterans inclusion, Excessive Administration requirements, Scheduling software requirements, Referrals for the industry and or scope for which you are bidding.
They make it sound as if it is very easy to get JOBS and they claim that they will help in the bidding process and take 3% of profits, whilst we take all the liability and pay for everything up front. I unfortunately paid 4900 to find out after the fact on my own after walkthroughs and getting Bid doc's stating all requirements and qualifications. Another large issue is time frames to get paid and the Admin involved in order to invoice. Then how long after request for payment do you get paid.
NON Disclosure of all facts involved in order to make a clear decision.
PLEASE INVESTIGATE BEFORE WASTING THE MONEY. BUSINESS THRU GOVERNMENT IS NOT TELLING THE TRUTH UP FRONT.


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## Source

It's unfortunate to hear so many people are not seeing results with BTG as it has been working great for me.

Yes, in Government jobs you do have to attend job walks, compute pricing, use Disabled Veterans or Minority Sub contractors. There are bonds and insurances required. It is detailed... but you know what, it also pays very well and on time. And unlike the private sector, you don't have to pay for marketing (that rarely works) and you don't have to compete with unlicensed guys that under bid everyone else. 

So, there is a bit more paperwork (which BTG is great at helping with) and it could get a bit more complex. SO WHAT - IT'S WORTH IT!

Unlike my years of work in the private sector, doing Government contracts I GET TO CHOOSE WHICH JOBS TO BID ON. In the private sector i would take anything i could get my hands on. 

And to hire someone at $75k per year... not a good idea. That is over $1,500 per week plus all payroll taxes and fees while your hoping this person may bring you results. No Thank you. At least with BTG you pay a flat fee, they do all the prep work to get you registered and next you will only pay when a job is awarded to you at 3%. Those 3% cover my billing (which they do) and help formatting my progress reports and change orders. PRICE WORTH PAYING. 

I got my hand held throughout the entire process, they help me find the right subs, suppliers, references, remind me about job walks and deadlines, they have to do all that cause if i don't win they don't get paid. It's a great system, again if i hire someone and he wont produce i am in the hole for his entire salary plus all the time he wasted. Not to mention the Overhead he creates. With BTG i don't incur any overhead as they bear all the cost and i only pay if i win. 

When i walked in to their office i was told i would have walk the jobs and produce my price, and preform once a job is awarded to me. And that is all i am doing in all this. If anyone is thinking working with them means Money and Jobs falling out of the sky, think again, you have to work at it. But you know what i have been working a lot less hard ever since i have signed up with them and i can finally say i have financial stability, sustainability and constant work flow in my business.


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## imbuia

*Finance the jobs*

You must have an office and a large amount of financing to be able to wait 30 to 60 days to get paid for work already complete.
They do the proposal for you after you have done all the legwork.
They do not disclose any details upfront.
Investigate carefully prior to getting involved with them.


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## Source

I am actually a one man operation, i hire some buddies of mine to run the jobs when i have to 2 - 3 at the same time... And 30 days was the longest i have ever waited for payment, BTG has a very aggressive billing system as they need me to get paid so they can get paid from me.


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## imbuia

*Reveal your actual name and business*

I get the feeling you work for BTG.
Give us your business name and info.
Sounds great that you hire buddies, we work with Licensed contractors.
BTG does not bill for you, you have to do the billings and request for payment yourself...So who are you and why are you so verbal for BTG?
You must have a lot of money in the bank to do work and then bill and then wait 30 days for payment whilst working for the 30 days and spending more funds...for if you dont the penalties are HUGE!
MY BEEF IS: Why does BTG not disclose all of the facts upfront, prior to closing contract for their service.
Their service is useless unless you can finance the project use Disabled Veterans, Qualify with referrals, Have financial statements and tax returns to get the bonding required etc. etc.
Who are you? Source?


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## Source

To start with, BTG referred me to a banker that deals with Small Businesses like me to get a working line of credit so i can fund my first few jobs... i must admit i used that other things as well but it worked out great. When i say they bill for me, they prepare invoices that are formatted correctly with my info on it. So instead of me making errors they create the invoice and submit on my behalf, since there are no billing issues i get a payment on time within 30 days. 

My Subs and suppliers are aware to the fast that its a public job and it will take me 30 days to pay and they have no issue with that. By now i have built a working capital which makes things easier but i did fine before that as well. 

And why i am so verbal about them - read this page for god sake.. most of the people posting here haven't even been there or tried their program and already call them out to be scam... That is being verbal for no reason! i have results to back up my postings here and it just happens that i'm off today because of the rain. 

With a little believe in yourself and with their direction anyone can do this. And by the way, when i say i hire buddies i mean other professional contractors who don't have much work. As anyone in the building industry (i would imagine) i have a lot of friends in the industry as well.


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## imbuia

*What is your business name you have nothing on profile*

Just letting people know what they are in for ahead of time.
BTG does not divulge info ahead of time so better to let everyone know the reality of the big picture.
The scam comes into play due to the non divulgence of information prior to collecting the cash! Then after the fact one has to find out for themselves, NOT Good business practice.
Why have you not filled out your profile and business info...?
Would be interested to know what you do and what your business name is to identify if you are a real entity?


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## security

they ask for the up front fee,as soon as you walk in there office
2000.00 to 9000.00
fee must be paid in full,before they start there so call work
the up fee is NOT in contract,or paid out of contract
when you ask about up front fee,be ready to have your business integrity insulted
scam ,business


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## security

i just joined this ,site
will post up profile,my business is security,but i go way back in construction
back to btg,i drove 140 miles one way ,plus bridge tolls,to find out when i arrive there
office about the up front fee,,ripoff


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## Solar Control

Source said:


> ...
> 
> And why i am so verbal about them - read this page for god sake.. most of the people posting here haven't even been there or tried their program and already call them out to be scam... That is being verbal for no reason! i have results to back up my postings here and it just happens that i'm off today because of the rain.
> 
> ...


At a meeting with the SBA last week the speaker recommended not using companies like this one for government certifications. I realize how anecdotal this is but this is another strike against this company, and its competitors.


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## tkrrox

anyone else have anything to say about this company...i went yesterday and they pushed the fee. i said if you are so comfortable with the outcome why charge me the 4500 in the first place since you will be making 3%...i said i might as well buy 4500 in lotto tickets. he said this is an opportunity, i said so i 4500 chances to win the lotto. 

i do like the idea but i don't want to get into something and blow my money on a pipe dream.

i was offended about the 4500, especially when i had nothing tangible to hold for that. who has gone other routes for government jobs?


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## clydedog

Stop. I have paid this fee. I have lost my money. The guy who says he was better of buying lotto tickets - was correct. I am just trying to save someone else from lossing money. The total fee was $5,000. plus 3%. They state they will do all the paperwork - your job is to estimate and they do the rest. They send you a link to the job information - thats all you get. They also claim in the interview that they can get your company registered with SCMSDC ( minority business) - and that is not true. They sent me some paperwork but it had nothing to do with the real registration process.


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## Kajtek1

I just come back from the presentation. 
They want $6000 and would not give me the time to think before putting $1000 down. 
3% if you get a contract with them. 
I have policy of not making such moves and rechecking the post above confirms the policy in 100% accurate. 
Darn salesmen. I wasted 1hr of my time for a cup of coffee. 
Would go to Timeshare presentation I would get donuts and $150 gift certificate.


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## ouguan

i signed up last month，and setting up the bonding，i wondering is any one in this forum award any project off this firm，it sounds like a scam.


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## wndsfr69

*Update*

Yes, I’m the guy who started this thread almost four years ago.I was blown away that it was still active. It wasn’t until some other contractor contacted me via office phone asking questions that I realized that it was still going. I’m not going to turn this into some big crucifixion on Business Thru Government. I will say *“Don’t waste your money”* I did do some sub work for a referred company and that was a circus in itself. I recovered my $4500, counted my blessings and walked away.For the federal work I do get as a SDVOB I have to burn a little shoe leather.


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## aslingo

*Total Scam - They will rip you off*

I was at BTG last week in Van Nuys. I too was told that they had lots of government work and looking for an AV expert to do some work. I went down there and got there sales pitch. Total Scam they are perpetuating. After leaving there office, almost having to fight my way out of there, I replied the following day with this email to Business Thru Government:

I want you to know something that you are sure to be aware already. I see through your BS. What a Scam your company is trying to pull here. You wasted my time yesterday driving 2.5 hours to your "Penthouse" suite. The pressure your rep tried to put on me was ridiculous. I wish I had investigated your company further prior to wasting my time. Your owner needs to be thrown in jail for fraud and misrepresentation. Eric, "I am sure this is not his real name and most likely your name is fictitious as well" and your rep flat out lied to my face! I could not run fast enough out of your office. Thank god I saw through your scam and I am going to tell everyone I know about it as well as get on all of the post I read about your owner and post my experience I had yesterday. Maybe your owner will have to change his name again to stay in business? 

Remove me from your contact list. Lose my number. Do not ever call us again!!!

Today, I am going to post this reply on the internet so other companies don't fall for this Scam you are perpetuating!

This was a complete waste of time and certainly not appreciated!

One positive thing however and sure you did not intend on this was that I now know who to contact to get register to do government work. I am taking care of that today and it will cost me NOTHING!

BTG is what is wrong with this country. There is no honor and trust anywhere to be found. Just scam artist like Mr. Yaminitsky or whatever he is calling himself this week. I hope BTG goes out of business soon! 

Andrew Slingo


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## AlexJohnsonB73

I feel terrible to hear all these bad reviews. i wish i had read them before i sighed up. but im not complaining. Im taking the time to write this because im n my way to another job walk. my company was hurt by the certification fees but im happy i made the investment . I will keep updated if any problems occur but so far , everything is excellent.
best of luck to all ! stay safe !


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## GovtContractor

What difficulties do you have in finding government work to bid on? Is it finding the work? Getting through the red tape? Understanding the rules? Finding subcontract work? I'd like to help in this area, since it's really all I know. I've never done residential work or even light commercial. 

I truly believe that as business owners, the potential for wealth in construction is in selling the highest cost products and services. Kinda like selling cars I guess. Would you rather sell Hondas or Ferraris? If the salesman makes 10% he only needs to sell a few Ferraris a year versus the Honda guy. 

The most money I ever made was on prison work. Selling toilets for $3K plus labor, beats selling a toilet for $75 plus the same labor in a commercial bathroom. You really have to know what your getting into. Try winging it with the US Army Corps of Engineers and you're contract will be terminated. I use to take over projects for contractors that weren't prepared. 

So again. If you have a question, ask. I know a great many things about this area and I don't need any of your guys money. I made enough selling to the government. I want to see others succeed. Keep in mind that my public works knowledge is limited to California, but federal work is federal work.


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## TimNJ

Is Commerce Business Daily still active?


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## GovtContractor

I have a question for the folks who have used B2G. Once they sign you up, do you have personal service with an account rep? Is there someone you can call to help with the submittal process, certified payroll reporting, scheduling, and project specific quality and safety plans? General Requirements for government work vary and are much more involved than the private sector, so I was curious if they assist with this. Do they only send leads that are for prime contracts, or do they help you establish a client base for subcontract work?


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## Rconst

Going through most of the posts in this thread i couldn't really find anyone that have signed up with Business Thru Government and actually had really bad experience. 

I have signed up with them several months ago and have gotten my certifications just like they said, been getting bid notifications and have my account rep to help with whatever i need. I recommend giving them a shot if you need more work. I want to grow my business and getaway from doing the physical work myself so this a good avenue for me to achieve that. 

Hope this helps anyone who is interested, thanks y'all.


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## RangoWA

Rconst said:


> Going through most of the posts in this thread i couldn't really find anyone that have signed up with Business Thru Government and actually had really bad experience.
> 
> I have signed up with them several months ago and have gotten my certifications just like they said, been getting bid notifications and have my account rep to help with whatever i need. I recommend giving them a shot if you need more work. I want to grow my business and getaway from doing the physical work myself so this a good avenue for me to achieve that.
> 
> Hope this helps anyone who is interested, thanks y'all.


It doesn't take an ace detective to notice that most (or all, I don't want to reread the whole thread) of the positive comments come from people that joined up for the sole purpose of making a positive comment about this company.

Duh. 

There are many public sources available for government work, you don't need to pay shysters to do a quick search and send it to you for a hefty fee.


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## RangoWA

GovtContractor said:


> The most money I ever made was on prison work. Selling toilets for $3K plus labor, beats selling a toilet for $75 plus the same labor in a commercial bathroom. You really have to know what your getting into. Try winging it with the US Army Corps of Engineers and you're contract will be terminated. I use to take over projects for contractors that weren't prepared.
> 
> So again. If you have a question, ask. I know a great many things about this area and I don't need any of your guys money. I made enough selling to the government. I want to see others succeed. Keep in mind that my public works knowledge is limited to California, but federal work is federal work.


Yeah thanks. Let's see if we can't scam the tax payers for 4k per toilet. Let's maximize profits! 

As far as I'm concerned both parties involved in fleecing us to that degree should be inmates using those $3k toilets.


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## GovtContractor

RangoWA said:


> Yeah thanks. Let's see if we can't scam the tax payers for 4k per toilet. Let's maximize profits!
> 
> 
> 
> As far as I'm concerned both parties involved in fleecing us to that degree should be inmates using those $3k toilets.



Well, I never thought I'd have to defend myself in these forums, but your post appears to be an attack on my integrity, sir, and that I will defend.

It is a myth that prices are inflated when selling to the government. On the contrary. I see markups on private work that double and triple what we ultimately charge government agencies. 

That $3K toilet is custom made of 316SS, is completely vandal proof, suicide proof and contains electronic actuation linked to a network computer to eliminate inmates from flooding cells. Actual cost to contractor is close to $2500 just to purchase. I don't see a 10-15% mark-up as egregious. 

We all are in the business of selling. Some of us choose to sell to homeowners, some commercial clients and some to government agencies. 

I compare it to selling cars or boats. You can sell a fiat or you can sell a Ferrari. You can sell aluminum fishing boats or luxury yachts. If you like to hustle and sell a thousand little fishing boats in a year, that's your business. I'll just sell ONE yacht and make the same profit. Work smarter, not harder.


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## Calidecks

GovtContractor said:


> Well, I never thought I'd have to defend myself in these forums, but your post appears to be an attack on my integrity, sir, and that I will defend.
> 
> It is a myth that prices are inflated when selling to the government. On the contrary. I see markups on private work that double and triple what we ultimately charge government agencies.
> 
> That $3K toilet is custom made of 316SS, is completely vandal proof, suicide proof and contains electronic actuation linked to a network computer to eliminate inmates from flooding cells. Actual cost to contractor is close to $2500 just to purchase. I don't see a 10-15% mark-up as egregious.
> 
> We all are in the business of selling. Some of us choose to sell to homeowners, some commercial clients and some to government agencies.
> 
> I compare it to selling cars or boats. You can sell a fiat or you can sell a Ferrari. You can sell aluminum fishing boats or luxury yachts. If you like to hustle and sell a thousand little fishing boats in a year, that's your business. I'll just sell ONE yacht and make the same profit. Work smarter, not harder.


So you think Government work is a Ferrari? Well it needs to be a Yugo. 17000000000000 (is that enough zero's?)in debt and your gloating?


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## RangoWA

GovtContractor said:


> Well, I never thought I'd have to defend myself in these forums, but your post appears to be an attack on my integrity, sir, and that I will defend.
> 
> It is a myth that prices are inflated when selling to the government. On the contrary. I see markups on private work that double and triple what we ultimately charge government agencies.
> 
> That $3K toilet is custom made of 316SS, is completely vandal proof, suicide proof and contains electronic actuation linked to a network computer to eliminate inmates from flooding cells. Actual cost to contractor is close to $2500 just to purchase. I don't see a 10-15% mark-up as egregious.
> 
> We all are in the business of selling. Some of us choose to sell to homeowners, some commercial clients and some to government agencies.
> 
> I compare it to selling cars or boats. You can sell a fiat or you can sell a Ferrari. You can sell aluminum fishing boats or luxury yachts. If you like to hustle and sell a thousand little fishing boats in a year, that's your business. I'll just sell ONE yacht and make the same profit. Work smarter, not harder.


No government waste in a $3,000 plus labor toilets? How many cells were there? 500 cells would be 1.5 million dollars not including labor. Sorry, but I think that's ridiculous.

How did we manage before government contracts could be massaged to that extent? 

Yes, there's lots of waste in government work, it isn't a myth. I done federal, state and local work for 26 years. I have often seen excess specs or requirements in bids, I gave an honest bid minus the bull knowing I wouldn't get the job because somebody else would accomodate them. 

People get sloppy when they're spending other people's money.


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## TimNJ

RangoWA said:


> No government waste in a $3,000 plus labor toilets? How many cells were there? 500 cells would be 1.5 million dollars not including labor. Sorry, but I think that's ridiculous.
> 
> How did we manage before government contracts could be massaged to that extent?
> 
> Yes, there's lots of waste in government work, it isn't a myth. I done federal, state and local work for 26 years. I have often seen excess specs or requirements in bids, I gave an honest bid minus the bull knowing I wouldn't get the job because somebody else would accomodate them.
> 
> People get sloppy when they're spending other people's money.




So the gov't is overspending, but you prepare a bid and you don't get the job.
Any gov't work I have done was all low bidder wins.
Seems to me the low bidder is saving the gov't money and you were trying to squeeze extra cash from the gov't.


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## RangoWA

TimNJ said:


> So the gov't is overspending, but you prepare a bid and you don't get the job.
> Any gov't work I have done was all low bidder wins.
> Seems to me the low bidder is saving the gov't money and you were trying to squeeze extra cash from the gov't.


You missunderstood what I meant. I left the fat out or offered cheaper materials just as good or better. 

I was also in the military and saw a BUNCH of waste.


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## GovtContractor

Californiadecks said:


> So you think Government work is a Ferrari? Well it needs to be a Yugo. 17000000000000 (is that enough zero's?)in debt and your gloating?



You are misconstruing the analogy. You're obviously from California, so you're aware of prevailing wage laws, etc. that ultimately determine a major component of the final price on government projects. The comparison was to illustrate the price difference, and how a smaller margin on a large high cost project can bring more profit than many small low cost projects.

Do you think that our soldiers should return to live in dilapidated barracks, or be treated in a hospital that's well below the standards of let's say UCLA medical center, or Sharp? I think they deserve the best quality and the most competitive price. Not a Yugo!

I don't disagree that there are many instances of fraud, waste and abuse in government spending overall, but I think it's mostly on the social programs side. People on SSI that CAN work, but don't, Medicare fraud, etc. There are also a lot of wasted money of studies, etc.

As far as doing construction work, we operate off of small margins and the work goes to the lowest bidder. You have to be lean, efficient, productive all the while providing a high quality end product that meets strict government guidelines and close scrutiny.


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## GovtContractor

RangoWA said:


> No government waste in a $3,000 plus labor toilets? How many cells were there? 500 cells would be 1.5 million dollars not including labor. Sorry, but I think that's ridiculous.
> 
> 
> 
> How did we manage before government contracts could be massaged to that extent?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, there's lots of waste in government work, it isn't a myth. I done federal, state and local work for 26 years. I have often seen excess specs or requirements in bids, I gave an honest bid minus the bull knowing I wouldn't get the job because somebody else would accomodate them.
> 
> 
> 
> People get sloppy when they're spending other people's money.



You obviously have no clue what you're talking about.

Let me get this straight. You spent your precious time reviewing a thousand page solicitation. Poured through page after page of blueprints. Solicited subcontractor quotes. Requested a bid bond and then prepared a proposal for a project YOU KNEW YOU WOULD NEVER BE AWARDED, because you didn't bid it per spec? That's amazing. Who does that?

As far as the toilet. It's not nearly what you imagine so I've included a picture for you. It's not a cheap fixture by any means. A lot of the cost has to do with the fact that all material must be Made in the USA. 









I'm sorry they wouldn't let you have that job with cheap Made in China material.


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