Interwar Admiralty dockyards did more than build and maintain ships; they also supplied institutional knowledge about what construction actually cost. Naval constructors understood materials, labour, and acquisition because their own departments had to buy and assemble them. That experience made it harder for a private yard to win work with an implausibly low opening bid or to pad an estimate. Public capacity therefore served as a commercial benchmark even when private firms competed for naval orders.
Notable Point · 58:19-59:03
Admiralty dockyards as procurement cost benchmarks
Owning dockyards gave the Admiralty first-hand construction costs with which to challenge unrealistic bids from private builders.