MTA procurement during decline and renewal: the good, the bad, and the ugly

"While Grumman and Rockwell were incapable of manufacturing sturdy subway and bus equipment, they were able to manufacture satisfactory components for the space program" (New York Daily News, 16 Dec. 1980, p. 33)!

For those interested in the MTA (formerly NYCTA, or simply TA) as a case study in procurement, the context can be found at nycsubway.org. The following sections are particularly relevant, including explicit summaries of procurement procedures and the state of transit vehicle manufacturing from the 1970s through the 1980s:

"The R-46 Rockwell Truck Fiasco," in The New York City Transit Authority in the 1970s
"All Cracked Up" and "New Subway Cars for New York" in The New York City Transit Authority in the 1980s

Details pertaining to the troublesome R-44 and R-46 vehicles are presented in Chapter 10 of They Moved the Millions by Ed Davis, Sr.