I've noticed during the HS2 high-speed rail arguments in the UK that one effect of giving more accurate costing up front (which the UK govt appears to have got better at recently) is that people will just double your numbers anyway, due to long-standing lack of trust. Despite the government giving a very generous £40bn cap on the project, opposition groups still quote £80bn as the final price.
Of course, no-one will actually know if the costing was accurate until it's finished. Does being accurate really pay off for a politician?
Of course, no-one will actually know if the costing was accurate until it's finished. Does being accurate really pay off for a politician?