[dragonwriter]

> 1. Aren't government positions notoriously underpaid compared to their private-sector counterparts?

Yes.

> 2. Doesn't that mean that "government software" would end up being written by below-average developers and be significantly worse than private-sector software?

Assuming that that is the case, the fact that government positions are notoriously underpaid compared to private-sector counterparts would also imply a significant skill deficit in those overseeing and managing government contracts for outsourced work compared to the people employed by the private contractors to exploit the contracting system for maximum profit.

So, if we assume that public sector pay deficits mean, on average, public sector skill deficits, then so long as you don't address the pay deficits, you're stuck with either :

(1) Government software being substandard quality because its made by people with substandard skill working in government, or

(2) Government software being substandard quality because of substandard controls and quality assessment being exercised in the process of contracting out the work to private firms seeking to profit from government contracting process.