IN THIS ISSUE:

	The Number of Federal Workers Grows in Spite of Grim Economic Outlook
	Understanding the Federal Contractor Community

JOB SEEKERS • The top 20 Federal Prime Contractors have approximately 34,000 open positions available at any given time • Each year, over 1 million people either take a new job with a company that supports the Federal Government or change jobs within the industry • 10.5 million people are working for Federal Government Support Contractors FIND YOUR DREAM JOB! www.GovernmentSupportJobs.com

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The Number of Federal Workers Grows in Spite of Grim Economic Outlook

Federal spending on government contracts rose to $532 billion last year, and the Obama Administration’s proposed stimulus package will contain at least $350 billion in new government contracting opportunities. Creation of new jobs through government contracts is one of the Administration’s most powerful tools to jump-start our slowing economy.

Where will the stimulus money be spent?

The first contracts will focus on roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects. Additional stimulus funding will be directed at improving federal buildings, Veterans Administration hospitals, schools, and other government facilities. Over $52 billion will be funneled through state and local governments for information technology projects. While the administration is currently looking at ways to trim the defense budget, many advisors are recommending an increase in defense spending as a mechanism to create up to 300,000 new jobs.

A report released in January by Christina Romer, head of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, and Jared Bernstein, an economic policy adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, predicted that more than 90 percent of the 3 million to 4 million jobs that Obama proposes to save or create would be in the private sector – i.e. government contractor jobs.

Understanding the Federal
Contractor Community

The Federal Government contracts for goods and services every day. Although no industry is immune to the current recession the federal contractor support industry is one of the few that is still growing, with over 14.5 million people employed by the Government as civil servants, military personnel, or government contractor personnel. This five-part series provides a working understanding of this industry. Whether you are a first-timer to this industry or a seasoned veteran it is critical that you understand the basic elements of this business. This will help you; 1) focus your job search, 2) orient your resume to the industry, 3) interview with more confidence and 4) ask the right questions to make an informed career decisions. The bottom line is you will get more interviews and subsequent offers if you understand and are able to articulate a basic understanding of the industry.

Let’s start with Part I – learning the four basic elements of the business you need to know to greatly increase your opportunities in this market:

1. Know The End Customer: Contracts awarded to a government contracting companies provide products, services or solutions to a specific federal customer. Understanding who these customers are, their mission, and the language they speak can be very helpful in searching for a job that matters to you. The federal contractor community is notorious for speaking in acronyms and abbreviations. If you are not familiar with the lingo, it is easy to get lost in conversation. In Part II of this series (in our next newsletter), we’ll take an in-depth look at federal customers and highlight resources you can use to better understand them as you prepare for an interview.
2. Understand Federal Contracting: The federal contracting community is heavily regulated and driven by the Federal Acquisition Regulations (referred to as the FAR) or very similar regulatory guidelines. The type of contract awarded to contractor and the methods the contractor used to bid and price their offer may have a significant impact on pay rates. Further, contracts are awarded with set period of performance. For example, services contract can be awarded for a one year period with options for an addition 4 years making it a 5 year contract. Some contracts are for shorter and longer durations. This can be an important data point for a job seeker because it provides some sense of job stability. We’ll talk more about this topic in Part III of this series.
3. Understand the Market: The federal contracting market has a diverse set of federal clients and contractors who support them. Further, the market itself is heavily influenced by the politics, economic climate and environmental trends of the day. Keeping tuned in to this market will provide you with knowledge of new opportunities and the companies who will capitalize on those opportunities. Part IV of this series will provide an overview of the market and resource you can turn to help you seek out the kind of work you really want to do.
4. Understand the Business: Having a basic understanding of the federal contracting business will help you both understand how these businesses work, and will make you better prepared for the interview process. This includes the basics of how the businesses charge their costs to the government; how they generate profits, and the difference between direct and indirect labor. Part V of this series will discuss the essential business knowledge you need to know to stand out in the market.

Learning these four business elements will help you pursue your government support services career, whether you are an entry-level person or a seasoned veteran looking for your next career move.