I can respect and accept the fact that the level of construction and building in the Freelancer time would be extremely advanced and fast.
But we are talking about space-ships.
If people want to imagine the level of dificulty of that, let's just say about security procedures, tests of integrity, double and triple runs of checks and maintanceb of each sector while the ship per se is being built.
Without adding that several new models and improvements that are crancked out of a House Military or a shipbuilding faction.
Let's add to the equation, that each ship is or will be big. There are size constraints with that regarding the capability that a shipyard can produce.
Etc. Do your best imagining possible problems that can occurr while building a capital vessel, and you can bet they will happen if no protocols to prevent it are in place.
TL,DR: Capital shipbuilding isn't just grab the materials and slap it on a body. No wonder small factions have 0 to no chance to build or maintain just one without outside support.