Nineteenth-century naval contracts and cost overruns

How did the nineteenth-century Royal Navy respond when contractors wanted more money?

The Navy generally held contractors to the agreed specification and price, with little sympathy for claims based on their own miscalculation.

The nineteenth-century approach is presented as unusually hard-edged: contractors were expected to meet the agreed specification and price rather than reopen the bargain after miscalculations. Inflation or an incorrect estimate did not automatically justify a larger payment when the contract contained no such provision. A builder was expected to deliver to specification or face a financial penalty. Procurement outcomes reflect contracting rules and political choices as well as technical complexity. The example is a historical contrast rather than a simple prescription for every modern project.