NCMA Main Template

The traditional aerospace industry, the one making rockets and bombs, is still consolidating. The major firm in the area , Lockheed Martin, has merged so many companies, you need a scorecard to keep track. What were once competitors for launch vehicles and satellite production - Lockheed, Martin Marietta, Loral, General Electric, and General Dynamics, are now one. Perhaps because of this consolidation, little from Lockheed Martin is advertised as far as openings for contracts professionals. Ball Aerospace, another major satellite producer, appears to be a bit more active, but as the Defense Department goes towards more commercial solutions to its needs, the big projects appear to be dwindling.

Government regulations are slowly giving way to commercial contracting methods. Domestic focus in some cases is yielding to an emphasis on international contracting.
The silver lining to the downsized military budget is consolidation will end and the reformed industry will be looking for ways to profit in the commercial world. This is already happening as launch services and satellites are being designed to provide for any number of global information networks that will use space as the ultimate "cable" system. One Lockheed Martin company, D3 in Littleton, markets geotechnical data that merges land-based information with space images.

Environmental/Construction

Superfund clean-up sites like Rocky Flats and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal attract the most jobs. Many firms subcontract to the larger firms. Other firms contract for domestic and international projects from their Denver base. Many large Architectural and Engineering (A&E) and construction firms have a major presence in Denver. List - CH2MHill. Dames & Moore. Becthel. Foster Wheeler. Stone and Webster. Raytheon.

Software

Just one look at the Sunday ads and you’ll see that computer professionals are in great demand. Small start-up software companies needing contracts professionals are beginning to ask NCMA for candidates. The emphasis in software contracting is with intellectual property rights, a relatively new application of an old law concerning software, and licensing.

Telecommunications

This is a field considered to be the most evolving and dynamic industry today. With talk of converging computer technology with telephone and wireless technologies, contract professionals should have a variety of opportunities. Companies like US West, TCI, and MCI routinely look to NCMA for help finding candidates.

Government

Direct employment opportunities in the federal government are dwindling as services are consolidated and commercial practices are employed to acquire supplies and services. On the flip to downsizing, agencies are outsourcing more of their activities to local companies, such as health care management for federal employees. While there exists pockets of growth for federal employment, it may mean having to relocate. As Colorado continues to grow, there will be increasing opportunities in local government and other quasi-government organizations, school districts being one example.

Small Business

Denver is a gold mine for new and emerging businesses. The trick is finding the right one that matches your skills and interests. There are many pros and cons working for a small firm. As a contracting professional, being the "contracts person" means you could be called on as the finance expert, subcontracting advisor, audit manager, and (say it ain't so) government property expert - NOOO! Virtually anything that falls under the FAR can and does fall in your lap. In a sense, that's a good thing. Working for a small company earns you a broad-based knowledge of how the FAR impacts your business.

While salary and benefits might appear to be a drawback working for a small business, increased responsibility and freedom is the pay off. You may or may not get all the resources you need, but the ones you do get you are unlikely to have to share with others. Advancement in a company large or small depends on timing and circumstance, with neither being a great advantage over the other.

Consulting

If you are considering a career change, consulting might be an appropriate direction. Many local courses are offered that will test your willingness and aptitude if you think consulting might work for you. It's a good idea to take such a course to measure your level of entrepreneurship, commitment and discipline, and organizational skills, all critical for a successful consulting business. You'll also need to possess a unique or otherwise marketable set of skills and knowledge based on experience and performance.

The key to a successful consulting business is contacts and networking. If you can bill 1,000 hours during a year, you're doing good. The other 1,000 or more hours will be spent performing the mindlessly boring but essential tasks of bookkeeping, taxes, correspondence, scaring up business, and networking. The upside is, you're your own boss, you can set your own pace and schedule. But to do that, you have to put up with the thousand minute details of running your own business and managing the startup risks.

Many NCMA members are consultants who would be more than happy to share their experiences.

Temporary Agencies/Outsourcing

When looking for a permanent job, taking a temporary position is a good strategy depending on your financial position. While the pay may be lower than you'd like, the work less stimulating with minimal benefits, it may tide you over until you find something permanent.

Your NCMA employment chair can provide you with a listing of employment agencies that place contract management and subcontract professionals with local companies. Companies large and small retain these agents to fill their short-term requirements. These temporary companies are very competitive, so the firm contracted to provide temporary services to a company might change frequently.

A word of caution about temporary employment. Firms hire temporary workers for short-term assignments as a way to avoid costs associated with permanent employment. If an assignment is extended for longer terms, the reduced salaries and benefits paid for temporary service is enticing to a firm's bottom. In this regard, firms have been known to regard assignments as "temporary" that clearly justify permanent employment. To guard against this exploitive and marginally illegal practice, one should consider a work assignment of more than one year to exceed the definition of "temporary," regardless of what your supervisor or company HR "expert" says.

Lll

lLThe Denver Chapter