Or they could be saying that centralized monopolies are rarely efficient. That is certainly my experience. For example, SpaceX undercut NASA by a factor of about 10, according to this FT report: https://www.ft.com/content/25e2292b-a910-41c8-9c55-09096895f...

plane-pal aircraft coming soon to a gate near you!

NASA sources their materials from the private sector. The private sector is notoriously "price gougey" when it comes to government money.

Government actors are responsible for acquiring material at normative costs. Their failure to do so is their own.

Normal costs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercorrection

"Price gougey" implies that the prices are unethical; not in compliance with ethical norms; not normative.

'Not normative' doesn't mean 'not in compliance with ethical norms'. It means not pertaining to ethical norms. It's not the correct word, however you twist it.

Here's some more info if it helps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normative_statement

Exactly! And when all US companies refuse to lower their prices, they should start sourcing from foreign companies to increase competition!

Oh hey look, I'm signing yet another contract with an arbitration clause when signing up for a cell phone service. Must be my fault that all of them require the arbitration clause...

What they're actually saying is "If you sponsor us we will make sure government money goes your way."

Efficiency - or the lack of it - is absolutely not the point.