TYSON’S CORNER—Defense contractor The Secret Group is a shining example of how the private sector can help run this country faster and cheaper than government alone.

Started by a trio of former CIA analysts laid off during the budget cuts of the 1990s, The Secret Group has been winning Defense Department contracts ever since. And not once has their work gone over budget or schedule.

“The real secret is that we pad our estimates,” says co-founder Anonymous McAlias.

Giving themselves plenty of wiggle room is only half the battle. According to McAlias, employees are also assigned deadlines that require sixty hours a week to meet, but are only allowed to put forty on their time sheets. The result, he says, is a 33% gain in efficiency. “When the government gets sixty hours for the price of forty, that savings is passed on directly to the taxpayer.”

When asked about his work, a nearby staffer acted like he wasn’t allowed to talk about it, which gave him away as at most a junior analyst.