In article ,
=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Bj=F8rn?= Ove Isaksen wrote:
So basicly you want to keep the shuttles because you cant trust a
predetermined sum in a contract?

The problem with a "predetermined sum in a contract" is, what are the
incentives for abiding by the contract? You need look no farther than US
aerospace contractors to see various innovative ways of reneging on an
allegedly fixed-price contract, and the Russians are quick studies on this
capitalism stuff.

A "predetermined sum" is trustworthy only if there are at least two
suppliers, so that if X starts acting up, you can say "to hell with you,
we're buying from Y instead".
--
MOST launched 30 June; science observations running | Henry Spencer
since Oct; first surprises seen; papers pending. |