I've worked in both private sector and government. As long as a competitive bidding process is used, government actually gets better outcomes from a cost POV, especially for infrastructure style projects.
One big difference that leads to distorted perceptions is accounting standards. Government is mostly funded on an appropriation basis and uses cash accounting. Private sector uses GAAP and does all sorts for wacky bullshit to reduce tax burden. When I sold stuff to a big fortune 50 company, they would roll everything they could into leases -- we would literally buy cases of toilet paper when selling them technology equipment because it would push the booking of cost out.
When I worked for a company like that we would do similar hijinks to book revenue now and push out liability until after the exec bonus periods.
I agree, having only ever worked in non-government jobs, I have seen almost no accountability for my entire career. In fact more often than not, if the company elects to fire someone over a mistake, missed deadline, etc, it has been the wrong person, because management refuse to take any blame.
Additionally, at every privately held company i've worked at, the owner would have 2-10 friends who he kept onboard despite overwhelming incompetence or them refusing to do work entirely.
I don't get where the idea that government is inefficient and private sector is.
Heard a story recently from the private sector where an employee had been secretly sleeping on the job. One day, his scheme was disrupted, not because he was found out, but because someone else was already sleeping in the secret room he'd been using and he had to find somewhere else.
Another time, they discovered someone sleeping on the job in a large bin of soft rags, covered in towels. I find this sort of thing absolutely incredible. Good luck sleeping on the job in small business - you would not last a day.
I think in any large organisation though (public sector included), waste is somewhat inevitable.
I've worked in both private sector and government. As long as a competitive bidding process is used, government actually gets better outcomes from a cost POV, especially for infrastructure style projects.
One big difference that leads to distorted perceptions is accounting standards. Government is mostly funded on an appropriation basis and uses cash accounting. Private sector uses GAAP and does all sorts for wacky bullshit to reduce tax burden. When I sold stuff to a big fortune 50 company, they would roll everything they could into leases -- we would literally buy cases of toilet paper when selling them technology equipment because it would push the booking of cost out.
When I worked for a company like that we would do similar hijinks to book revenue now and push out liability until after the exec bonus periods.