According to news reports, the successful bid was 25% cheaper. If the government had accepted the higher bid, they would have been criticised for pork barrelling.
And there would have been more than half a billion less spent on hospitals, schools, roads, and other capital works - that because of they are fixed do necessarily mean local jobs. And, in fact, it is likely that a larger proportion will end up in worker's pockets, since manufacturing these trains locally would probably involve buying a lot of overseas manufactured machinery - the fact that there would be no certain ongoing work for this is likely to be why the higher tender, with the capital cost being fully (less resale estimate) being accounted for in the tender; the Korean bid almost certainly uses existing facilities.
No decision would have kept everyone happy!
John
John
JDNSW
1986 110 County 3.9 diesel
1970 2a 109 2.25 petrol
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