This is misleading. The figures in the article are based on the hourly rates charged by the contractor that employs these consultants, not their take home salaries.

This is noted only later in the article:

The actual amounts individual SAIC employees took home are most likely lower than their stated rates, since computer firms typically take a cut of each consultant's charges. Nonetheless, these are breathtaking numbers.

This too is misleading because it suggests that the hourly rate is comparable to the individuals' salaries except for a "cut". In reality, this "cut" is likely 50 percent or more. 60-70% would not be unusual.

This is typical of newspaper coverage of "scandalous" IT contractor pay. The project may indeed be a disaster, but those consultants are not making nearly the money that the article suggests.