Professional~Level Hiring Expected To Increase in First Quarter ~ Shortage of Skilled Professionals
MENLO PARK, CA /PRNewswire/ ~ Employers expect to increase hiring for professional-level positions in the first quarter, but they have concerns about finding qualified candidates for these roles, a new Robert Half survey shows. A net 10 percent of executives interviewed for the Robert Half Professional Employment Report plan to add full-time staff in the first three months of the year, up three points from the fourth-quarter forecast. However, the number of respondents who report recruiting challenges also is on the rise: 67 percent of executives said it is at least somewhat challenging to find skilled employees today, up from 59 percent last quarter and 42 percent in the third quarter.
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Eighty-seven percent of respondents said they are at least somewhat confident in their organizations’ ability to grow in the first quarter.
The Robert Half Professional Employment Report is based on telephone interviews with more than 4,000 C-level executives and other leaders from a variety of fields throughout the United States who are asked about their hiring plans and general level of optimism for the upcoming quarter. Survey respondents include more than 1,400 chief financial officers (CFOs); 1,400 chief information officers (CIOs); 500 senior human resources managers; 100 lawyers at law firms and 100 corporate lawyers; and 125 advertising executives and 375 marketing executives, all of whom have hiring authority. The Robert Half Professional Employment Report is the first quarterly executive survey of its size and scope to concentrate exclusively on professional-level hiring.
Key Findings
~ A net 19 percent of respondents in the transportation sector said they expect to make staff additions.
~ Businesses in the West North Central[1] states will be hiring most actively, with a net 15 percent of executives planning to add professional-level staff in the first quarter, research shows.
~ The legal field is expected to see the strongest hiring activity, with a net 27 percent of lawyers planning to increase staff levels. The information technology (IT) and finance fields showed the largest net gains in projected hiring activity from the prior quarter.
~ Sixty-seven percent of survey respondents( )said they are having recruiting challenges, up eight points from the fourth quarter.
~ Sixteen percent of respondents anticipate hiring professional-level staff and 6 percent expect reductions in personnel. The resulting net 10 percent increase is up three points from the fourth-quarter forecast.
Hiring Expectations: By Profession Increase //Decrease//Net Increase ======== ======== ============
Total 16% 6% 10% ~~- ~- ~- ~- Accounting and finance 20% 11% 9% ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~- ~- ~- Advertising and marketing 18% 4% 14% ~~~~~~~~~~~~- ~- ~- ~- Human resources 11% 3% 8% ~~~~~~~- ~- ~- ~- Information technology 20% 10% 10% ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~- ~- ~- Legal 31% 4% 27% ~~- ~- ~- ~- Sales and business development 15% 4% 11% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~- ~- ~-
Executives Reporting Recruiting Challenges: All Professions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- Quarter Executives Citing Recruiting Challenges ~-
1Q12 67% ~~ ~- 4Q11 59% ~~ ~- 3Q11 42% ~~ ~- 2Q11 37% ~~ ~- 1Q11 29% ~~ ~-
“The U.S. unemployment rate for college-educated workers is roughly half the overall rate, and for many professional specialties it is even lower,” said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. Messmer pointed out that in the third quarter of 2011, the unemployment rates for financial analysts and computer network architects were less than 1 percent, according to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Brett Good, a senior district president with Robert Half International, added, “The common wisdom is that jobs are simple to fill in this market, but many employers are struggling to find the talent they need. Professionals with highly specialized skills are in short supply ~ particularly in the information technology and finance fields.”
Professional-Level Hiring ~ By Region
Respondents in the West North Central states anticipate the strongest hiring activity in the first quarter, with a net 15 percent of executives planning to add staff. “Healthcare, manufacturing and financial services firms are responsible for much of the hiring activity in the West North Central region,” Messmer noted. “Businesses in these fields seek accounting operations professionals, customer service representatives, web developers and IT systems administrators, among other roles.”
Professional-Level Hiring ~ By Industry
First-quarter professional-level hiring is anticipated to be strongest in the transportation sector, where a net 19 percent of respondents said they expect to make staff additions. A net 14 percent of executives in both the wholesale and construction industries also indicated they will hire during the quarter.
Professional-Level Hiring ~ By Profession
While the legal profession maintained its top spot in the survey with a net 27 percent of lawyers planning to hire, IT and finance showed the largest sequential gains, each yielding net increases in hiring activity that are up four points from the fourth-quarter survey.
The IT and finance fields also reported the greatest difficulty in finding skilled professionals, at 73 percent and 68 percent, respectively.
About Robert Half International
Founded in 1948, Robert Half International, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm, is a recognized leader in professional staffing services. The company’s specialized staffing divisions include Accountemps, Robert Half Finance & Accounting and Robert Half Management Resources, for temporary, full-time and senior-level project professionals, respectively, in the fields of accounting and finance; OfficeTeam, for highly skilled temporary administrative support personnel; Robert Half Technology, for information technology professionals; Robert Half Legal, for legal personnel; and The Creative Group, for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. Robert Half International has staffing and consulting operations in more than 400 locations worldwide. Find more information at www.roberthalf.com, and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/roberthalf.
[1] IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD
SOURCE Robert Half International
CONTACT: Michael Weiss, michael.weiss@rhi.com
Web Site: http://www.roberthalf.com
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The 3 Smartest Things You Can Do to Find a Job
Networking and Resume Tips from Jobfox
MCLEAN, VA /PRNewswire/ — Whether you are looking to start fresh in the New Year, or have been unemployed for any length of time, now is your chance to breathe life into your tired job search. Jobfox, one of the nation’s fastest growing online job sites, has a few suggestions for you.
Fine Tune your Resume
First and foremost, your resume must meet the standards of today’s hiring processes before applying to jobs online or posting your resume publicly. The current job market demands more than just impeccable grammar and a readable font. Keyword optimization, for example, is crucial to getting your resume the attention it deserves. Keywords can either be found in your target job descriptions, or specifically researched and tailored by professional resume writers. Including these details will assure that your resume comes up in recruiter’s searches. Along these same lines, resumes and cover letters should also be specifically targeted to each individual job’s requirements. Customization and personal touches distinguish you from the seas of typical resumes, helping you land interviews and get the job you desire.
Additionally, when describing your previous positions, be sure to showcase your accomplishments. Recruiters are not interested in reading through a catalog of tasks and duties–they want to know what you have achieved. Sell yourself through your resume by highlighting milestones and accomplishments that correlate directly with a potential employer’s objectives. “You could be the best performer at your job, but without documenting your measurable achievements, awards, or relevant new experiences on the job, you can’t provide proof when asked. As the years go by, the likelihood of remembering details of every accomplishment will more difficult. In 2012, jot down what you’ve achieved at your job – it will serve a useful purpose in optimizing your resume, and in the end, your chances of landing the job of your dreams,” suggests Alex Soto, CEO of ResumeLance and Soto Marketing Communications.
Take Advantage of Social Media
Job seekers should maintain an active, relevant presence in all social media platforms. LinkedIn and Facebook profiles need to be updated, professional and personalized, and you should make as many connections as possible. Merge these contacts on sites like Jobfox.com and Indeed.com in order to receive notifications about possible connections within the companies you’d like to work. If you do not know these potential contacts directly, ask someone you do know to recommend you or to make a direct introduction. Don’t be shy–applicants with referrals such as these are at least 5 times as likely to get an interview.
“Here is the real one/two punch: Target your resume to the job you want and get that resume into the hands of the hiring manager through a reference. Your chances of landing that job just skyrocketed past your competition,” says Peggy Padalino, VP of Sales and Client Services at Jobfox.
Network
Follow through with all leads, both online and in person, no matter how small. Research shows that lengthy periods of unemployment are directly linked to passive approaches to job searching. Regardless of how well-crafted your resume or impressive your career, an expansive network is essential to bolstering your search for the perfect job. Reach out to colleagues and friends, and proactively foster second and third degree connections. Moreover, networking is about establishing a rapport; it is extremely important that traditional courtesies and etiquette not be overlooked, even in the era of the social media. Experts recommend sending a thank you letter following an interview. Not only will it set you apart from other applicants for the job in question, but this simple act of decorum will also help establish a lasting connection within the company.
About Jobfox
Founded in 2005 in McLean, Virginia, Jobfox is a leading job search and career-networking site designed to find candidates the right jobs at the best companies. Through a comprehensive skills-based matching system, Jobfox connects thousands of employers to the most qualified individuals, as well as linking job seekers to relevant job opportunities in their fields. With over 1 Million resumes improved, Jobfox is also the largest provider of professionally written resumes online. For more information, visit http://www.jobfox.com
SOURCE Jobfox
CONTACT: Leigh Burke of Jobfox, lburke@jobfox.com
Web Site: http://www.jobfox.com
Risk of Unemployment Varies by College Major – Unemployment Level for High School Graduates Without Degree is 22.9%
WASHINGTON, DC /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Unemployment figures show the jobless rate for recent college graduates with Bachelor’s Degrees has been running at an unacceptable 8.9 percent. But, a new study from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce finds that unemployment among job seekers with no better than a high school diploma is a catastrophic 22.9 percent – and an almost unthinkable 31.5 percent among high school dropouts.
So, is college still worth it? A major conclusion of the new report is that it all depends on your major. And while a college degree gives job seekers a formidable advantage over those without, the study points out, not all degrees are created equal, and there are a number of factors that prospective students should consider before sending off their college applications.
Choice of major determines unemployment. Risk of unemployment for recent graduates varies considerably depending on their major. The highest rate, the study found, is among Architecture graduates (13.9 percent) due to the collapse of the construction and home-building industries in the recession. Unemployment is generally higher for non-technical majors, such as the Arts (11.1 percent) or Social Sciences (8.9 percent).
What employed college graduates make also depends on what they take. Median earnings among recent college graduates vary from $55,000 among Engineering majors to $30,000 in the Arts, as well as Psychology and Social Work.
People who make technology are better off than people who use technology. For recent graduates in Math and Computing, unemployment is low for specialists who can write software and invent new applications (6%), but still comparatively high (11.2 percent) for those who use software to manipulate, mine and disseminate information.
Unemployment is lowest where the ties between majors and occupations are highest. Unemployment rates are relatively low (5.4 percent) for recent graduates in Engineering, the Sciences, Education, or Healthcare related majors because they are tied to stable or growing industry sectors and occupations. Psychology and Social Work graduates also have relatively low rates (7.3 percent), because almost half of them work in the Healthcare or Education sectors.
At the same time, majors that are closely aligned with occupations and industries in low demand can misfire. For example, unemployment rates for recent college graduates who majored in Architecture start high at 13.9 percent and due to its strong alignment with the collapse in construction and housing, unemployment remains high even for experienced college graduates at 9.2 percent.
Consider a graduate degree. The overall unemployment rate for people with graduate degrees is just 3 percent. With the exception of Arts and Education, where pay traditionally has been low, workers with graduate degrees average between $60,000 and $100,000 per year, compared to a range of $48,000 and $62,000 for workers with Bachelor’s Degrees.
Not all graduate degrees outperform all BA’s on employment. Forexample, experienced college graduates in a healthcare field have lower unemployment rates than people with graduate degrees in every other field except the life and physical sciences.
The full report: Hard Times, College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings: Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal is available online at http://cew.georgetown.edu/unemployment.
The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce is an independent, nonprofit research and policy institute that studies the link between individual goals, education and training curricula, and career pathways.
CONTACT: Andrea Porter, cewgeorgetown.media@gmail.com
SOURCE Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
Web Site: http://cew.georgetown.edu/
Georgetown University,
New defense industry contracts valued at $6.5 million or more as of December 30th, 2011.
New defense industry contracts valued at $6.5 million or more as of December 30th, 2011.
MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY
The Missile Defense Agency is announcing the award of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Development and Sustainment Contract (DSC) to The Boeing Co., Missile Defense Systems, Huntsville, Ala. The total value of this contract is $3,480,000,000. This contract was competitively awarded following the receipt of two proposals. The scope of work under this contract includes, but is not limited to: future development; fielding; test; systems engineering, integration and configuration management; equipment manufacturing and refurbishment; training; and operations and sustainment support for the GMD Weapon System and associated support facilities. Work will be performed at multiple locations, including: Huntsville, Ala.; Fort Greely, Alaska; Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.; Schriever Air Force Base, Peterson Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, and Colorado Springs, Colo.; Tucson, Ariz.; other government designated sites and other contractor designated prime, subcontractor, and supplier operating locations. The DSC period of performance is seven years; December 2011 through December 2018. Fiscal 2012 research, development, test and evaluation funds will be used to initially fund efforts under the DSC. The Missile Defense Agency, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (HQ0147-12-C-0004).
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a sole-source letter contract at a total not-to-exceed price of $1,960,000,000 to supply two Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Weapon Systems and provide support services under a Foreign Military Sale to the United Arab Emirates. Work will be managed in Sunnyvale, Calif., with final assembly performed in Troy, Ala. Performance extends from Dec. 30, 2011 through June 30, 2016. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Woburn, Mass., is being awarded a sole-source letter contract, with a not-to-exceed value of $582,516,377, as an undefinitized contract action (UCA) to provide two AN/TPY-2 radars for a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Work will be performed in Woburn, Mass. The period of performance is Dec. 30, 2011 through Sept. 30, 2018. UAE FMS funds in the amount of $582,516,377 will be used to fund this effort. Definitization of the UCA is anticipated in June 2012. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity (HQ0147-12-C-0005).
Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Woburn, Mass., is being awarded a sole-source letter contract, with a not-to-exceed value of $363,900,000, as an undefinitized contract action to provide two AN/TPY-2 radars. Work will be performed in Woburn, Mass. The period of performance is Dec. 30, 2011 through March 30, 2015. Procurement funds in the amount of $363,900,000 will be used to fund this effort. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity (HQ0147-12-C-0006).
ARMY
Lockheed Martin Corp., Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $605,998,104 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the 2012 Patriot advanced capability production requirement, which includes missiles, launchers, and ground support, for Taiwan. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas; Camden, Ark.; Lufkin, Texas; Chelmsford, Mass. and Ocala, Fla., with an estimated completion date of July 30, 2015. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-12-C-0002).
Avon Protection Systems, Inc., Cadillac, Mich., was awarded a $176,364,534 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the production of M61 filter canisters for Joint Service general purpose mask. Work will be performed in Cadillac, Mich., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 22, 2016. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with six bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W911SR-12-D-0001).
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., was awarded an $81,168,138 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to convert UH-60M aircraft to the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces unique configuration. Work will be performed in Stratford, Conn., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2012. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-08-C-0003).
Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure, Inc., Monroeville, Pa., was awarded an $80,000,000 firm-fixed-price and cost-reimbursable contract. The award will provide for the emergency response services for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Work location will be determined with each task order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2016. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with three bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Neb., is the contracting activity (W9128F-12-D-0003).
Longbow Limited Liability Corp., Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $64,332,047 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to definitize radar electronic unit and unmanned aerial vehicle tactical common data link low rate initial production for Taiwan. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2015. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-10-C-0005).
AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md., was awarded a $54,795,517 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure laser designator retrofit kits for the Shadow unmanned aircraft system. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Md., with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2014. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-08-C-0023).
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, St. Petersburg, Fla., was awarded a $43,824,598 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of 120mm insensitive munitions high explosive tracer cartridges to the Arab Republic of Egypt. Work will be performed in several cities across the United States, as well as Norway and Canada, with an estimated completion date of July 30, 2015. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15QKN-12-C-0002).
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Andover, Mass., was awarded a $34,285,600 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of three Patriot fire units and training equipment for Taiwan. Work will be performed in several locations within Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington, Italy, Greece, and Canada, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2016. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-12-C-0069).
Technologists, Inc., Arlington, Va., was awarded a $30,633,335 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the construction services for projects in Afghanistan. Work will be performed in Kabul, Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of March 27, 2013. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with six bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Miss., is the contracting activity (W912DQ-12-C-4000).
Cox Construction Co., Vista, Calif., was awarded an $18,710,400 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the construction services at the Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, Calif. Work will be performed in Los Alamitos, Calif., with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2013. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 11 bids received. The National Guard Bureau, San Luis Obispo, Calif., is the contracting activity (W912LA-12-C-0001).
Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., was awarded an $18,185,434 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of an additional six months logistics support. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Ind., with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2012. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-06-D-0072).
Dragados USA, Inc., New York, N.Y., was awarded a $15,284,720 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the services in support of the Portugues Dam and Bucana River Project. Work will be performed in Ponce, Puerto Rico, with an estimated completion date of March 13, 2013. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with two bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (W912EP-08-C-0011).
Raytheon Co., Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $13,918,946 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure 92H Block-1 Stinger missiles and air-to-air launchers for Taiwan. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2016. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-09-C-0520).
Scola, McClelland, Iowa, was awarded a $13,335,756 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the language broadcast cable service for multiple locations with the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center. Work will be performed in Monterey, Calif., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 25, 2012. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with two bids received. The U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort Dix, N.J., is the contracting activity (W91LV2-11-C-0009).
Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Wash., was awarded a $12,608,500 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the maintenance dredging services for areas located in Savannah, Ga. Work will be performed in Savannah and Brunswick, Ga., with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2012. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with two bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-12-C-0001).
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., Poway, Calif., was awarded a $12,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the support services for Warrior A/Block 0 unmanned aircraft systems. Work will be performed in Poway, Calif., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 17, 2013. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-12-C-0001).
Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., was awarded an $11,685,735 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification of an existing contract to procure heavy expanded mobility tactical truck light equipment transporter vehicles. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wis., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2013. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0024).
Seneca Construction, L.L.C./J2 Engineering, J.V., Irving, N.Y., was awarded an $8,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for full-range support services to customers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Work location will be determined with each task order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 16, 2016. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity (W91278-12-D-0008).
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $7,789,759 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the procurement of Modernized Laser Range Finder Designator Lot 1 kits and associated spares. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla., with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2014. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-11-C-0120).
Strategic Resources, Inc., McLean, Va., was awarded a $7,724,490 firm-fixed-price, labor-hour contract. The award will provide for the services necessary to support Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s mobilization mission. Work will be performed in Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., with an estimated completion date of June 27, 2012. Six bids were solicited, with six bids received. The Mission Contracting Office, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., is the contracting activity (W9124D-11-C-9000).
Certified Slings, Inc., Casselberry, Fla., was awarded a $7,643,262 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the 5,000 aerial delivery cargo slings. Work will be performed in Casselberry, Fla., with an estimated completion date of June 1, 2014. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-12-C-0070).
AIR FORCE
Sierra Nevada Corp., Sparks, Nev., is being awarded a firm-fixed price delivery order 0001 contract in the amount of $355,126,541 for the Light Air Support (LAS) aircraft and associated support. The delivery order is being issued under the simultaneously awarded basic contract FA8637-12-D-6001, an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This is a non-developmental aircraft procured for conducting advanced flight training, surveillance, air interdiction, and close air support. The LAS aircraft is a single-engine turboprop fixed-wing aircraft with tricycle, retractable landing gear, and tandem two-place pressurized cockpit with ejection seats, capable of operating from semi-prepared air fields. Ground training devices support pilot training. Interim contractor support is required for all maintenance and supply requirements for the aircraft and associated support equipment, consisting of the following: 20 LAS aircraft; one lot interim contractor support long lead in the continental United States; one lot interim contractor support base activation outside the continental United States; six mission planning stations; six mission debrief systems; one computer based trainer ground training device; one flight training device ground training device; one lot LAS flight certification to United States Air Force Military Training Center standards. Locations of performance are Sparks, Nev. (55 percent), and Jacksonville, Fla. (45 percent). Delivery order 0001 is expected to be completed Apr. 30, 2014. The basic contract has an ordering period of 60 months. ASC/WWYAC, Wright-Patterson, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Waltham, Mass., is being awarded a $38,472,002 cost-plus-award-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. This contract modification is for the modernized user equipment completion effort. This effort corrects modernized user equipment receiver card deficiencies that were identified during functional qualification testing, in order for the receiver cards to comply with contract requirements. The location of performance is El Segundo, Calif. Work is expected to be completed November 2012. SMC/GPK, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8807-06-C-0004, P00073).
Integral Systems, Inc., Columbia, Md., is being awarded a $15,698,435 cost-plus-award-fee contract for modification exercises option contract line item number 1006-calendar year 2012 sustainment in support of the Command and Control System Consolidated program. The support includes program management, hardware and software maintenance, core and satellite vehicle-specific software maintenance, database maintenance, and operations support for Satellite Operations Center Block at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo. The two locations for the performance are Colorado Springs. Colo. (50 percent), and Schriever Air Force Base, Colo. (35 percent). Work is to be completed by Dec. 31, 2012. SMC/MSCSD, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA4701-01-C-0012, P00199).
Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc., El Segundo, Calif., is being awarded a $9,497,495 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. This contract modification of the Wideband Global SATCOM Block II follow-on contract is for spacecraft modernization initiative digital channelizer upgrade study. The location of performance is El Segundo, Calif. Work is expected to be completed Jan. 1, 2012. SMC/PKJW, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8808-10-C-0001, P00021).
Raytheon Co., Network Centric Systems, Marlborough, Mass., is being awarded a $9,443,490 cost-plus-award-fee, firm-fixed-price, time-and-materials and cost reimbursement contract. This action will continue to provide survivable communications for United States strategic nuclear forces; the Minuteman Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network Program must be upgraded to support communications via the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite constellations. The location of performance is Marlborough, Mass. Work is expected to be completed 12 months after receipt of order. ESC/HNSK, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8726-08-C-004, P00080).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
CSD, Inc.*, New Conroe, Texas, was awarded a fixed-price with economic price adjustment contract with a maximum $11,832,260 for fuel system icing inhibitor. No other location of performance. Using service is Defense Logistics Agency Energy. There were three responses to the solicitation. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2012 Defense Capital Working Funds. The date of performance completion is Jan. 30, 2013. The Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity (SP0600-12-D-0760).
Grimes Aerospace Co., Urbana, Ohio, was awarded a firm-fixed-price contract with a maximum $9,570,000 for searchlights. No other location of performance. Using service is Army. There was one response to the solicitation. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2012 capital working funds. The date of performance completion is December 2014. The Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (SPRRA1-12-D-0049).
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Boren Scholarships ~ International Studies
Boren Scholarships provide up to $20,000 to U.S. undergraduate students to study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded. For a complete list of countries, click here.
Boren Scholars represent a variety of academic backgrounds, but all are interested in studying less commonly taught languages, including but not limited to Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Swahili. For a complete list of languages, click here.
Boren Scholarships are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. Applicants should identify how their study abroad program, as well as their future academic and career goals, will contribute to U.S. national security, broadly defined. NSEP draws on a broad definition of national security, recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness.
To view the Program Basics for the Boren Scholarship, click here.
Europe, Chinese, Eurasia, Korean, Latin America, Middle East, National Security Education Program, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, scholarships
NASA Selects 300 Small Business Research And Technology Projects, District of Columbia
WASHINGTON, DC /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ ~~ NASA has selected 300 small business proposals to enter into negotiations for possible contract awards through the agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
These competitive awards-based programs encourage U.S. small businesses and research institutions to engage in federal research, development and commercialization. The programs enable teams to explore technological potential while providing the incentive to profit from new commercial products and services.
The SBIR program selected 260 proposals, which have a combined value of approximately $33 million, for negotiation of Phase I feasibility study contracts. The STTR program selected 40 proposals, with a combined value of approximately $5 million, for negotiation of Phase I contracts.
“NASA’s partnerships with small businesses and universities through these programs brings space technologies to the marketplace, helping start-ups and small businesses create new jobs and grow our economy while meeting NASA’s current and future mission needs,” said Michael Gazarik, director of NASA’s Space Technology. “Breakthroughs in technology for space exploration create the foundation for new industries. We’re excited to work with these new partners and look forward to seeing their technologies mature into commercially viable products.”
The SBIR and STTR programs address specific technology gaps in NASA missions, while striving to complement other agency research investments. Program results have benefited many NASA efforts, including modern air traffic control systems, Earth-observing spacecraft, the International Space Station and the Mars rovers.
Innovative research areas among proposals include:
~~ Innovative research in the areas of positioning, navigation and timing that will enable accurate and precise determination of location and orientation of spacecraft to allow corrections to course, orientation and velocity to attain a desired destination
~~ Development of small, low-cost remote sensing and in situ instruments to enable science measurement capabilities with smaller or more affordable spacecraft that meet multiple mission needs while making the best use of limited resources
~~ Design of electronics, hardened for radiation and thermal cycling, which are capable of enduring the extreme temperature and radiation environments of deep space, and the lunar and Martian surfaces
~~ Improved technologies related to in-flight airframe and engine icing hazards for piloted and drone vehicles to prevent encounters with hazardous conditions and mitigation of their effects when they occur The highly competitive programs are based on a three-phase award system. Phase I is a feasibility study to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of an idea. Awards are typically for six months for the SBIR contracts and 12 months for the STTR contracts, in amounts up to $125,000. Firms successfully completing Phase I are eligible to submit Phase II proposals, expanding on the results of Phase I. Phase III includes commercialization of the results of Phase II, and requires the use of private sector or non-SBIR federal funding as innovations move from the laboratory to the marketplace.
The selected SBIR proposals were submitted by 196 small, high technology firms in 37 states. The selected STTR proposals were submitted by 36 small high technology firms in 13 states. As part of the STTR program, the firms proposed to partner with 34 universities or research institutions in 16 states.
NASA received 1,878 qualified Phase I proposals. The criteria used to choose these selected proposals included technical merit and feasibility; experience, qualifications and facilities; effectiveness of the work plan; and, commercial potential and feasibility.
NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., manages the SBIR program for the agency’s Space Technology Program. NASA’s 10 field centers manage individual projects.
For a complete list of selected companies, visit:
For more information about NASA’s Office of the Chief Technologist and the agency’s Space Technology Program, visit:
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Vets, Holidays and Suicide
Holidays and suicides ~~ this can be a depressing time for many.
Sad to say but there is one group that bears special attention: military veterans.
Vets now make up half of all suicides, at the rate of 18 suicides per day.
The VA’s suicide hotline receives about 10,000 calls a month from current and former service members. The number is 1-800-273-8255. Service members and veterans should push 1 for veterans’ services.
An Open Letter from America’s Port Truck Drivers and the Teamsters to ‘Occupy the Ports’
LOS ANGELES, CA /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ ~~ We are the front-line workers who haul container rigs full of imported and exported goods to and from the docks and warehouses every day.
We have been elected by committees of our co-workers at the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma to tell our collective story. We have accepted the honor to speak up for our brothers and sisters about our working conditions despite the risk of retaliation we face. One of us is a mother, the rest of us fathers. Between the four of us we have six children and one more baby on the way. We have a combined 31 years of experience driving cargo from our shores for America’s stores.
We are inspired that a non-violent democratic movement that insists on basic economic fairness is capturing the hearts and minds of so many working people. Thank you “99 Percenters” for hearing our call for justice. We are humbled and overwhelmed by recent attention. Normally we are invisible.
Today’s demonstrations will impact us. While we cannot officially speak for every worker who shares our occupation, we can use this opportunity to reveal what it’s like to walk a day in our shoes for the 110,000 of us in America whose job it is to be a port truck driver. It may be tempting for media to ask questions about whether we support a shutdown, but there are no easy answers. Instead, we ask you, are you willing to listen and learn why a one-word response is impossible?
We love being behind the wheel. We are proud of the work we do to keep America’s economy moving. But we feel humiliated when we receive paychecks that suggest we work part time at a fast-food counter. Especially when we work an average of 60 or more hours a week, away from our families.
There is so much at stake in our industry. It is one of the nation’s most dangerous occupations. We don’t think truck driving should be a dead-end road in America. It should be a good job with a middle-class paycheck like it used to be decades ago.
We desperately want to drive clean and safe vehicles. Rigs that do not fill our lungs with deadly toxins, or dirty the air in the communities we haul in.
Poverty and pollution are like a plague at the ports. Our economic conditions are what led to the environmental crisis.
You, the public, have paid a severe price along with us.
Why? Just like Wall Street doesn’t have to abide by rules, our industry isn’t bound to regulation. So the market is run by con artists. The companies we work for call us independent contractors, as if we were our own bosses, but they boss us around. We receive Third World wages and drive sweatshops on wheels. We cannot negotiate our rates. (Usually we are not allowed to even see them.) We are paid by the load, not by the hour. So when we sit in those long lines at the terminals, or if we are stuck in traffic, we become volunteers who basically donate our time to the trucking and shipping companies. That’s the nice way to put it. We have all heard the words “modern-day slaves” at the lunch stops.
There are no restrooms for drivers. We keep empty bottles in our cabs. Plastic bags too. We feel like dogs. An Oakland driver was recently banned from the terminal because he was spied relieving himself behind a container. Neither the port, nor the terminal operators or anyone in the industry thinks it is their responsibility to provide humane and hygienic facilities for us. It is absolutely horrible for drivers who are women, who risk infection when they try to hold it until they can find a place to go.
The companies demand we cut corners to compete. It makes our roads less safe. When we try to blow the whistle about skipped inspections, faulty equipment, or falsified logs, then we are “starved out.” That means we are either fired outright, or more likely, we never get dispatched to haul a load again.
It may be difficult to comprehend the complex issues and nature of our employment. For us too. When businesses disguise workers like us as contractors, the Department of Labor calls it misclassification. We call it illegal. Those who profit from global trade and goods movement are getting away with it because everyone is doing it. One journalist took the time to talk to us this week and she explains it very well to outsiders. We hope you will read the enclosed article “How Goldman Sachs and Other Companies Exploit Port Truck Drivers.”
But the short answer to the question: Why are companies like SSA Marine, the Seattle-based global terminal operator that runs one of the West Coast’s major trucking carriers, Shippers’ Transport Express, doing this? Why would mega-rich Maersk, a huge Danish shipping and trucking conglomerate that wants to drill for more oil with Exxon Mobil in the Gulf Coast conduct business this way too?
To cheat on taxes, drive down business costs, and deny us the right to belong to a union, that’s why.
The typical arrangement works like this: Everything comes out of our pockets or is deducted from our paychecks. The truck or lease, fuel, insurance, registration, you name it. Our employers do not have to pay the costs of meeting emissions-compliant regulations; that is our financial burden to bear. Clean trucks cost about four to five times more than what we take home in a year. A few of us haul our company’s trucks for a tiny fraction of what the shippers pay per load instead of an hourly wage. They still call us independent owner-operators and give us a 1099 rather than a W-2.
We have never recovered from losing our basic rights as employees in America. Every year it literally goes from bad to worse to the unimaginable. We were ground zero for the government’s first major experiment into letting big business call the shots. Since it worked so well for the CEOs in transportation, why not the mortgage and banking industry too?
Even the few of us who are hired as legitimate employees are routinely denied our legal rights under this system. Just ask our co-workers who haul clothing brands like Guess?, Under Armour, and Ralph Lauren’s Polo. The carrier they work for in Los Angeles is called Toll Group and is headquartered in Australia. At the busiest time of the holiday shopping season, 26 drivers were axed after wearing Teamster T-shirts to work. They were protesting the lack of access to clean, indoor restrooms with running water The company hired an anti-union consultant to intimidate the drivers. Down Under, the same company bargains with 12,000 of our counterparts in good faith.
Despite our great hardships, many of us cannot ~~ or refuse to, as some of the most well-intentioned suggest ~~ “just quit.” First, we want to work and do not have a safety net. Many of us are tied to one-sided leases. But more importantly, why should we have to leave? Truck driving is what we do, and we do it well.
We are the skilled, specially-licensed professionals who guarantee that Target, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart are all stocked with just-in-time delivery for consumers. Take a look at all the stuff in your house. The things you see advertised on TV. Chances are a port truck driver brought that special holiday gift to the store you bought it.
We would rather stick together and transform our industry from within. We deserve to be fairly rewarded and valued. That is why we have united to stage convoys, park our trucks, marched on the boss, and even shut down these ports.
It’s like our hero Dutch Prior, a Shipper’s/SSA Marine driver, told CBS Early Morning this month: “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”
The more underwater we are, the more our restlessness grows. We are being thoughtful about how best to organize ourselves and do what is needed to win dignity, respect, and justice.
Nowadays greedy corporations are treated as “people” while the politicians they bankroll cast union members who try to improve their workplaces as “thugs.”
But we believe in the power and potential behind a truly united 99%. We admire the strength and perseverance of the longshoremen. We are fighting like mad to overcome our exploitation, so please, stick by us long after December 12. Our friends in the Coalition for Clean & Safe Ports created a pledge you can sign to support us here.
We drivers have a saying, “We may not have a union yet, but no one can stop us from acting like one.”
The brothers and sisters of the Teamsters have our backs. They help us make our voices heard. But we need your help too so we can achieve the day where we raise our fists and together declare: “No one could stop us from forming a union.”
Thank you. In solidarity,
Leonardo Mejia SSA Marine/Shippers Transport Express Port of Long Beach, 10-year driver
Yemane Berhane Ports of Seattle & Tacoma 6-year port driver
Xiomara Perez Toll Group Port of Los Angeles, 8-year driver
Abdul Khan Port of Oakland 7-year port driver
SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters
CONTACT: CONTACT: TJ Michels, +1-323-246-5615, tj.michels@changetowin.org
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FYI Tidbits // S. 1747 ~ Computer Professionals Update Act would eliminate overtime payment for IT professionals
The Computer Professionals Update Act, which amends provisions in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, would exempt IT professionals who make at least $26.73 hourly from the overtime payment requirement. IT professionals in this case are defined as those whose duties relate to “computers, information systems, components, networks, software, hardware, databases, security, Internet, intranet or websites,” whether it is analysts, programmers, engineers, designers or developers, according to the bill.
Read S. 1747 – Computer Professionals Update Act
Read more/learn more: http://fcw.com/Blogs/Management-Matters/2011/12/Proposal-to-eliminate-overtime-pay.aspx
professionals, The Computer Professionals Update Act,
