[USNetizen]

The government has serious OCI (conflict of interest) concerns so, yeah, QA is almost always a separate contract. However, you forget that the average software development contract is in the millions of dollars, if not hundreds of millions. Try to find that level in the commercial/b2b sector. I think you can tolerate a few picky font change requests in exchange for the vastly increased revenue such development opportunities provide overall.

Most agencies are moving more towards Agile now except for their legacy products. (Pro Tip: there is a huge market in app modernization if anyone is interested in learning arcane languages like COBOL and MUMPS). But, yeah, if you can just hold your nose and get through a waterfall methodology, your wallet will thank you.

There is a huge push underway in government to modernize systems and methodologies, so the next decade will be very dynamic for those companies willing to put in the up front investment and time to earn a spot in the market. Don't get me wrong, there isn't the same wartime spending as there once was (which is a good thing for taxpayers and competitive small businesses), but still some incredible, unprecedented opportunity for innovators of all types.