You guys can defend the ACE all you want but I have never heard of ANY project they worked on that was successfully completed on time or within budget.

Please note: I used to work in this field (government contracting) and I think I know what I am talking about.

The politicians do indeed control the purse strings but the ACE designs the jobs to fit within those limitations. The problem is not the money but the lack of oversight. As stated above the ACE is as prone to poor contractors as anyone else. But good oversight and continuous pressure on the contractor can result in a good job.

If you are not on site you can never be sure you are getting what you paid for. As an example, we had a contractor building new houses in Maine. Part of the job was fencing to enclose the back yards. He chose to install the fences in the winter when the ground is frozen. The inspector (who visited the site daily) told him the fences wouldn't stay up. He insisted they would. In the spring all the fences fell over. He had to repeat the work at no extra cost. He had not installed them in accordance with the contract requirements.

Our inspectors and engineers were always checking the work. If there were any problems they were there to either work with the contractors to solve them or to ensure the contractor installed things correctly.

Another time the contractor claimed he could not get hinges that met spec and were Made In America. He was adamant about it. During a break in the discussion I drove out to a local hardware store, bought a set of hinges that did meet spec, and brought them back to the meeting. I slapped the package down on the table and told the contractor that the discussion was over.

If your people are not on site you cannot do these things. You have to depend on the contractor to tell you he has met spec. And the ACE rarely bothers to put their people in the field. They sit in their cozy offices and write contracts and accept the contractor's word and let the world go to hell in a handbasket.