Feral Jundi

Friday, May 13, 2011

Industry Talk: Five More Companies Awarded IDIQ Contracts For 10 Billion Dollar CJPS (CIVPOL) Program

Filed under: Industry Talk,Law Enforcement — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 6:56 PM

I wanted to put this up because I have received several notes from guys who have been approached for work with CJPS.  And hence, this latest news is why the companies have been actively recruiting for this stuff recently. Hell, between this, maritime security and WPS, experienced security contractors are certainly becoming a hot commodity.

What is cool with these contracts is that some of them do not require you to be a former police officer. They have protective details and various other support functions required by the program.  So definitely check out the companies below and research their career sections if you are wanting to get into some of this work. Definitely ask around at the forums if you want to know more about the project/company.

Also, there is no telling what company will go where, and this is IDIQ stuff. But the synopsis does list a few of the countries this program is active in. Here is the quote: “Program countries/areas include Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Liberia, Sudan, and the West Bank.” And seeing how much money this program is getting, I imagine they will be recruiting for awhile.  If anyone has anything to add, please feel free to do so in the comments section. –Matt

CJPS Full Scope Award
Solicitation Number: SAQMMA10R0079-CJPS-Full-Scope
Agency: U.S. Department of State
Office: Office of Logistics Management
Location: Acquisition Management
Solicitation Number: SAQMMA10R0079-CJPS-Full-Scope
Notice Type: Award Notice
Contract Award Date: May 10, 2011
Contract Award Number: SAQMMA11D0047-SAQMMA11D0048-SAQMMA11D0049-SAQMMA11D0050-SAQMMA11D0081
Contract Award Dollar Amount: 10,000,000,0001
Contractor Awarded Name:
DynCorp International
Justice Services International
MPRI An L3 Company
PAE Government Services
Civilian Police International
(INL on Feb. 15 had awarded the first round of contracts to four other vendors: BlueLaw International, Bering Strait Orion Management Joint Venture, Team Crucible, and Navigator Development Group. Link to post here.)
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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Legal News: Former Attorney General John Ashcroft To Become Independent Director Of Xe Services

Filed under: Industry Talk,Legal News — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 10:36 AM

This is a very interesting move, and bravo to the investors and to Xe for bringing on this heavy weight. John Ashcroft is definitely taking on a risky move as well, and I salute his courage for jumping on board.

So what does this mean in terms of the future of Xe? There are three things that come to mind.  The first is the ongoing litigation that Xe has been up against, both by lawsuits and with the stuff going on between the US Gov and the company over various incidents. The second is the legally complex and highly dangerous missions that Xe is a part of, and especially as the DoS builds and expands their army of private security contractors. Third is how to structure the companies policies to best fit in with the new codes of conduct and licenses that companies will have to abide by as budgets are approved and laws are implemented.

Probably the one thing that keeps coming to my mind about this industry is that companies will continue to risk a lot, and in order to protect themselves legally, they have to have an army of lawfare warriors. That whole saying of ‘send guns, money, and lawyers’ is absolutely true, and the companies that want to survive and continue to provide their services, need really kick ass legal firms or legal eagles to protect them.

It will be a complex legal environment as we press forward in this war, and as we involve industry in the counter-piracy or counter-transnational criminal organizations game, and picking a former Attorney General of the United States (with all of his connections and influence) is a good move to help navigate that.

What is also interesting about this move, is that having him on board might help to attract a CEO and/or management team of a higher caliber.  It will add ‘value’ to the company, because they have added a significant player to the team.  These things matter at the upper level, and the investors are doing all they can to not only maintain the company’s current value, but to increase it and grow.  And if the customer (meaning the US government) knows that the company has a high level legal heavy weight and a strong lawfare army, then that gives them and the tax paying public a little bit more of a warm and fuzzy about the intent of the company. The narrative says that ‘the company wants to do good, and provide an excellent service for it’s clients’. –Matt

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft to Become Independent Director of Xe Services
Past Department of Justice Head to Chair Governance Subcommittee
May 04, 2011
USTC Holdings, LLC, the investor consortium that acquired Xe Services, LLC, including its main holding U.S. Training Center, Inc. (“USTC”) in December 2010, today announced that former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft will serve as an Independent Director of the company. USTC is a leading provider of training and security services focused on worldwide operations in support of the United States Government and other customers.
“Attorney General Ashcroft’s accomplished career will certainly provide a strong reference for the Company as we continue to strengthen its governance and accountability.” (more…)

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Quotes: The Interior Ministry In Kabul Depends On 282 Foreign Advisors, And 120 Are Contractors!

Filed under: Afghanistan,Industry Talk,Quotes,Strategy — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 2:25 PM

     The Interior Ministry in Kabul has 282 foreign advisers working there, according to the NATO Training Mission Afghanistan, which placed them in the ministry. Of the 282 advisers, 120 are contractors, costing $36 million a year, paid for by the U.S. government. The rest are made up of 119 U.S. military and U.S. government civilians, and 43 from other coalition countries…..

     …..Several Interior Ministry officials, serving and retired, were complimentary about the work of the foreign advisers. One mid-ranking security official, who didn’t want to be named because he wasn’t authorized to speak to reporters, said that corruption would be “many times” greater if the foreigners weren’t present. 

     That last part of the quote up top is what I was focused on.  If you read through the article below, you hear all sorts of negative comments about the services of this foreign advisory group, to include bashing the contractor element. Of course those corrupt souls in the Afghan government would bash these pesky foreign advisors that would report on their greedy activities…. To me, this advisor crew is vital to the war effort, by helping to minimize the amount of corruption in this government.  Imagine if there was no adult supervision?

    Also, DynCorp and MPRI were listed as some of the top contractor advisors, which is interesting.  MPRI is like a retirement home for retired military officers. So it would make sense that this collection of military mind power and experience would be directed towards a very crucial part of the war.  And that is getting the Afghan government on it’s feet, and trying to make it look good in the eyes of the people.  A tall order if you ask me.

     This also indicates to me the strategic importance of contractors.  The US and NATO could have insisted on having an all federal or military group of advisors.  But they do not have that capability, and they have had close to ten years to try and develop an all government force.  As you can see, private industry has been able to answer the call just fine, and a majority of this group is composed of smart and very capable contractors, doing a very important job.

     It is also an example of the ‘blended workforce’ concept. This advisory corps has 162 government and military advisors in it, so they too can contribute in building the Afghan government, as well as keep track of and manage the advisory corps and it’s efforts. A federal/public partnership, or blended workforce is what you call this. You see this arrangement with other areas of war zone contracting, like with the WPS program–a federal handler, overseeing a contractor security team. Hopefully this blended workforce concept does not impede the advantages of private enterprise, or decrease the strength of government oversight. It should complement both, and the end result should be something everyone can support.-Matt

  

Afghans rely heavily on foreign advisers as transition looms

By Saeed Shah

Nearly 300 foreign advisers, most of them Americans, work at Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry, and hundreds more work in other government departments, a reliance on foreign expertise that raises doubts about the viability of the West’s exit strategy.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai will announce later this month his plans for “transition” from heavy international involvement in Afghanistan’s governance and security to local control. But the number of civilian advisers in the ministries suggests that either Afghans lack the ability to govern themselves or that the international community is trying to run the administration itself, more than nine years after the U.S.-led invasion of the country.

There’s no clear plan to reduce that number.

Foreign advisers in the Interior Ministry, for example, appear to outnumber the senior Afghan officials they serve.

The Afghan government’s capacity to execute plans is so lacking it will spend only half of its $1.5 billion budget for economic development projects this fiscal year, according to the Ministry of Finance — despite the desperate need for investment in education, health and other basic services.

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Monday, December 20, 2010

Jobs: Foreign Service Security Protective Specialist, OCONUS

Filed under: Afghanistan,Government Work,Iraq,Jobs,Pakistan — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 9:26 AM

     This is cool. I signed up for job alerts with the DoS awhile back, and they sent me this one today. I have gotten other job alerts from them for all sorts of interesting stuff, but this is the first security related job. With that said, this would be another deal you could add to your job seeking machine.

     Of course this job is geared towards my American readers, and that is the way it goes. And based on the DoS’s current plans with WPS, they are going to need a ton of these SPS’s to help keep everything running smoothly.

     Also, don’t let the pay throw you off either.  With this kind of work, it is all about the over time pay/danger pay/post differential pay, and all of that can add up pretty nicely. I am not the POC for this job, and please follow the directions below if you want to apply.  Good luck and let me know how it goes. –Matt

 

Announcement No: SPS-11-01

Opening Date: December 20, 2010

Closing Date: January 20, 2011

Position Title: FOREIGN SERVICE SECURITY PROTECTIVE SPECIALIST

Grade and Starting Salary Range: FP-06: $44,737 per annum*

Additional Benefits: Tax-Free Housing Overseas; Danger Pay; Post Differential; Overtime Compensation; Holiday Pay and Holiday Premium Pay; Night Shift Differential; Accrual of Annual and Sick Leave; Life Insurance; Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan (FEHB); Participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS); Separate Maintenance and Educational Allowances; Compensation for Disability or Death (Details available online at Compensation and Benefits.)

Number of Vacancies: The Department of State is developing a rank-order register to fill a limited number of Foreign Service Diplomatic Security Protective Specialist (SPS) vacancies. The specific number to be hired will depend on the needs of the Foreign Service. Applications are accepted ONLY during the period specified above.

Area of Consideration: All Sources.

Location: All assignments will be directed by the Department according to the needs of the Service. Assignments may be to any high or critical threat Foreign Service post abroad. Initial training and orientation will be held in the Washington, DC area.

* Includes the 16.52% Overseas Comparability Payment.

SPECIAL NOTICES

Please go to www.usajobs.opm.gov for application instructions.

Successful applicants are appointed to the Foreign Service as Limited Non-Career Appointment (LNA) employees with a federal benefits package.

Appointments will be made for an initial 13-month period and may be renewed annually up to a maximum of five years.

Overseas tours are unaccompanied.

There is no conversion mechanism to a career Foreign Service position. SPSs are encouraged to apply to become a Foreign Service specialist, but must meet the applicable qualifications and complete the standard application and assessment process.

The appointment may be terminated by the US Government at any time upon at least 30 days notice unless the termination is for cause. In this case, the 30 days notice is not applicable.

The SPS may terminate the appointment by written notification at least 30 days in advance.

Benefits Package

The following are some of the more significant benefits to employment in the Foreign Service:

1. Danger Pay – based upon post of assignment: Afghanistan – 35% of base pay; Iraq – 35% of base pay; Peshawar, Pakistan – 35% of base pay.

2. Post Differential – based upon post of assignment: Afghanistan – 35% of base pay; Iraq – 35% of base pay; Peshawar, Pakistan – 30% of base pay.

3. Overtime – OT may be expected and is paid at the rate of 1.5 times the hourly rate.

4. Separate Maintenance Allowance (SMA) – while assigned to unaccompanied posts, SPS employees are eligible for SMA. The SMA is an annual grant determined by the number of dependents and ranges from $6,000 for one child to $20,200 for an adult dependent if there are 4 or more family members. The SMA is non-taxable.

5. R&R – Kabul, Peshawar and Baghdad are all under a generous leave/R&R allowance program (usually taken at 50-60 day intervals). Kabul and Baghdad allow 2 R&Rs and 3 Regional Rest Breaks (RRBs) or 3 R&Rs and no RRBs. Peshawar allows 2 R&Rs and 1 RBB. R&Rs provide round-trip transportation to any point in the United States. Time usually allowed is approximately two weeks. In addition to the Annual Leave allowance (addressed below), at post discretion, a limited amount of administrative leave may also be authorized to be used while on R&R.

6. Paid Annual Leave – federal employees earn Annual Leave (AL) based upon the following formula.

If less than 3 years federal service – 4 hours a pay period (26 pay periods in a calendar year);

If between 3 and 15 years federal service – 6 hours a pay period;

If more than 15 years federal service – 8 hours a pay period. Former military service – time spent in the US military is credited towards the annual leave allowance unless the employee is retired from the military. If retired and receiving retired pay, then form SF-813 (Verification of a Military Retiree’s Service) must be submitted before a determination can be made as to creditable service.

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Industry Talk: Private Security Companies Sign Landmark Code Of Conduct In Switzerland

Filed under: Industry Talk,Switzerland — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 7:39 AM

     This is great news and a big round of applause to all involved for all the hard work they put into this over the years. I think it is very significant that so many of the big name companies have signed on to this thing from around the world, and that there has been such wide support from outside organizations.

     Below I posted the DoS statements on the signing, as well as press releases from Triple Canopy and AEGIS. Now what will really be interesting is how this will be implemented, and how it will help to get companies to do the right thing.

     And like what the article below has stated, this Code of Conduct does not mean that the customer does not have to do anything anymore in terms of regulation or oversight. This just gives them a tool to work off of. So hopefully the efforts of the US government will continue down that path of creating a strong and effective contracting corps.

     Especially as the DoS enters into the new phase of these wars, and they become more dependent on the services of security contractors to continue the mission. Or as the shipping companies continues to look more towards armed private security for their boats.  –Matt

ISOA Applauds the Signing of a Landmark Code of Conduct

Trade Association Endorses a Voluntary Code to Address Responsible Oversight and Accountability of Private Security Companies

Washington, DC – The International Stability Operations Association (“ISOA”), a trade association that promotes high operational and ethical standards among its membership including more than twenty private security firms, today strongly endorsed the first-ever International Code of Conduct to ensure better transparency and accountability within the stability operations industry. The code was signed earlier today in Geneva, Switzerland, by more than fifty private security companies, including many ISOA Member companies. Among the speakers at the event were Swiss State Secretary Peter Maurer, Triple Canopy CEO Ingacio Balderas, G4S Director of Public Affairs Michael Clarke, Legal Advisor to the U.S. Department of State Harold Honju Koh, and Devon Chaffee of Human Rights First.In particular, this voluntary Code of Conduct highlights private security contractors’ commitment to respecting human rights and the rule of law in conflict zones, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. For example, it offers guidelines for the rules for the use of force and requires standards for recruitment, vetting, training, management of weapons, and internal control mechanisms. It also requires companies to ensure their employees “take all necessary steps to avoid the use of force” and explicitly bans mistreatment of detainees, forced labor, and sexual exploitation. (more…)

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