The Washington Post reported yesterday that the cost of new combat ships from Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics will likely be at least $350 million each, instead of the originally budgeted $220 million.
That 59 percent cost increase is routine for big federal procurements. The table below summarizes official government estimates of costs for various defense, energy, and transportation projects.
No doubt, what goes on with these projects is a “nudge nudge, wink wink” between federal officials and major contractors. The game involves key players on both sides low-balling initial costs in order to get project approval, and then having an informal agreement to let costs float up over time.
In this case, one cause of the combat ship cost increase, noted the Post, was that “the Navy said its original cost estimate did not factor in some management costs.” How convenient!
| A Sampling of Federal Cost Overruns | ||
| (Defense items in constant dollars; other figures in current dollars) | ||
| Project | Estimated Cost and Date of Estimate | |
| Original | Latest or Actual | |
| Transportation | ||
| Boston “Big Dig” | $2.6b (1985) | $14.6b (2005) |
| Virginia Springfield interchange | $241m (1994) | $676m (2003) |
| Kennedy Center parking lot | $28m (1998) | $88m (2003) |
| Air traffic control modernization | $8.9b (1998–2004) | $14.6b (2005) |
| Denver International Airport | $1.7b (1989) | $4.8b (1995) |
| Seattle light rail system | $1.7b (1996) | $2.6b (2000) |
| Energy | ||
| Yucca mountain radioactive waste | $6.3b (1992) | $8.4b (2001) |
| Hanford nuclear fuels site | $715m (1995) | $1.6b (2001) |
| Idaho Falls nuclear fuels site | $124m (1998) | $273m (2001) |
| National ignition laser facility | $2.1b (1995) | $3.3b (2001) |
| Weldon Springs remedial action | $358m (1989) | $905m (2001) |
| Defense (per unit in 2003 dollars) | ||
| Global Hawk surveillance plane | $86m (2001) | $123m (2004) |
| F/A‑22 Raptor fighter | $117m (1992) | $254m (2002) |
| V‑22 Osprey aircraft | $36m (1987) | $93m (2001) |
| RAH-66 Comanche helicopter | $33m (2000) | $53m (2002) |
| CH-47F cargo helicopter | $9m (1998) | $18m (2002) |
| SBIRS satellite system | $825m (1998) | $1.6b (2002) |
| Patriot advanced missile | $5m (1995) | $10m (2002) |
| EX-171 guided munition | $45,000 (1997) | $150,000 (2002) |
| Other | ||
| Capitol Hill visitor center | $374m (2002) | $559m (2004) |
| Kennedy Center opera house | $18.3m (1995) | $22.2m (2003) |
| Kennedy Center concert hall | $15.1m (1995) | $21.3m (1997) |
| Washington D.C. baseball stadium | $435m (2004) | $611m (2007) |
| International space station | $17b (1995) | $30b (2002) |
| FBI Trilogy computer system | $477m (2000) | $600m (2004) |
| Pentagon secret spy satellite | $5b (n/a) | $9.5b (2004) |
| Pentagon laser anti-missile system | $1b (1996) | $2b (2004) |
| Sources: Compilation by Chris Edwards based on GAO reports and Washington Post stories. Figures in $millions (m) or $billions (b). |
