From what I gathered when I got an offer for a government contract position: the company has an idea of how many people they want to hire (or things they want to buy) to fulfill the contract.

This can involve making "contingent offers" to get people interested, which to my knowledge carry no actual legal weight and is really just an informal agreement.

This way, you get a reasonable pool of candidates without actually having to hire anyone.

I think because the implication of the phrase 'deep pockets' for most people implies a graft or bribe of some kind.

Reading it as - you need enough money to make it two years without payment - is fair, but I would argue not how most people read that statement.