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Then you are one-in-a-million.
The GS who I met during 20+ years as a Marine Officer who had "worked" their way up through the GS ranks were often-times very good at filling in the blanks but could not think beyond their experience level. Those who had a degree were more open to new ideas and ways of doing things. When I first encountered contracting in the Corps the contracting personnel were the proverbial "little-old-ladies-in-tennis-shoes" quite literally. They were competent to perform small purchases and could populate the necessary fields on a contract with the appropriate clauses. As to editing and assisting in writing clear and concise contracts that imparted to the offerors/bidders they did not possess the ability to do more than rote work. The force was not thought of, rightly or wrongly, as "professionals". The "degree" does not make a contracting professional automatically, but it does provide for a base that is easily expanded upon by their seniors in the business.
If we wish to become "buyers" again instead of contracting officers then by all means reduce or end the requirement for a business degree. If not, then continue the requirement and train the degreed youngsters coming into the field.
Posted by willieboy on April 28, 2008 - 07:07 AM
I do'nt see a problem requiring a degree but the 1102 series requirements are ridiculous. I am an accountant myself with CPA accounting and my job does NOT require a formal education. I have two coworkers with little or no education and are favored because my manager has none of her own, who is now also a GS14. So how do you explain that is still happening anyway in the government. i don't agree with anyone's assessment of "little old ladies" that sounds very sexist. Some of them I know personally that worked in contracting, and are very sharp and on the ball, more so than the college kids that come into my organization either stoned, hanging over from the weekend, or "bored" so they want to leave. Young kids to me (I have a son in college) are not content to "fill in the blanks" as willie puts it. Many folks are capable of thinking outside the box and don't need a college degree to do it. Sure it's a plus, but I myself know what is involved in the contracting field, although I am not there anymore, and know full well they do'nt teach about the FAR or government regulations or how governments and vendors work in college. Education is always a plus, but you can't replace a person working 20-30 years in the contracting field.
Posted by PJJ on April 28, 2008 - 10:15 AM
I have worked in contracting 20+ years not as an 1102 but in support and systems. I think a college degree makes a person more rounded, however, it is not the magic key to becoming a 1102. Why not combine the requirements. Allow individuals to come in without the degree and complete as they grow in the series. Many of the new 1102's coming in with a degree want the money first and worry about the experience later. Those that have worked their way up have more knowledge of the job requirements and in our office end up educating those coming in with a degree and gain the high positions. You cannot learn contracting or grow good 1102's overnite. Every contract is different and it is not easy to memorize the FAR overnite, let alone all the exceptions to it!
Posted by babyboomer on April 29, 2008 - 08:15 AM
This is a double edged sword. Education is a wonderful thing. But it is no substitute for experience and it only implies intellect. The Air Force is pushing its "COPPER CAPS" up in the ranks. They are all very well educated. But the Force is discovering too late that this new blood is less than effective because of the experience factor. Even with all the tickets punched, some simply don't have an aptitude for contracting. On the other side of the coin, the goverment tends to promote its best practitioners into leaderhip positions. That doesn't always work either. Even though these folks are highly experienced, some are not well suited for management positions. Experienced team leaders are a furtile field for managers. The Air Force leans far too heavily on education and "new blood". And its not working out for them. This new generation likes to move around a lot. They're chasing the dollars. We've had some leave within months of taking a GS twelve that someone with experience and who would have been happy to stick around here could have had.
Posted by Tonio on April 30, 2008 - 06:30 AM
Both education+experience/experience+education are necessary. The education need not be solely a matter of a degree, business and appropriate topical education taken class by class may provide the same knowledge set that a degree program will [albeit without the rounding - but rounding is achieved in more ways than a 4-5 year stretch in college]. Experience is absolutely critical - that's what training, mentoring, OJT, assignments,and details are all about. I started when contract specialists wrote or rough-typed their documents and gave them to a secretary to type in final. I am not convinced that the application of technology to all that is done in conracts today is as completely beneficial as we would like to think. It can make the job boring but more importantly the process of making decisions is truncated by the embedded business rules of the automated process being used. Where is the thinking - and good thinkers are molded, not solely educated nor solely experienced in repetition. Buying different "things and services", dealing with different industries, dealing with different demands that fashion the requirement are what hone a contract specialists skills. Being trusted to do your best and knowing your leadership will stand behind you for the effort made allows a person to make mistakes and learn [that is the more important form of education - and if we stop believing that we better rethink much of our culture on process improvement and risk taking]or succeed in an uncommon fashion. As a retirem government procurement executive I will continue to believe it is the quality of the leadership, not the staff, that makes the difference. Good leaders [not managers]nourish and encourage the development of the skills, based on educattion and experience, that people need to do a great job.
Posted by mdel-colle on April 30, 2008 - 07:09 AM
Why is it that the acquisition workforce is shrinking? Because seasoned professionals (with or without degrees) are leaving the Aquisition Work Force! More often than not these bright young professionals coming out of school, do not have the tennacity to work in operations over the long haul. They will do the work long enough to get the grade and move on to the next stop. They don't really want to do the grunt work. The reason why Contracting Officer's without degrees may appear to not have ability beyond the so called basic skills is primarily because Contracting Officer's with or without degrees are wearing so many hats and also competing for limited resources. I dare you to come and sit in a Contracting Officer's seat for 6 months (under FASA rules) and see if you can do all that we have to do in a given day. Do you have any idea of how many skill sets are required to do this work? Priority educational funds go towards the 24 hour business requirement for the newbies. On the one hand the mantra is that Contracting Officer's lack experience, on the other hand Contracting officer's are uneducated. You really can't have it both ways. This is a shortsided analysis which offers no solution.
Posted by definately on April 30, 2008 - 07:48 AM
I began my contracting career in the early 1980's when clerks typed solicitations ancontracts on actual manual typewriters!! I'm within 60 days of my 30 year pin. I've purchased electronic parts for DLA, R&D, Engines and Intelligence for the Air Force. I generally agree with the previous comments on the importance of both education as well as experience. These two concepts seem to be on opposing sides of a pendalum. In the 80's education wasn't so important -competance mattered. Competance was generally defined as the ability to pick up the phone, call the offeror and tell him his price was too high! Not much different that what we all do in our day-to-day life. Later on in the 80's education became all important. You had to have a business degree with a 3.5+ GPA. I'm not being critical, education(particularly in the business arena) is important, but it froze out all the smart but uneducated employees. In the last analysis today's contracting person has to have a balance; he or she needs to be educated in the business of acquisition and also has to have enough sand to pick up the phone!
Posted by mike mcmanus on May 1, 2008 - 07:34 AM
In the field I work in, it is not the experience or the education that counts, it is who can kiss the most bottom and who is your best friend to get the position. Education only matters and requirements for this is only put into announcements for vacancies if the hiring official does not want you to get the position. Where I am employed, people are blackballed from positions, the No Fear Act does not matter, because their rears are covered by others. Vacancy announcements and selections are tailor made for certain people to obtain the job. I have been working on a Masters degree in my field and not only have I been passed over many times, but I have applied for many positions within the organization and outside and the CPAC is working closely with the organization to do the blackballing. So education does not matter. I would like to state that it is good to have some hands on experience in the position that you take, however this specialized experience clause needs to be relaxed somewhat. Because someone with three months experience who is a fast learner can be equally qualified for a positon that requires a year of specialized experience, but this is never taken into account. I commend the person who has taken the time to educate in a different way, but it goes back to who you know, not what you know and if people want you out they will use the education as a factor to get you out.
Posted by YORKIE on May 2, 2008 - 09:58 AM
I think education and experience is needed to be a competent professional in the field. However, I do not agree that education should equate to a "degree" for an entry level position in government contracting. However, to be a competent and well rounded "senior" procurement professional, or manager, I think a degree is necessary. It will ensure that the manager has the skill sets he/she needs to be a proficient leader. OFPP got it right. Their policy letter, 05-01, states that agencies need to consider years of experience, educations, and what types of services/supplies the agency procures when warranting a CO. This fact is supported by the fact that several agencies, having their own version of the FAR. So why not have their own policy for hiring and warranting procurement professionals. My two cents.
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