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Satire

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A $173 Part, Living Its Best Life

Anime-style cartoon in a dark brick bar: a golden figure with a crowned bolt for a head and a red cape, labeled One Spare Part, raises a fist and says 'Small part. Big lifestyle.' An invoice reads cost to make $173, margin 4,451%, cost data denied, PAID.
EXE original cartoon · CC BY 4.0

A spare part that costs $173 to make, sold with a 4,451% margin. It now wears a crown.

What
A $173 Part, Living Its Best Life
When
2026-10-16
Source
DoD Office of Inspector General
Credit
EXE original cartoon
License
CC BY 4.0
Details
Asked for cost data, the seller politely declined. Asked for the part, the buyer politely paid. That's not a market, it's a monarchy. Based on: The Inspector General found profit margins from 17% to 4,451% on 46 of the 47 sampled spare parts. Of 16 requests for cost data, 15 were denied. (DoD Office of Inspector General, 2019-02-25).

procurementbudgetcontractorsMeme / satire

Sources and credit

  1. DoD Office of Inspector General
  2. Satire: the full record

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