So what's more expensive, hiring an expert at $4k/day who by herself in one month can accomplish what an entire team of complacent government employees probably can't in three years or keeping around a staff of employees who for the most part probably are grossly under-qualified to perform this kind of work?

This article reeks of a lazy financial assessment of this investment (ie, person A is really expensive in dollar terms so we should be appalled that the government laid off person B who was paid 1/100 of this sum).