#GovernmentContractor #Jobs #GovernmentJobs #ContractorRoles
Government Contractor: An Overview
Government contractors are individuals or companies that provide goods or services to federal, state, or local government agencies. These contractors play a crucial role in supporting government operations by fulfilling specific needs that the government may not have the resources or expertise to handle internally.
What Do Government Contractors Do?
Government contractors can perform a wide range of duties, depending on the nature of the contract they have secured. Some common tasks that government contractors may be involved in include:
1. Providing IT services, such as software development, cybersecurity, or network maintenance.
2. Supplying goods or equipment, such as military vehicles, office supplies, or medical devices.
3. Offering professional services, such as consulting, engineering, or legal counsel.
4. Constructing infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, or government buildings.
Types of Jobs in Government Contracting
There are various types of jobs within the government contracting sector, catering to individuals with diverse skill sets and backgrounds. Some popular job roles in government contracting include:
– Project Manager: Responsible for overseeing the execution of a specific contract, ensuring that all deliverables are met on time and within budget.
– Contract Specialist: In charge of negotiating and managing contracts between the government agency and the contractor, ensuring compliance with regulations and guidelines.
– IT Specialist: Focuses on providing technical support and expertise in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, or network infrastructure.
– Business Development Manager: Works on identifying and securing new contract opportunities for the company, establishing relationships with government agencies and key stakeholders.
– Engineer: Involves designing and implementing solutions for construction projects, infrastructure development, or technology upgrades.
In conclusion, government contractors are essential partners for government agencies, helping to bridge the gap between public needs and private resources. By understanding the roles and responsibilities of government contractors, individuals can explore diverse career opportunities in this dynamic and rewarding sector. Whether you’re interested in technology, project management, or business development, there is a niche for everyone in the realm of government contracting.
They do everything you can think of: data processing and analysis, programming, designing equipment, manufacturing equipment, training others, doing administrative jobs, delivering things, armed security gigs, etc.
The difference is, a government agency gave a contract to a private business to do the job rather than hiring a full time government employee to do it. This means the contractor won’t get all the same benefits/perks as a federal employee, and job security can be a little lower depending on the nature of the contract, but there can be some tradeoffs (for instance, they might make more money).
A really dumb example is that often an agency will give the “59 minute rule” to employees ahead of big holidays – they can work 7 hours and 1 minute and still get paid for a full 8 hours of work. Contractors aren’t guaranteed to get that benefit, just depends on what their contract says.
I am a government contractor. I have worked on technical illustrations for instruction manuals for military vehicles and equipment such as the M1 Abram’s tank, the CH-47 Chinook helicopter, and the Tethered Surveillance Aerostat. Although that is just one position as a contractor, there’s a lot more positions out there such as Logistics, Engineering, IT, Field Workers, Assemblers, and more.
Answer: a company that supplies something to the government via a contractual relationship. Could be computer hardware, software, construction, weapons, food, supplies, etc. It’s a generic term.
In the defense industry, a lot of government contracts are classified. One thing government contractors provide is a cleared, trusted workforce.
Just think of your household and the various things you do. You cook, clean, drive to work daily: you are a full time employee in your household. But when the washing machine breaks, you have to call a contractor. You’re good with accounting so you do your own taxes. But you aren’t an investor so you have a financial advisor who does your retirement funds. Wanna go out and leave the kids at home? Contract a babysitter.
Contractors do the stuff the full time employees don’t, or work alongside them in related roles. Full time government jobs are both hard to add on to the budget and hard to get rid of once they’re there. And like you wouldn’t have full time soldiers building structures, because they’re not trained for that.
The federal government (US) has very specific regulations for those who work for them and what they are paid.. Look up the “GS” pay scale. each year every person at that level either steps up or fully levels up (if it is possible) but collectively there are benefits beyond that.
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Contractors don’t get the same pay scale. some get more, some get less. the point is they aren’t in the general pay scale for one reason or another. Instead, they are contracted. they can be fired subject to a different set of rules than the general scale.
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or put another way the government scale employees are the normal ‘day to day’ permanent employees the contractors are everyone else
The government does alot of things. They build roads and bridges. They make sure citizens have clean drinking water, and in some situations they provide electricity, natural gas, etc. They also maintain a military, a space program, and more.
However, the government does not directly employ all the people needed for these jobs. Instead they’ll put these jobs out on contracts. A contract might be “build a bridge”, “resurface 10,000 miles of highway”, “make us 100 fighter jets”, etc.
Private companies bid on these contracts. Who ever wins these contracts becomes a government contractor.
So to answer the rest of your question, what do they do? Whatever is in the contract. What’s in the contract? Whatever the government wants done.
What types of jobs? Again it can be anything. The majority of contractor spending is on healthcare and defense. So *most* government contractors are private companies supporting medicare/medicaid or private companies supporting the military. But lots of construction companies will have stints as government contractors while they’re working on projects for the government.
Most employees of the U.S. Dept of Energy are contractors. From the [GAO](https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-105209):
“The Department of Energy relies on contractors to operate national laboratories and conduct environmental cleanup. Competition for these contracts saves taxpayer dollars and improves performance.”
Government contractors range from admin assistant, clerks, shipping and receiving, software development, active military engagement, security and everything in between. The only thing that government contractors can’t do is make a decision that would obligate the spending of money.
A contractor is just someone you pay to do job you aren’t going to do yourself, either because you aren’t able to or simply don’t want to. If you pay someone to trim your trees, you’re contracting that work out, the tree trimmer is your contractor. The government has contractors for everything, roadwork, construction, IT services, consulting, food service, anything you can think of.
A government contractor is literally anyone person or company who provides a service for the government, but is not actually an employee of the government. There are thousands of federal contractors and they do basically any job imaginable, from mopping floors and providing IT service to building rocket ships and fighter jets
Think of big government contractors like Booz Allen Hamilton as temp agencies for the federal government and you’ve got it.
Usajobs.gov
Have a look for yourself, what job don’t they do?