This was pay to play and the play was not delivered. Hence the blowback from upset "victims" coming after their money.
Kickbacks are common sorry man. Its harder in public sector because of the eyeson you but there are ways around it. You just have to be in the right position.
Kickbacks are almost never posecuted because both sidea get what they want.
Yes and no. As a thought exercise it can be thought of as two parties even if you have to pay off more than one entity in the real world.
Its part of the reason gov projects are almost always over budget and behind schedule. The only way to prevent corruption is to make the corruption more expensive than just paying upfront. However by putting these endless bureaucracies in place it also raises the total cost of the project.
Kickbacks are almost never posecuted because both sidea get what they want.