Three Contractors Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House in DC: One is from New York , another is from Tennessee and the third, is from Florida . All three go with a White House official to examine the fence. The Florida contractor takes out a tape measure and does some measuring, then works some figures with a pencil. 'Well,' he says, 'I figure the job will run about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit for me.' The Tennessee contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says, 'I can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me.' The New York contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to the White House official and whispers, '$2,700.' The official, incredulous, says, 'You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?' The New York contractor whispers back, '$1000 for me, $1000 for you, and we hire the guy from Tennessee to fix the fence.' 'Done!' replies the government official. And that, my friends, is how government contracting works!