Unless a lot of administrative overhead costs are being dumped there as well.

How much time could it take up to periodically check in with a spacecraft?

Couldn't it be done in seconds? ok...maybe a few minutes?

Cost accounting is wonderful! Depending on the methodology used, you can make anything look cheap or expensive. Be nice to your cost accountant. He's got the most boring and thankless job in your organization!

The project managers are the ones that really know how to really game the system. (And if they don't know how to game the system, then they shouldn't be project managers in the first place).