The Pains of contracting

higherho

My company lost the re bid on our contract They're helping us all find jobs and we have till mid November to find one. I accepted an offer at a NOC (network engineer) and it's a contract for 5 years (three years left of the contract before re bid). I figure when I get enough experience in my specialization then I will jump to the private sector. I am pretty glad that I was able to land just a networking position and not any dual roles (Though I've been offered them) but I would take anything to support the family.

Anyone in a similar position or has been in this position before?

vanquish23

I know what you did last summer! lol.

ivx502

I have worked a for a couple of contractors. Each one was different, one lost the re-bid and forced everyone to re-apply for their jobs which they then re-evaluated the person in that position. I almost wasn't picked up, but at the last minute they hired me anyway. The second one I was let go because the new company wanted to bring in their own management team. After a week they gave me a call trying to bring me back due to my knowledge. I politely declined by never calling them back.

armangua

My company just lost a re-bid and my last day is Nov 1. Fortunately, way back in June I stayed proactive in my job search because of the fear of instability on my first contract. I start a permanent position right after my current one ends. I know the general manager of this next company and I was in communication with them about just getting in the company since June. I'm glad it paid off.

nosoup4u

Hearing rumblings around here, I know the fiscal year just ended or is about too for a lot of government jobs so that's always in the cards for us

higherho

nosoup4u wrote: »

Hearing rumblings around here, I know the fiscal year just ended or is about too for a lot of government jobs so that's always in the cards for us

That and the 1 trillion in automatic cuts coming. Basically if you bid cheaper than the other guy you win.

spicy ahi

I'm in that boat right now. My contract has been extended in three month increments for the last year while the gov't worked on a longer term plan. The contract has been out on the street for a few months and the rumor has been that it's in the final stages and they're going to award soon. So the good news is the suspense is about to end. Bad news is if my company loses I'll have to recompete for my job. Meh. I'm up for a challenge.

higherho

spicy ahi wrote: »

I'm in that boat right now. My contract has been extended in three month increments for the last year while the gov't worked on a longer term plan. The contract has been out on the street for a few months and the rumor has been that it's in the final stages and they're going to award soon. So the good news is the suspense is about to end. Bad news is if my company loses I'll have to recompete for my job. Meh. I'm up for a challenge.

Update Linkedin and update the resume and send it out. Most of the time the people who win the bid do so by bidding lower than the company that has the contact. This means that the employee's usually see a 5 to 10% pay cut (sometimes, depends on the greed of the company). Damn Congress not passing a budget plan =/

I would stay but I'm bored at my position.

jsnchrry33

I am in the same boat. The contract where I am was supposed to end in October but was extended at the last minute...and I mean last minute. Anyways the Government extended our contract till June 2013 but after that who knows. There was talk of the salaries being cut 10-15% percent but it is all talk at this time. At this point I am knocking out certs to prepare for the rebid or even the prospect of a new job.

higherho

Its sad that the salaries of the people making the company money get cut. I wish the government would intervene about that, the amount of money the contracting companies make off us is insane! My main goal with government contracting is to obtain all the experience I can and certs then jump to the Private sector. I'm pretty well rounded with my skill set now and just climbing up the Networking chart.

jsnchrry33

higherho wrote: »

Its sad that the salaries of the people making the company money get cut. I wish the government would intervene about that, the amount of money the contracting companies make off us is insane! My main goal with government contracting is to obtain all the experience I can and certs then jump to the Private sector. I'm pretty well rounded with my skill set now and just climbing up the Networking chart.

Were just disposable labor to them. But I dont really care anyways as they are just a means to an end to get me to the next step in my IT career.

powerfool

Yep, when all years are option years, it always gets squeamish this time of year. It is kind of odd for me to be worried about the contract and a re-bid in the future, because I tend not to stay at a company for more than three years. Anyhow, I am doing well financially (could always do better and would love an even larger paycheck, though) and I like my company... so I want to stay on as long as possible (at least six years, because I will be fully vested).

As far as the money that is made from contracting, it isn't always as much as you think. I know that there are some companies out there that pay as little as possible and keep their pockets lined, but it costs more to employ you than just your salary and taxes. They have entire companies to run, including sales efforts (whether that is through dedicated sales, or proposal teams), marketing, payroll, legal, and administrative stuff. Seriously, it costs some bucks. And, if they actually offer you good benefits, those aren't cheap. My total package, including tax matching, insurance premiums, 401k matching, etc, is about 50% more than my base salary, which is pretty good. I take advantage of as much of it as possible because I have worked places without some of these benefits and I will likely work in those conditions again. For instance, I am soaking up all of the tuition reimbursement and training that I can. My previous job had absolutely nothing in that regard...

tpatt100

Its a dog eat dog world in the government contracting sector. I am glad I got out of it but private sector doesn't mean you are not a "contractor" anyways. They way things are you are almost better off knowing you have an expiration date compared to not knowing as direct hire.

WiseWun

I don't think I'm cut out to do contracting just yet. I'm not stating permanent jobs are safe.

chob11

I am in the same situation as well. I have till december to find a new job. What is your guys experience in transfering over to the company that won the rebidding of the contract? I have heard generally they cut management and higher positions and transfer over the lower positions. Is this true in any of your guys experiences with contracts? I am hoping that the new company will be able to pick me up for the same position.