When a company has actually won an award from the government, it often goes into a scramble to fill the multiple jobs below the managerial level. If a new contract requires more than 20 engineers, 40 information security specialists and a handful of specialty scientists, the company often turns to a recruiting company for vetting a number of candidates. In rare cases, a recruiting company grows beyond the marketing niche and contracts directly with the government for hard-to-place needs.

A Cautionary Tale

Sometimes a federal agency may accept a company into a government-wide acquisition contract (GWAC) or other task order program. The company may invest in skilled labor in the field specified by the request for proposal (RFP), only for regulations to change or funding to disappear. This company now has extra employees who have no billable hours. The current Medicare debates are a case in point: over 20 percent of these contracts have had budget cuts. Payment is not guaranteed, so when a company has to ramp up quickly, should it invest in employees ahead of time or hope to catch up once a contract starts? Keep reading for how some companies have found solutions.

Vetting Potential Employees

A contracting company may need specialized employees such as certified engineers. It may turn to public recruiting sites such as Monster.com and CareerBuilder; however, resumes posted to these sites often require verification of certifications and education. Companies often hire recruiting firms to vet candidates. These recruiters should have a history of placement in the industry in question.

Knowledge Base Assembly

Using a human resource management system (HRMS) that tracks training and certifications may be ideal, but where does a company start to build such a database? If a company has a federal contracting record, a good place to start is the statements of work (SOW) from awarded contracts. Read the SOWs specifically for certifications, specific titles and job descriptions to build a spreadsheet of degrees, certifications and must-have experience. Divide this information by subject (e.g., enterprise management, human resources, translation, avionics, medical) and create a short paragraph for each subject that describes the need and how the company should fill it. This will prepare the company for a rapid personnel ramp-up.

Resumes

Ensure the resumes of the company's current employees are up to date and include all certifications, continuing education units and particular skillsets. Use these updated resumes to populate the spreadsheet by certifications, degrees and training. It may be possible to shift an employee from another contract, or split his or her time with a current client (a cost-sharing method) and the new agency.

A company should keep all non-employee resumes--those referred to a company by a vetting organization or pulled from a public recruiting site--in a parallel file with contact information. In the rapidly changing contractor market, a needed expert may be available for a short-term project (such as ramp-up) while the company is recruiting someone for a long-term need. Build short-term employees into the transition plan.

Links & Resources

"Contract winners cautious about ramping up"
http://www.hmenews.com/?p=article&id=hm200806fw0P2B

This article is part of GovWin.com's jobs and staffing resources. Check out the GovWin staffing section, ask the experts a question or follow @HireGovCon on Twitter for the latest govcon job listings.