Working with them to reallocate resources is more likely to improve the situation and surely will lead to a better understanding of it. Some scientists, and a few Congressmen, point to the marked variations in indirect costs between different institutions as evidence of inefficient management. Yet a substantial portion of these variations is due to regional differences in costs. Electric power is four times more expensive per kWh in New York City than in Seattle, which receives federally subsidized power from Columbia River dams. If the real cost to the taxpayer of these dams were included, I have no doubt that Washington State power would be at least as expensive as Con Edison power.
Indirect costs pay for a portion of all research support services.
Not every investigator uses every service every month, but unless all grants contribute to their support, these services will be prohibitively expensive.