five ships for a fixed budget
Not a good sign. I was given a requirement once by the Army, with a fixed budget. The technical spec was actually rather good. The RS knew what they wanted in wiggly amps terms,
and the precise cost of each. But they left out the quantity. Which was irrelevant because the budget they'd endorsed couldn't even buy one, never mind equip whole regiments. At their One Star Screening the budget was further cut, and a note added that the ISD had been brought forward to 3 weeks from that day. In other words, shut up and tell them we want it for nothing. It was very odd trying to explain Primary 1 arithmetic and the concept (obligation) of Planning Blight to a room full of Colonels and Brigadiers.