Why do the the reputaion numbers from contracts not add up?

[KomradKratz]

So I have a reputation of 869. I then complete a contract that rewards 83 reputation points, but my reputation score has only gone up 4 points to 873. What's the deal with that math? Am I the only one this happens to?

Edited October 25, 2014 by KomradKratz

[UmbralRaptor]

There's a scaling factor that ultimately caps you at ±1000. At a certain point, you may as well use a strategy to convert it to funds.

[KomradKratz]

I thought that may be the case, but does anyone know even a rough estimate of how it scales? Does this mean that when I have 0 reputation, a contract that rewards 4 points yields the full amount? It just seems weird that the game never lets the player know that diminishing returns are in effect.