USGS seemed like it was mostly worthwhile stuff when I was there, just operating on outdated technologies and under budget cycles and patterns that incentivized goofy behaviors because saving money in even the simplest of ways could only lead to budgets being cut in unconstructive ways.
For example, imagine there's a budget of $5k and it's assuming that you'll replace a computer with part of it.
But you don't actually need to replace your computer until after the fiscal year.
But if you wait, the next budget will just think whatever you didn't spend can be cut, not that you deferred a cost for slightly longer.
Similarly, even if you have budget for something you need at the start of a fiscal year, everyone is afraid of blowing budget before the end of the fiscal year... So many expenses get deferred until things are close enough to the fiscal boundary that everyone starts worrying about not spending instead...
Yes, well documented phenomenon β the government spends more between July-September than the rest of the year combined. Conversely spends very little in December and January.
Not me but another contractor got a phone call the last day of the fiscal year and was told essentially βhey we have an extra 5M$ in the budget we need to spend, can you make something up and we will just give you the money for a random pilot.β
For example, imagine there's a budget of $5k and it's assuming that you'll replace a computer with part of it.
But you don't actually need to replace your computer until after the fiscal year.
But if you wait, the next budget will just think whatever you didn't spend can be cut, not that you deferred a cost for slightly longer.
Similarly, even if you have budget for something you need at the start of a fiscal year, everyone is afraid of blowing budget before the end of the fiscal year... So many expenses get deferred until things are close enough to the fiscal boundary that everyone starts worrying about not spending instead...