i bid on a project, for example there is a multi-million dollar beach house being built and they need steel tube framing around the pool, so i quoted the customer $3500 which he agrees to...i then hire the erector/fabricator...he quoted me $2000, so my boss gets his $500, i give my sub $3000 and he gives me $500.....it works because the amounts are small enough not to be noticed....i can't be caught because i handle all the pricing and the contracts, another one i had the stairs and rails budgeted for an acme at $62,900, but gave another company the opprotunity to bid the same package, when there price came in at $60000, i offer them the Extra $2900 and they give me back $900....keep in mind that my boss still makes his mark-up from the original pricing, a lot of the times it is unplanned, and occurs when the numbers fall in my favor, technically, i should give the money to my boss, but he doesn't suck dick