Anonymous wrote:I'm a contractor. I would not say we are doing all the work, but we do keep things moving. Most of the gov't employees I support are being run ragged with demands from up the chain for briefs and presentations that are all needed ASAP or yesterday. It's insane, really, how often they have to drop everything because some higher up needs numbers on X project from 5 years ago and then need it by COB.

So we keep the day to day moving, but the gov't folks I work with earn their keep.

A Fed here. This is how it works at my job. For example, this morning's exercise was another "urgent action -....." email with 18 attachments to review by Tuesday 9 am. It's embargoed information so I can ask/share with contractors. So, I have to drop everything and start working on it. It is my flexi day (but in the office) so I may work a few hours at home this afternoon. If you don't know what's going on, you may say "Joe's going home already. It's only 3:00"... But that's not the whole story.

Our contractors suck so my answer is no.

I'm a contractor. I would not say we are doing all the work, but we do keep things moving. Most of the gov't employees I support are being run ragged with demands from up the chain for briefs and presentations that are all needed ASAP or yesterday. It's insane, really, how often they have to drop everything because some higher up needs numbers on X project from 5 years ago and then need it by COB.

So we keep the day to day moving, but the gov't folks I work with earn their keep.

I wish

Was our contractors suck

No, ours are horrible. They got the contract because they have well connected friends and do the worst job ever and get paid a lot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a contractor, we write every single technical document for the fed group we support. They review it but we write it. I don't know what they do all day but I believe it is answering questions from the public and other fed agencies so, the answer to your question is sort of.

it's called doing "different work".

Yes, but are the guvvies taking credit for the good work being done by contractors, blaming them when requirements are defined poorly, and leaving at 3 pm every day? That is the stereotype.

Anonymous wrote:As a contractor, we write every single technical document for the fed group we support. They review it but we write it. I don't know what they do all day but I believe it is answering questions from the public and other fed agencies so, the answer to your question is sort of.

it's called doing "different work".

Contractors generally do a terrible job and a lot of time is spent cleaning up after their messes. Most of the good contractors are unhappy with their employer and the level of benefits they receive (someone has to make money off the contract right?) and they want to become feds. Our IT is contracted out and they do a ridiculously poor job. It's a terrible, inefficient system.

As a contractor, we write every single technical document for the fed group we support. They review it but we write it. I don't know what they do all day but I believe it is answering questions from the public and other fed agencies so, the answer to your question is sort of.

^^ yeah...never understood why IT and Finance functions are contracted out so often....

we used to have our own gov't IT shop. all GS employees. they knew our problems, software, how to address issues, and we all had a collegial/friendly relationship.

all replaced by contractors who didn't care, didn't understand, didn't want to be there, and hated life.

I work in IT. Contractors do out IT job.

Now we do business requirements, quality assurance, receive deliverables, write contracts, deal with their screw ups, budget, invoices, etc.

What a weird post. Looks like you're fanning the flames, OP.

Don't you know that people who criticize feds are either just trying to get a rise out you or don't understand that most feds work just as hard as the average person? There are lazy people in every field, but most people work for their money.

In the 15 years I was in Consulting I may have done that once...now that I'm a fed I don't see any of our contractors doing our work, we do the work, they document (write SOPs, etc.) and focus on process improvement. I just don' think this "feds do nothing" is as widespread as folk say it is....