GoneDiving
Guru
Ever here the full story on $14,000 dollar toilet seats?
I haven't heard them all but a few make perfect sense and sometimes the not so shameless government contractors manage to slip in a few over charges.
Kinda like a $5 part that is no longer OEM , now costs $99 with $50 shipping/handling charge from XYZ Marine website.
I'm getting way off subject but apparently they were C5 Galaxy seats designed to stop urine corroding airframes. They are now 3D printed at a substantial savings:
https://www.military.com/defensetech/2018/07/11/air-force-no-longer-spending-10000-toilet-seats-officials-say.html
I think you are right when you say lax purchasing control allowed contractors to milk pricing for all it's worth. Specialisation and limited supplies just make it worse. Look at "marine" parts vs domestic or industrial. I'm a diver and pricing and availability of "life sustaining" retention devices is multiples of a 316 bolt at Bunnings/Harbour Freight. Don't even get me started on service intervals and pricing. ?