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Return to Article: Size of contracting workforce holds steady

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  Why not out-source the majority of contracting processes? The only inherently governmental responsibility in contracting resides in the person who signs the contract. Everything else could be done by contractor personnel.

  BK Rissky Posted June 6, 2007 1:05 PM
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  I see dire times for my agency with the decline in 1102 skill and quality. My agency lost 75% of its 1102s and all clerical support and refused to hire any 1102s for 14 years. Each automation system it has bought has been incapable of doing contracts. And over the past 15 years it has been the same contractor. After 23 years as the the longest serving, best educated (MPA), most trained (and training was always hard to get), experienced manager (17 years), and skilled (wrote contracts no one had ever written before in the agency) it was decided anything I knew must be wrong, my warrant was taken away, and others who had no experience whatsoever, were much younger, were given warrants and authority to supervise my work which was reduced to filing and clerical, skills I not only never did before, but I'm now criticized for. As I finish my career with less involvement in the activities of the contracts office than when I was a rookie, I feel sorry for the customers that will be supported by extremely young, untrained, uneducated, and inexperienced contract workers. As one of my 1102 colleagues said before moving his retirement up three times, I might not be saying what people want to hear, but I've never been wrong.

  Anonymous out of Fear Posted June 6, 2007 11:48 AM
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  If the question is whether there is a need for more acquisition professionals, one can look farther back than this study did. Also look at the problems, from too much offloading to sustained protests to poor contract administration. Paralysis by analysis. The chinese saying: the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now? Well, the best time to have hired a contract specialist was say 10 years ago, the second best time is now.

  Southern Posted June 5, 2007 9:50 AM
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  I've recently looked specifically at the OPM data on GS-1102's in the federal workforce at cabinet level agencies and found that the the 1102 workforce across the government has remained steady, only a bit over a 2% increase from FY-00 to FY-07. But when you look at the stratification of that workforce by length of service you see the effect of having an aging population. The numbers have remained static only because 1102's are not retiring as they become eligible. As of Dec 2006, over 44% of the 1102s are over age 50 and over 23% are over 55 with 30 or more years of service, meaning they are currently eligible for optional retirement under CSRS. Loking rearward on the situation you will find a trough behing the wave of impending retirements. There are many fewer 1102s in mid career than ther are at the end of their career. Moreover, these mid career folks are covered by the more flexible and more portable FERS system. I, for one, believe that the tsunami is coming very soon, and like any wave hitting the beach, it will be followed by a receeding sea level. It is already hard to recruit for the 1102 career field, and without drastic action it will become much worse before it gets better.

  Tom Mason Posted June 5, 2007 9:44 AM
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  I agree with the other comment that we have very expensive clerks now. The 22% reduction in "procurement clerical and assistance workers" has caused a major problem. Plus bringing in college graduates just because they have a degree does not mean that they can do the work. When we were growing our own procurement clerks, you had employees that understood the system from the ground up. Education in this instance does not substitute for hands on training.

  Contracting at Cannon AFB Posted June 5, 2007 9:43 AM
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  I find it ironic that OMB can demonstrate through statistical analysis that contracting workloads have increased and grown more complex, yet at every turn there are concerted efforts to reduce the work force and also the training costs by increasing the number of online courses. Obviously, we must again learn the lessons that precipitated DAWIA. I have worked at the DOD base level contracting for the better part of three years. I've found many people that were grandfathered into the 1102 series, but were never properly trained. They are now training the new contracting personnel....basically a case of the blind leading the blind.

  I have quite often thought about leaving the federal sector out of frustration. My experience has led me to believe that quality and training are only catch-phrases in Federal Contracting. There is a problem in contracting and it resides those who like to gloss over the statistical numbers. If you look a little closer you will find the numbers are very revealing of a systemic problem.

  Richard M. Posted June 5, 2007 9:18 AM
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  I think the 22% reduction in "procurement clerical and assistance workers" is telling. The work still has to be done but now you have Contract Specialists filing and building award folders which makes for very expensive "procurement clerical and assistance workers." Also I do not think agencies are leveraging technology properly. Many offices are still building awards the same way they did 40 years ago while others are almost paperless.

  Iron Horse Posted June 5, 2007 8:22 AM