Interesting. Boy, the WPS market is really heating up. Over the course of the year, I have been watching this whole thing develop through all the back and forth in the news and on the forums, and it has been very active.
At this point in the game, we are at the point where all of these companies are in a competition with one another to get the best and most qualified folks they can get to meet the requirements of the contract. And as you can see with USTC, they are offering bonuses to attract former WPS folks. I have had a chance to talk with quite a few former WPS guys, and they tell me that they are all getting bombarded with offers by the companies–and especially if they were team leaders/management in WPS. I guess it’s nice to be wanted? lol
I also think that WPS will continue to be a huge source of employment for contractors for awhile. As troops draw down in Iraq or Afghanistan due to budgetary or political reasons, the diplomatic missions and their protection will be even more of a concern. And of course enemy combatants will want to take advantage of this transition period and ‘perceived’ security vacuum. If anything, you will see militants test the security apparatus as they watch the military leave, and that is when contractors will be earning their pay.
The size of this program is also stunning. We are talking about thousands of security contractors being used by DoS to perform this mission. So guys will be cycling in and out of this contract for years to come. So here is the tip of the decade–get WPS certified and get vetted for this program, and you should have some job security for a long time.
Finally, I wanted to highlight the instability in the Middle East and Africa and talk about security at those consulates or embassies located there. WPS could easily be expanded to meet the security needs of DoS, where ever security is needed. An extremely flexible and capable security pool is needed to meet the demands world wide, and that is what WPS is turning into. And that is the cool thing about private industry supplying this kind of service–they are flexible and capable, and can certainly jump up to meet the needs of DoS. I just hope that DoS is willing to meet private industry half way by creating a ‘learning organization and continuous improvement’ culture/mindset towards managing these contracts. Jundism all the way!! *Disclosure: USTC is not paying me to promote this, nor do I get a head hunters fee. Just putting the word out for them. –Matt
A Signing bonus is being offered to candidates applying for the USTC WPPS program who have worked on any WPPS contract. The signing bonus plan is as follows:
The Signing Bonus is applicable for all IC’s with prior WPPS experience that sign an IC Agreement and one (1) year 270 day (Schedule A) from between March 2, 2011 and May 2, 2011. This offer expires on Midnight, Eastern Standard Time, May 2, 2011. IC must submit his/her bio, and the bio must be approved, within the time frame set forth herein.
The signing bonus is applicable for all IC’s who are currently not working for USTC on a WPPS contract, but have worked on a WPPS contract before.
The signing bonus consist of a one (1) time payment of $5,000.00 as a result of signing an Independent Contractor Service Agreement and a one (1) year (Schedule A) during the timeline outlined above. The $5,000.00 bonus is payable with the first payroll upon initial deployment.
** Any interested personnel currently working for another contractor must finish any current commitment and hereby represents that he/she is not in breach of any other agreement by signing this policy and the IC Agreement and Schedule A.
Link to ad here.
Here's a novel idea. Why can't State draw up some limited form of WPS, with maybe a more accesable security clearance for non-US operators. There is a huge pool of highly experienced guys out there desperate for work, but can't get in on the WPS jobs due to not having US citizenship. I believe that DoS is doing itself a massive disservice by not bringing in all this talent. We have a huge array of experience, and we bring different viewpoints and ideas on how things can be done. Many of us have spent years in Iraq or Afghanistan, not to mention other countries around the world. That is an enourmous amount of experience and expertise that US PSC's are missing out on.
Just my 2 cents, I'm guessing that it will probably never happen because of the amount of work that would have to be put into it.
Comment by Daniel Godfrey — Tuesday, April 19, 2011 @ 7:20 AM
Hey Dan, where as it makes sense to tap into the global market of security contractors for this, the other thing to remember is that this is a US tax payer funded agency. They have within their right to hire US citizens only. Besides, there are plenty of US veterans of the war, who could and should do this work. The US job market is not that great either.
On the flip side, you never know, and DoS might open it up. There is a massive requirement for security contractors, and due to costs or whatever factor, they might actually start expanding the applicant pool.
Comment by Feral Jundi — Wednesday, April 20, 2011 @ 11:31 AM