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Name:
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Talullahhound
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Subject:
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I won't mention the dismal jobs report
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Date:
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4/8/2012 7:22:19 PM
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I agree with you that in some cases it is better to hire a higher price contractor with a specific set of skills.
My experience is exactly the same -- of being in meetings with a mix of government people and contractors and no distinction being made. In fact, contractors were providing the Services "position" with no indication that they were not government employees. Supposed to be a no-no, but it became impossible to enforce. The military departments just didn't have enough govt employees to do all the work that needed to be done.
In one case in my old organization, we paid a premium for intelligence analysts, then had them on board for 3-4 months and they were not able to perform the work because they didn't have the appropriate level clearances. They had been Pre-screened and their background check paperwork submitted, but at the day the contract started, they didn't have the clearances. Upon further inquiry, we were told that the number of people with that level of security clearance just weren't available, and if they were, we couldn't afford them within the amount of the contract.
The theory behind "reinventing government" in terms of contract employees was that the saving would take place because they would only be kept as long as their specific skills were needed, and then they could be let go. Unfortunately, it doesn't really work like that in reality. They become entrenched in the organization and new tasks are found for them to do when the original task goes away.
When I moved to one job, I had 5 administrative support contractors, 3 of whom no one was sure what they did. Over a period of time, I was able to pare them down to the 2 that were really needed; but it was with consternation on the part of my staff, who had gotten used to them performing "personal services" which is another no-no.
On the whole, I don't really have a problem with using contractors. We had a some that were just excellent and a few of them were later hired as government employees. But, it can be like any other hires -- some are excellent and provide high quality work and others aren't as effective.
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